May 08, 2007
I thought it was just me.
Yesterday my allergies were so awful that I stayed home all day, holed up in my office here and avoiding any semblance of outside air. All day long, my eyes watered and teared; I looked like I was having an emotional meltdown. I could not even wear my contact lenses.
Today the San Jose Mercury reports that the pollen is exceptionally bad since we’ve suddenly vaulted into 80 and 90 degree weather.
So that explains it. Los Gatos is a very, very green town.
Years ago, my allergies and asthma got the better of me one spring and I got pneumonia – from pollen. Seriously. Antibiotics weren’t really doing the trick. I was miserable, lethargic and unproductive.
My doctor, Joseph Isaacson, MD, then gave me the sweetest prescription in my life. “Spend the day at the beach” he said.
The beach?
“There’s no pollen at the beach. Give your lungs a break for the day.”
I did, and it worked. After my family and I spent a leisurely weekend day at the coast, the tide turned with the pneumonia. The beach did what the drugs alone could not. It was amazing!
Good doctors are worth their weight in gold.
Pollen problems? Take a page from my book: go to the beach. Your eyes will thank you for it.
