Pollen Allergies Are Brutal This Year – a Doctor Explains Why, and How to Find Relief
May 05, 2026 | Source: The Conversation | by
Spring means beautiful flowers, fragrant lilacs – and lots of tree pollen coating cars and setting off sneezing, wheezing and headaches.
As an allergist and immunologist at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, I help patients with seasonal allergies and associated allergic diseases manage their conditions, and one question comes up year in and out: Will this season be worse than last year?
With a record warm start to spring 2026 in much of the U.S., the answer is a teary-eyed “yes.”
What are allergies?
More than 1 in 4 U.S. adults suffer from seasonal allergies. That number is expected to increase as climate change results in longer and more intense pollen seasons.