With warm weather arriving in New York City, allergy season has also arrived – which can be even harder for people who suffer from asthma.  

Dr. Ricardo Velasquez, pulmonary and critical care doctor at St. Barnabas Hospital, says he’s already seeing asthma patients come in for allergy season, which usually peaks during April and May.  

“Once the pollen is out there, people come with a lot of allergies, they come with asthma exacerbations, people that have been well controlled the rest of the year, all the sudden they're not controlled,” said Velasquez.  

Trees and grass are major pollen sources that can cause seasonal allergy-related illnesses. Velasquez stresses the importance of having an asthma action plan with your doctor in case of emergency.  

“We cannot keep people in a bubble… so the best thing that they can do is try to know their triggers that's very important, if it's the hot weather, if it's cold weather if it's when you go out and there's pollen,” said Velasquez.  

Medications varying from inhalers to injections are available to control both allergies and asthma. Speak with your doctor if you think that this medicine is right for you.