If your allergies seem really bad right now, you're not imaging it.

They are.

WGN shares that pollen levels for ragweed "are extremely high right now - at least twice what we normally see."

Holy cow. No wonder my nose is so itchy and my eyes won't stop watering.

I take a daily allergy pill and have been using a nose spray for my allergies and they just don't seem to be getting better.

Dr. Christopher Codispoti, an allergist and immunologist at Rush University Medical Center Chicago said that "We're seeing a lot more of the pollens, the pollination seasons are lasting longer, they're starting earlier and they're more intense." 

The reason why ragweed is so bad is that the plant is said that "it can grow almost anywhere. It's what called a "pioneer plant," the first one that starts to grow through cracks or any disturbed top soil. And that's why it can be such a problem in the city and suburbs where there's so much construction going on."

Not only is that problematic to us suffering with allergies combine that with the fact that the "pollen season now extends from mid-July to the first freeze."

Awesome.

So what can we do?

"Stay inside when the pollen count is high, use nasal spray or antihistamines, and when you come back in from any time outside, take a shower."

Also if you're wondering what ragweed looks like here's a picture.

It's very similar to Golden Rod, but it's flowers are a lot smaller and has bigger leaves.

Ragweed plants
ThinkStock
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Wow! It does look a lot like Golden Rod. I'm pretty sure I just pulled up several of those ragweed plants in my flower bed recently.

 

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