PRAYERS TONIGHT. WE ARE LESS THAN A WEEK INTO SPRING, AND ALREADY YELLOW DUST IS COVERING YOUR CAR, YOUR HOUSE, PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING THAT IT CAN STICK TO. THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US AT TEN. I’M SHERI FALK I’M GUY RAWLINGS. WE’RE TALKING, OF COURSE, ABOUT POLLEN, YEAH, TREES, GRASS, FLOWERS AND MUCH MORE, LEAVING MANY OF YOU WITH RUNNY NOSES, ITCHY EYES AND UNABLE TO ENJOY SOME OF THE PEAK BLOOMS OUTSIDE OF YOUR HOME. IT’S SO BAD. THE CITY OF BIRMINGHAM RANKS IN THE TOP 50 IN NEW RESEARCH FROM THE ASTHMA AND ALLERGY FOUNDATION OF AMERICA. WVTM13’S BRYCE OSELEN, JOINING US NOW ON THE TOPIC. OF THESE PROBLEMS ARE DEFINITELY NOTICEABLE. BRYCE. YEAH. GUY. SHERRI. POLLEN CAN BE FOUND ON JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING THESE DAYS. PEOPLE I SPOKE WITH SAY THEY’RE LIMITING THE AMOUNT OF TIME THEY’RE SPENDING OUTSIDE TO PREVENT THEIR ALLERGIES FROM ACTING UP. AND THEY’RE HOPING TO ENJOY SPRING WITHOUT VISITING A DOCTOR’S OFFICE. WHEN I GET HOME, I DO TRY TO KIND OF STAY INSIDE AND LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT I AM OUTSIDE. ONLY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I DON’T WANT TO OVER EXPOSE MYSELF TO POLLEN. ALABAMA RANKS 39TH IN THE NATION FOR MOST CHALLENGING PLACES TO LIVE WITH POLLEN. THAT’S ON BRAND POLLEN SEASON IN ALABAMA, ESPECIALLY IN BIRMINGHAM, IS PRETTY BAD. RESEARCH CONDUCTED BY THE ASTHMA AND ALLERGY FOUNDATION OF AMERICA CALCULATES POLLEN SCORES AND THE PURCHASES OF OVER-THE-COUNTER ALLERGY MEDICINE TO CLASSIFY THE RANKING. I SUFFER WITH SEASONAL ALLERGIES MYSELF. SOME SAY THE POLLEN CAUSES MAJOR PROBLEMS FOR THEIR IMMUNE SYSTEM. I’M AN AVID USER OF, YOU KNOW, THE THE SEASONAL BENADRYL, ZYRTEC AND CLARITIN. WHILE OTHERS ENJOY IT. OH YEAH, I’VE SEEN IT ALL AROUND, YOU KNOW, CLOUDING PEOPLE’S WINDSHIELDS OR RUNNING OFF INTO THE STREETS. YEAH, I’M NOT SURE EXACTLY HOW YOU FIX IT. I MEAN, I THINK THAT’S THAT’S PROBABLY A GOOD THING THAT THERE’S A LOT OF POLLEN AROUND BECAUSE IT IT MEANS THAT THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, MORE POLLINATORS AND, YOU KNOW, GROWING PLANTS AND WHATNOT. MEDICAL EXPERTS IDENTIFY ALLERGIC REACTIONS TO POLLEN WITH EASE. A LOT OF PATIENTS WOULD THEY PRESENT OFTEN WITH THE NASAL CONGESTION AND ALSO THE VERY ITCHY AND WATERY NOSE AT THE SAME TIME, WATERY EYES AND RECOMMEND USING OVER-THE-COUNTER MEDICATIONS TO CURE THE REACTION. FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE YOU CAN TRY SOME ANTIHISTAMINES, WHICH IS ALSO AVAILABLE DEPENDING ON THE ANTIHISTAMINES. SOME OF THEM ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE DROWSIER THAN THE OTHER. YOU CAN JUST PICK THE ONE YOU REALLY WANTED TO THAT’S REALLY FIT RIGHT INTO YOU. AND ALSO YOU CAN TAKE SOME NASAL SPRAYS. AND IF THAT DOESN’T WORK, COVERING YOUR FACE MAY DO THE TRICK. WEAR A MASK THAT WILL HELP YOU A LOT AND SAVE YOU A SAVE YOU SOME SLEEP. MEDICAL EXPERTS ALSO RECOMMEND VISITING A DOCTOR IF OVER-THE-COUNTER MEDICATION DOESN’T HELP. LIVE IN BIRMINGHAM BRY