Transcripts

Dr. Cliff Bassett M.D. :
We're seeing lots and lots of suffering because there's so much pollen out there and we're seeing individuals coming in, clutching their chest, having trouble breathing- and this particular year allergies are actually provoking an epidemic of new asthma cases as well.

Dr. Cliffard Bassett, Allergist at the Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn and Medical Director of Allergy and Asthma Care of New York, says it's important to get tested if you have allergies but there are some things you can do to cut down on the severity of your symptoms; starting with showering and shampooing every night before bed.

And change your clothing, wash your glasses, brush off your shoes before entering your bedroom to remove pollen or mold spores that may have collected during the daytime. And it's been shown that it can dramatically reduce the amount of airborne allergens coming into your bedroom that transfers directly to your pillow cases and your bed sheets and you awaken the next morning feeling a lot better. The other suggestion we have is to always keep the windows closed on high pollen days- keep the air conditioner on re-circulate.

Pollen counts are highest between 5am and 10am says Dr. Bassett.

And if you're doing outdoor activities you might want to limit your activities to later in the day when pollen counts are typically lower, or exercise and do some indoor activities on very high pollen days. If all else fails you can take a vacation by a beach or a sea or a lake or a body of water- typically pollen counts are a little bit lower in that area.

You can link to Dr. Bassett's website from ours: somethingyoushouldknow.net -I'm Mike Carruthers and that's Something You Should Know.