FOX MEDICAL TEAM: Ragweed Allergies

ATLANTA - Georgia's long, hot, dry summer has stirred up the fall allergy season, and that's left a lot of us coughing and sneezing more than usual.

The big culprit right now is ragweed.

The good news is the pollen levels right now are nowhere close to the highs we experienced in the spring, but the bad news is if you do have fall allergies, it may take a few weeks before we get a hard freeze and a little relief.

Ragweed is not exactly the sexiest - or most interest – plant, but Mary Besh says when it starts pollinating, watch out.

"It's awful. It's like having a cold constantly, year round. And there's nothing you can do about it,” Besh said.

Every fall, like clockwork, the misery begins,

"Usually it starts with bad headaches. That's how I know the season is going to start. And then I start getting the itchy watery eyes, and especially the sneezing,” Besh said.

After a long, dry summer, allergist Dr. Paul Rabinowitz is seeing a lot of patients complaining of fall allergies.

“They come into my office, their eyes are all red and teary, their nose is congested,” Rabinowitz said.

The culprit is growing on vacant lots and around watery areas all over metro Atlanta. Just one stalk of ragweed can churn out thousands of grains of pollen.

"That gets into the wind, gets into the air, and as your out walking about walking outdoors, you're inhaling the ragweed grains of pollen, and if your allergic to them, you develop your fall allergy symptoms,” Rabinowitz said.

So how do you know if you're sensitive to ragweed?

“The key symptoms: sneezing, itchy nose, itchy eyes,” said Rabinowitz. "The first year you've got symptoms, you assume it's a cold. And it's a cold lasts about a month, which you think is odd,"

Colds usually only last a week or two.

If you've been coughing or sneezing for longer than that and your discharge is clear, you probably have hay fever, not a virus, and can get relief from a non-prescription allergy medication.

For year-round or severe symptoms, Rabinowitz suggests going to an allergist for skin-tests to narrow down exactly what you're allergic to.

If you get a positive reaction to ragweed. Rabinowitz has several suggestions.

"We recommend you take an oral antihistamine such as -- most of the products are over the counter --Zyrtec, Allegra, Claratin. Brands like that. Or you could use a nasal spray to go with it, nasal antihistamine sprays or nasal steroid sprays,” said Rabinowitz.

Besh's skin tests revealed she's sensitive to ragweed and grass pollen. She now gets allergy shots, or immunotherapy, to desensitize her and take away ragweed's wrath.

"It's worth it, if you're really bad and can't breathe,” Besh said. "I was a candidate. Because I literally would have migraines five times a month and just be miserable."

Dr. Rabinowitz says the fall allergy season usually peaks in early October and then it dies down after the first hard frost.

Most people can get relief from an over-the-counter allergy medication or nasal spray.

If not, talk to an allergist.