Bloom Of Spring Also Brings Allergy Season With It

CHICAGO (CBS) -- If you've felt your allergies kicking in, well, it's that time of year. The latest readings show elevated amounts of grass and weed pollen, and mold.

CBS 2 Meteorologist Ed Curran reports tree pollen is at a high concentration, which is why many of you are on medication.

Itchy nose, watery eyes; and it looks like we can blame it on the trees.

Dr. Mark Jacobson, an allergy specialist in Hinsdale, said, "What I have been seeing primarily, at this point, has been the tree pollen in the spring."

Jacobson said he tells patients not to blame their allergies on their neighbor's tree.

"The pollen can blow for a hundred miles, so it really doesn't matter exactly what trees are in your own yard, or your neighbor's yard. You don't have to cut down your neighbor's tree," he said.

The best idea is to shut your windows, and run the air conditioning at home, and in the car.

You should also shower regularly. Although pollen is primarily in the air, it also can hitch a ride on your hair.

"You should take a shower at night, to try to get that pollen off of your hair. Otherwise you're gonna lay down, you'll get that pollen on the pillow; now you're putting your nose right down into the pillow," Jacobson said.

If you're sensitive to pollen, certain raw fruits and vegetables can actually cause a reaction, because of a protein they contain that the body reacts to similar to pollen.

"When you eat these fruits and vegetables raw it's as if you were eating the pollen," he said.

If your mouth gets itchy after an apple, it might be an allergic reaction.

"We see this with apples, peaches, plums, and then a lot of the melon fruits – cantaloupe, honeydew – and then also with bananas," Jacobson said.

If you have allergies, it's best to find out exactly what you're allergic to, so you can take the right medication, instead of just taking an over the counter product.

Simple skin tests will identify if it's the tree or the dog, so you can ease your itchy eyes.