Spring is just around the corner and most of us look forward to it all year, but many allergy sufferers dread the season.
CBS47 meteorologist Justin Sacher visited the Baz Allergy and Sinus Center to see what's in the air.
Most people think it's pollen that is causing problems right now but that's not the case. Mold is still the predominant allergen right now. That will change in the coming weeks as as fruit trees begin blossoming, filling the air with pollen.
Equipment on top of the Baz Allergy Center monitors our air all day, every day. Dr. Praveen Buddiga uses what he finds on roof to treat his patients.
Dr. Buddiga took us up to the roof to look at the state of the art pollen collector. At the end of the day, they open the collector and then look at the sample under a microscope. Right now, mold is still showing, which is a significant trigger for asthma.
While mold is predominant now, it won't be long before the trees blossom and pollen will be high. And just when you think you're going to get a break from the pollen, it's summer and the grasses take over, followed by the fall weeds and then we're back to winter with mold again. So it's a never ending cycle in the Central Valley.
The good news is that allergy treatments can be targeted to these conditions when we know what's in the air.
