On a recent trip back from the island of Bonaire in the Caribbean, Catonsville resident Mary Beth Shelton?s sinuses announced to her that she was nearing Baltimore.
“As soon as we crossed into Maryland, I could feel myself clog up,” she said. “I thought, ?Man, you?re back in the Maryland pollen.? ”
Shelton, the owner of a plumbing and heating business, experienced what many in the Baltimore area are feeling this time of year ? the pain of allergy season.
With pollen at a high level this spring, some Baltimore residents are kept up all night with runny noses, congestion and itchy eyes.
In fact, Baltimore recently was named one of the Top 10 Spring Allergy Capitals of the United States by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
“Baltimore is a challenging place for someone if they suffer from spring allergies,” said Angel Waldron, an AAFA spokeswoman.
“The pollen level in Baltimore is higher than the national average. People are experiencing allergies for longer this spring. A normal allergy season spans from March to May. This year, we?ve seen high pollen levels starting in February. Instead of two or three months of suffering, you?ve got three or four.”
Waldron has some common sense tips to help allergy sufferers, such as staying indoors, removing their shoes when they enter their homes, changing their clothes and washing their hair before they go to sleep.
“Pollen spores love to stick to your hair,” she said. “If you sleep on your pillow, you?re keeping those spores in your bed until you change the sheets.”
Patty Wheeler, a school teacher from Elkridge, said she dreads the allergies that come with a Baltimore spring. Like the rest of pollen sufferers, Wheeler said she has learned to deal with it.
“I?ve had allergies since I was in preschool,” she said. “But this has been a relatively bad pollen season.”
The Top 10 2006 Spring Allergy Capitals:
1. Hartford, Conn.
2. Greenville, S.C.
3. Boston, Mass.
4. Detroit, Mich.
5. Orlando, Fla.
6. Knoxville, Tenn.
7. Omaha, Neb.
8. Sacramento, Calif.
9. Washington, D.C.
10. Baltimore
? Source: Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
