Timing matters because for many allergy sufferers, as treatment works best when it precedes the first encounter with pollen particles. Since pollen counts tend to peak in April, most people don’t seek prescriptions for medications – like the nasal steroid sprays that prime the body to ward off the inflammation and allergy symptoms that pollen triggers – until March. But with the warmer weather, the National Allergy Bureau, which keeps a national pollen count, says the spring allergy season shifted forward by about a month. Allergists have also noted that their patients’ symptoms are more severe than usual, probably because sufferers didn’t have time to retreat themselves.