High pollen counts mean misery for allergy sufferers

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- If you're noticing yellow pollen collecting on your car windshield, you're not alone.

The city of Houston is reaching the peak of spring allergy season, according to Memorial Hermann Northwest Dr. Saffana Hassan.

Hassan said tree pollen is the biggest offender right now -- especially pine, cedar and oak.

"Houston is kind of like a basin, so you have water on one side, the bay, then you have higher ground on the other side," Hassan said. "So any pollen that tends to come, stays in Houston and dust mites and mold spores that have been growing stay here, too."

Sneha Raju, 23, has reached her limit dealing with seasonal allergies; she has suffered from allergies for most of her life.

"I've been having, like, runny nose, excessive sneezing, hundreds and hundreds of times per day," Raju said. "It just leaves me so fatigued. Lying in bed, I feel like my body's been hit by a truck."

Raju visited Dr. Hassan at her office in the Heights, hoping to find long-term relief.

Hassan advises everyone suffering from allergies to get treatment as soon as symptoms begin. If patients wait too long, it will take longer to get their symptoms under control.