Volatile Valley weather patterns impacting Valley allergy sufferers

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. -- The Central Valley is only a few days into the spring season, and already it has seen volatile weather patterns, including rain to an earlier than normal warming trend with the possibility of record-breaking temperatures.

The spring forecast reveals an alarming reality.

"Allergies are not decreasing year after year. Allergies are only increasing year after year," said Dr. Buddiga of Family Allergy, Skin, Immunology.

The sudden rise in allergies is clinically linked to the climate.

"The temperature changes; it's getting hotter year after year, it's getting colder year after year. Therefore, the vegetation is really, really rampant," said Dr. Buddiga.

Those drastic shifts in weather cause allergy sufferers to experience an array of symptoms.

"They tend to get the sniffles in the nose, itchy eyes, scratchy throat and sometimes, they tend to have a wheeze too because of the inflammation," said Dr. Buddiga.

For the past decade, Grizzly Pharmacy has been a local resource for allergy sufferers.

Typically, this time of year, customers are reaching for common over-the-counter medications to treat allergies, including Zyrtec, Allegra, and Claritin.

"They're all going to be indicated for seasonal allergies that you may be experiencing; they should all be easily found over-the-counter," said James Irvine, a Pharmacy Manager for Grizzly Pharmacy.

Dr. Buddiga recommends parents bring their children to an allergist at the onset of one of the first signs of allergies -- an aggressive cough.

"The goal is to identify those patients, especially children, and treat them early, meaning get them on allergy immunotherapy, allergy shots," said Dr. Buddiga.

His mission is to prevent the Allergy Cascade from occurring. It is a phrase used to describe the progression of allergy illnesses that begins in young patients.

"It starts with eczema. It progresses into pediatric asthma and leads to bad allergies," said Dr. Buddiga.

With a vast assortment of treatment options for allergy sufferers, medical experts recommend reaching for an antihistamine over a decongestant, especially for the youngest patients.

"The decongestant has certain chemicals that can make them a little hyper; the side effects are not as good," said Dr. Buddiga.

"If one you feel is not working as well, you can always try another one with the approval of your local medical help team," said Irvine.

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