Itch, itch, sneeze, sneeze. The ragweed season is here, spreading misery to allergy suffers throughout the region.

Almost no place in the United States is ragweed-free, but it is most common in the central part of the nation.

"It is a perfect ragweed season," said Cape Girardeau allergist Dr. Robert Sacha.

The El Nino weather system shares some of the blame for this year's allergy woes, he said.

The area experienced a mild winter. "We need that nice, cold winter with that freezing weather," Sacha said.

Wet weather this summer has been good for growing things, including mold and weeds.

But then this area always has been a hotbed of allergies.

"It is hot and humid here. Everything grows great here," he said.

One out of every 10 people nationwide suffers from allergies, said Dr. Jean Chapman, a Cape Girardeau allergist. Chapman is president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

The organization represents 4,000 allergists across the nation.

In this region, ragweed -- a yellow-flowering weed -- is the big culprit.

Medical experts say 75 percent of Americans who suffer from allergies are allergic to ragweed, 50 percent to grasses and 10 percent to trees.

Allergy suffers experience everything from itchy and watery eyes to nasal congestion and headaches.

Each ragweed plant produces 1 billion pollen grains per average season. Since a single, pollen grain can travel up to 400 miles, people can be affected by ragweed even if there are no plants near their homes, experts say.

The ragweed season in this area runs from the second week of August to the end of September, Chapman said.

Chapman's wife, Nona Nan, counts the pollen mold in the air.

The counts are taken with the use of a $6,000 machine that sits atop Magill Hall of Science at Southeast Missouri State University and traps the mold and pollen in the air. An allergy organization donated the device.

The daily counts are based on pollen grains or mold spores per cubic meter of air.

The ragweed count recently stood at 312 grains, a high count, Jean Chapman said.

A count of zero to 10 is considered low, 10 to 50 is moderate, 50 to 500 is high, and counts above 500 are considered very high.

"You can have symptoms with as few as 20 to 30 grains and in grass as few as nine grains per cubic meter of air per day," Chapman said.

Allergies are worse in the morning, from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Explained Sacha, "Pollen is highest in the morning. Plants tend to pollinate early in the morning."

Sacha said those with allergies shouldn't exercise outside in the morning. "For people with allergies, it is the worst time of the day," he said.

Once the weather starts turning cooler, people often open their windows and turn on the fans.

But Sacha said that only makes matters worse for allergy suffers. "It just makes no sense. You are saving on electricity bills, but your bills of misery are going up."

The best advice: keep your windows closed and your air conditioning on, Sacha said.

Both Sacha and Chapman said there are good, prescription medicines on the market today to make life easier for allergy sufferers.

"Back 20 years ago, people had to take medications that made them sleepy and affected their behavior and affected their work," Sacha said.

Today, there are nasal sprays and non-sedating antihistamines.

Said Chapman, "We now have nasal sprays and eye drops that have antihistamines."

Sacha said over-the-counter allergy medications tend to "dry people out" and can lead to more infections.

Besides oral medicines, allergy shots can help. Allergy shots stimulate the body's immune system with doses of the substances to which a person is allergic.

Chapman said research has focused on the genetics of allergies.

"They are finding that people have specific genes that make them responsive to specific drugs and if they don't have that gene they are not responsive to those drugs," he said.

The research could pay dividends in providing the right medicine or medicines to provide relief for allergy sufferers, Chapman said.

How can you guard against allergy misery? The National Allergy Bureau offers this advice.

-- Stay indoors in the early morning when the pollen counts are highest. The best time for outdoor activities for anyone sensitive to pollen is immediately following a heavy rainfall.

-- Close windows to prevent airborne allergens from coming indoors. Turn air conditioners on to decrease humidity.

-- Avoid raking leaves as this can stir up pollen and mold.

-- When using flowers in household decorating, choose large and bright flowers. They have larger pollens that are less likely to cause allergic reactions. Avoid using dried weeds and grasses in floral arrangements.