Patrick Andrus had just a few minor allergies when he grew up in southwest Oklahoma.

Then he moved to northeast Oklahoma late last year.

Andrus, a full-time youth minister at St. Paul United Methodist Church, said he was fine at first.

“I was OK until about a month ago,” he said. “The first two weeks were the worst. I couldn’t breathe, and I had a lot of upper respiratory problems.”

The most likely culprit at this time of year is a late-blooming plant called ragweed. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the type of ragweed common in Oklahoma is “Ambrosia artemisiifolia.” It’s rare in southwest Oklahoma, but widespread in Muskogee and Cherokee counties.

Fortunately for Andrus, his father is a doctor, so he got advice on medication without paying for an office visit.

“I used Claritin-D to take care of the general allergic reaction,” he said. “I also used a lot of nasal sprays.”

With responsibility for 45 teenagers at the church, Andrus was fortunate that his allergies didn’t interfere with work.

Pediatrician Dr. Tom Kincade with the Cherokee Nation Clinic in Muskogee, said there are several reasons that plants like ragweed create such widespread discomfort.

“We know from the research that many people are specifically sensitive to ragweed pollen,” he said. “Also, it releases pollen in both the early morning hours and evening time, and in Oklahoma in general, there are a lot of winds. All those factors create a ripe environment.”

Kincade said avoidance is the best remedy with most allergies, but that’s difficult if the thing you’re allergic to is airborne.

“What people can do is close their windows and make sure their heating and air conditioning system has hypoallergenic filters,” he said.

Kincade said that approximately one out of every four Oklahomans has some kind of hay fever.

“With ragweed, if you’re allergic, you’ll have watery, itchy symptoms in every hole in your head,” he said.

Many medicines are available in both over-the-counter and prescription strengths.

“There are anti-histamines, and the more popular nasal sprays help the nose and eyes by using topical corticosteroids,” he said. “They have anti-inflammatory properties to stop the allergic reaction. I will put my patients on that plus an anti-histamine.”

At the Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension district office, Dr. George Driever said ragweed gets most of the attention, but another plant in this area is almost as bad.

“Goldenrod looks like a shorter ragweed and blooms right about now,” he said. “It has bright yellow flowers and grows wild across the state.”

Driever said both ragweed and goldenrod don’t depend on insects to transfer pollen. Instead, they release their pollen into the wind.

“Ragweed plants can be 4 to 6 feet tall, and goldenrod can be 3 to 4 feet tall,” he said. “They both produce prodigious amounts of pollen.”

According to the American Lung Association, other causes of fall hay fever are mold and fungus spores that are airborne during the summer and fall months. Frequently found around hay, straw, and dead leaves, their growth is encouraged by humid weather and by places with poor air circulation.

Reach Keith Purtell at 684-2925 or kpurtell@muskogeephoenix.com.