WASHINGTON (WUSA9) -- This spring, tree pollen counts are among the highest they've been in the last eleven of fifteen years. And the DC Metro area is already considered an allergy 'hot-zone.'
"It is terrible, it has been debilitating for me," says Sharon Lyons Watts, a former WUSA9 news producer. Watts is now a stay-at- home mom with three young kids in Bethesda. She says her family has been hit especially hard by allergy symptoms this year, especially itchy, red eyes.
Watts stocked up on over-the-counter allergy medications and eye drops. They help block histamine, an inflammatory chemical the body releases in response to allergens. Experts say a diet of anti-inflammatory foods can also be beneficial to help control histamine response. But only if you eat these foods on a regular basis, not just once in a while.