Boomers, “Tis the Pollen and Allergy Season”

written by Mark Sneller, PhD |

Causes and Remedy

Pollen grains are microscopic and are basically spherical in shape. Most of them measure between 20-75 microns in size, about the size of many larger mold spores, and can travel on the wind for miles. In reality, 90 to 99% of them fall on their parent plant or within just a few feet of it. Wind can disperse a huge quantity of them within seconds to minutes, once the gusts begin.

Pollen is allergenic because of the chemical structure of its coating and because it releases growth enzymes upon striking a moist surface. The body of the allergic person does not recognize these new enzymes and reacts against them with an allergenic response. We call this hay fever. Since hay fever is not a fever and is not caused by hay, the medical profession refers to this condition as allergic rhinitis.

What makes some pollen grains more allergenic than others is not completely understood. For example, a person can develop an allergic reaction to ten ragweed pollen grains, but it might take a hundred birch or a thousand pine pollen grains to elicit a reaction.

Primary pollen allergens include ragweed and ragweed-related plants, grasses, birch, beech, cedar, ash, sycamore and maple, among many others.

We know that both heredity and frequency of exposure to pollen can play a role in a person’s reactivity. We also know that colored flowers are less likely to release airborne pollen than are flowers than are those that are not as showy.

Thus, it is primarily the wind-blown pollen that is our problem. That is why fields of wildflowers, for the most part, can be considered to be non-allergenic. For one thing, they are just not that allergenic. For another, they are not readily airborne. That being said, an overwhelming amount of pollen from any source can and will cause a sensitive person to react, and it may not just be the pollen , but plant and insect parts, mold, and other factors. That may be present during the pollen release.

Pollen is tracked indoors on shoes or on the paws and fur of pets, especially when they roll in the dirt. It is also carried indoors on clothing after yard work. That is why shoes should be left at the door and outdoor clothing should be doffed outdoors. An indoor pollen problem can result during the spring or fall months, if you or your neighbor have a lot of pollen producing trees on the property . Cypress, juniper, ash, ...

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