February 8, 2012

The grass is no longer bright and green and there are not any leaves on the trees, however with a few warm days in January some plants are already blooming.

Dr. Arvind Madaan of Charlottesville Allergy & Respiratory Enterprises says the winter budding is causing some people to have an allergic reaction.

"Over the years we're also seeing that the weather patterns with the warming is changing as well. We're seeing the expansion of pollen seasons," said Madaan.

Some common symptoms of allergies include itchy eyes or nose, sneezing, congestion or cough.

With symptoms very similar to those of the common cold, Dr. Madaan says it may be difficult to tell the difference between the two.

"Typically a cold should be a short lasting phenomena that particularly would resolve in 5-7 days but an allergy is something that would be a recurring theme," said Madaan. If you notice returning symptoms it may be time to visit your doctor for a treatment.

With spring just weeks away, Dr. Madaan is warning people about allergic reactions to insect stings, like yellow jackets and hornets.

"With insect stings, if your reactions are localized and are small (under a couple of inches in diameter) then you can manage them like you would with topical treatments, i.e calamine lotion. If you develop large local reactions, more than 3- 4 inches in diameter or the entire extremity swells up, that patient would benefit from further intervention," said Madaan.

Whether it's pollen or insect stings, Dr. Madaan says your allergies can be managed, so you can enjoy the outdoors no matter what season.