“Early” allergy season in full swing in El Paso this winter
EL PASO- TEXAS -- Many El Pasoans experience significant allergy symptoms throughout the spring.
Many would even associate windy days with allergic reactions and bothersome symptoms.
Dr. Luis A. Gonzalez is an allergist who has been practicing in the El Paso region for more than 20 years. He says that he sees more patients in his office during this season.
Although the wind and the dust are contributing factors for bothersome allergies, the root cause is the pollen during the windy season.
Dr. Gonzalez says that the pollen enters your body through your eyes and nose, and that’s when you begin to feel the effects.
He says this is a genetic condition, but it happens as our body reacts to environmental elements.
Although it is still winter, Dr. Gonzalez says that some plants will release their pollen early, which makes up for an “early” allergy season.
As for the number of allergies you may experience- it may all depend on the amount of pollen in the environment.
According to him, one remedy that could help prevent pollen from entering your body is keeping your face mask on as you step out into windy conditions.
Additionally, he says sunglasses could help prevent pollen from entering your eyes as well.
Dr. Gonzalez advises his patients to take extra precautions during this time of year. According to him, allergy symptoms can become severe for some patients, and as a result, many patients end up in the emergency room.
Dr. Emilio Gonzalez- Ayala, a pulmonologist, also says that the number of visits to the ER increases during this time.
He says that the main reason is the increased shortness of breath and wheezing, despite patients taking their daily medicine.
He says that it is nearly impossible not to be exposed to the irritants in the air during windy weather conditions. However, Gonzalez- Ayala explains the allergy symptoms are a defense mechanism the body has to “get the junk out.”
As for patients who have experienced COVID-19, Doctor Gonzalez-Ayala says that many patients “are easily symptomatic from irritants in the environment whether it is wind in the air, dirt, the allergies that we are seeing or changes in environmental conditions. All these things in patients who have secuelas (lingering effects) from COVID tend to irritate them and the ease for them to become more symptomatic.”
This also can cause these patients to experience more severe allergy symptoms and with greater frequency.
He says this can happen to patients who have experienced COVID months prior.
“We still see these patients coming in complaining not only the lingering symptoms that come from the long-hauler symptom but also the acuteness exacerbation of the season with the exposure to dust storms, allergies changing to weather.”
He explains that we rarely see the long-lasting effects of dust and wind in our bodies.
Gonzalez- Ayala also says that allergies aren’t just manifested in your airways but also in your skin. More patients see skin conditions flare-up, like eczema.
He also says that although the dust and wind can lead to severe symptoms, they can affect how your lungs operate, but that mostly happens if you have another respiratory condition.
