Photo: Jared Brosnan/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Watery eyes, runny nose, and a dry cough mean pollen season is upon us. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Boston is listed as the least challenging city for pollen allergies out of 100 metropolitan areas, although a few Bostonians might disagree.
Pollen is one of the most common triggers of seasonal allergies. Pollen allergies, also known as seasonal allergic rhinitis, are triggered by trees, grass, and weeds. This greenery excretes small, light, and dry pollen grains that travel by wind and make their way to the lungs, nose, and eyes, causing hay fever.
Although Boston didn't make the list of the top 10 most challenging places to live with seasonal allergies, locals still feel the pain. As residents try to figure out how to deal with the symptoms of the season, CBS News chief medical correspondent, Dr. Jon LaPook offered suggestions about how to make it through if you want to avoid medication.
"When you come from the outside to the inside, your hair is full of pollen. Change your clothes. Take a shower. Because then when you're inside, the pollen is just, as you walk around, it's coming down. You're pollinating yourself. "