Exercising outdoors first thing in the morning is a great way to start the day.
However, if you have allergies, you might want to avoid the outdoors from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m., Dr. Michael Pacin says.
"All the plants tend to release their pollen at that time of day. That is the time of day when there is the most pollen in the air," said Pacin, the founder of the Florida Center for Allergy and Asthma Care.
Oak trees are the main source of pollen problems right now. Mango blossoms got an early start.
"Mango trees start pollenating as early as December. What's the middle of winter to the rest of the country, is the beginning of spring here in South Florida," Pacin added.
It's a particularly bad season for allergy sufferers this year, for two main reasons – a warm winter and windy weather.
Concepcion Marques went to her doctor seeking relief.
"When I go out to walk it's terrible. The sneezing is horrible. I get headaches and I can't breathe," she said.
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The main symptoms of pollen allergies are stuffy or runny nose, itchy watery eyes, itchy ears or throat, and multiple sneezes. That's your body's way of trying to get rid of pollen in your nose.
Pacine recommends using saline sprays or a neti pot to wash out the pollen in your nasal passage.
On of the rooftop of Kendall Regional Medical Plaza is a machine that collects windblown pollen. In the morning the pollens are counted, then posted on the web and sent to local newsrooms.
Pacin says it's not the pretty flowering trees you have to worry about. Pollens released by grass and weeds are in the air you breathe.
