If you’re anything like I was, you’ll probably feel a sneeze coming on and your skin will get itchy right when pollen season starts up. This is not pleasant by any means and I always wondered if my pollen allergy was worse than the average person’s as a result. But pollen is a natural substance. Is pollen actually bad for you?
Unfortunately for allergy sufferers, pollen is not bad for humans. However, with pollen allergies, our immune system views a natural substance like pollen as a foreign threat and takes action to stop it. Treating allergies, therefore, takes a mix of medications, cleaning, planning, and even a chat with the doctor.
What Is Pollen?
Pollen is the powdery yellow substance made by the male parts of plants (The stamen). A pollinator (insect, animal or even something else) takes this pollen to the female parts of other plants (the stigma). This fertilises these plants, and creates fruit and seeds.
Why Are Some People Allergic To Pollen?
Pollen is a powdery substance transferred among flowering plants and trees by way of insects, animals, the wind, and/or water.
Scientists don’t know why some people develop a pollen allergy, although it’s said to be hereditary. I can vouch for this to be true, as both my sister and I have pollen allergies and we’ve passed it down to our children!
Pollen allergies occur when pollen enters the body through the nose or mouth and the immune system identifies it as something harmful. In turn, the body attempts to rid itself of the imaginary thing by producing watery eyes, sneezes, and coughs.
You might also experience red and/or itchy skin with a pollen allergy. That’s a result of a chemical your body produces called histamine in response to the allergy.
Is Pollen Bad For You?
By and large, pollen is totally safe for us as humans. Most people can touch this natural plant substance suffer no negative after effects.
But it can cause a host of problems for the allergic. One of the main presentations of a pollen allergy is allergic rhinitis. It is not fatal, but this condition can leave them uncomfortable as a result of constantly sneezing, coughing and wheezing excessively.
In others, the sinuses get blocked, causing a faceache, and even adversely affecting taste and smell.
Some become susceptible to allergic conjunctivitis as a result of a pollen allergy. This affects the eyes, causing watering, redness and swelling.
While the symptoms of a pollen allergy are not life threatening, they are often enough to affect your quality of life.
Pollen allergies tend to occur during the warmer months when most plants pollinate. But a small number do pollinate through the year while the highly-sensitive sufferers have issues all year round.
The Effects Of Pollen On Respiratory Health
I am asthmatic. This means my asthmatic condition gets triggered or worsened on account of certain thing. One of them is tree pollen. There are different types of pollen: tree, ragweed and grass to name a few. And some people are more sensitive to different types.
When my hayfever (that’s one of the other names for pollen allergies) plays up, one of the first things I notice is that I have to use my reliever inhaler more often.
This is because pollen grains enter the body, but are not successfully sneezed, coughed or watered out of my eyes. Instead, they go to the alveoli (the more intimate parts of the lung), causing increasing irritation and swelling there.
What happens after? Breathing is difficult, the chest feels tight, and wheezing and nasty cough follows. In some instances, pollen can affect the respiratory system of some badly enough for their need to be hospitalised. This would be true of an asthma attack for example.
How To Deal With Pollen Allergies
Pollen allergies can ruin your quality of life; I know many people who stay inside to prevent themselves from suffering from symptoms. But it’s not something you need to ‘hide-away’ from.
Take Medication
There are many over-the-counter medications, like Benadryl, which lessen the symptoms. Some people find they need something stronger, and it’s possible (and recommended in any case) consult your doctor, who can prescribe you a stronger medication.
Try Natural Methods
There are many natural methods you could use to combat your allergies as well if you’re not so keen on taking drugs (although you’ll still want to consult your doctor beforehand).
For example many people find using an air purifier in their home very effective, as this removes allergens from the air. While many people believe it better to just shut the doors and windows to block out pollen, this restricts airflow and the house can become too warm, so an air purifier is essential.
Learn Your Triggers And Prepare
It’s also a good idea to learn what provokes symptoms. Different types of pollen affect different people. For me it’s tree pollen, so I tend to experience my symptoms at the beginning of spring.Taking steps to start your medication early!
Plan When You’re Working On Your Property
It’s best to get things done pre-pollen so you don’t have such high counts on bad days. That said, I’m always consulting the pollen count online to see what’s predicted.
Keep Everything Clean
Keeping your home and clothes clean ensures you’ll be free of hockled pollen particles. I can’t recommend a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter enough, as this traps the allergens inside the machine.
Consult Your Doctor
As an asthmatic, I have to be diligent about taking my preventer inhaler every day. Your doctor will tell you the right dosage is and make sure you adhere to it.
These medications work on the premise your lungs need a chance to overcome the effects of triggers before they take effect. If you’re behind on a dosage, your immunity will drop and you’re susceptible to complications in asthma and other respiratory diseases.
At its most severe, you can get allergy shots from your doctor. These immunotherapy shots are given as a course of treatment via a series a shots, each a slight increase in the dosage amount of allergens inside.
This gives your body the chance to build a natural defense enabling it to discriminate between what’s needlessly attacking it and what’s merely a negative irritant.
Pollen allergies aren’t curable, but you can control the symptoms using the advice above.
Final Thoughts
Though pollen is not detrimental to canaries, people like me find this a time bomb 12 months of the year. I now suffer with a pollen ‘allergy’, defined as an unpleasant and sometimes life-threatening reaction.
On the bright side though, with proper safeguards and measures taken you can live with a good quality of life.