Spring: the sun emerges from hibernation, green shoots of grass appear in the winter-browned fields, brilliantly colored flowers finally open their buds. And about 10% of Americans stock up on over-the-counter antihistamines to treat their springtime allergy symptoms — watery and itchy eyes, coughing, runny noses, sneezing, and general misery.

The culprit is plant pollen, the microscopic grains produced by grasses, weeds, and trees. Pollens are spread either by wind currents or by insects, depending on the plant species. Insect-borne pollens are generally too heavy to travel on the wind, so they rarely cause allergy problems.

Wind-borne pollens, on the other hand, are made to travel through the air. They often never reach their destination, unfortunately. Instead, they end up in the noses and throats of millions of people. In sensitive people, breathing pollen causes an allergic condition called hay fever. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 26.1 million Americans have hay fever symptoms each year.

While hay fever is often called a seasonal problem, the “season” may differ from place to place, depending on outdoor climate. Each plant has a specific pollinating period that varies little from year to year. People who are allergic to grass pollens, for example, may experience hay fever in late spring and early summer, while those sensitive to ragweed (the biggest allergy offender) tend to have symptoms in the late fall. Some sensitive — and unlucky — people have hay fever year-round, with symptoms growing worse or better as pollen counts increase or decrease in the outside air.

If you’re allergic to pollen, check your local pollen count — a measurement of the amount of pollen in the air on a given day. But even if you stay indoors when the pollen count is high, it’s impossible to avoid pollen altogether. The tiny grains can be carried indoors on your clothes, through open windows, and on the coats of furry pets.

You can’t eliminate pollen from your environment, but you can reduce your exposure. The American Medical Association suggests the following:

• Stay indoors as much as possible when the pollen count is high (and especially between 5 A.M. and 10 A.M., when rapidly rising temperatures signal plants to start pollinating).
• Avoid yard work during pollen season. Ask a nonallergic family member or neighbor to do outdoor chores for you.
• If you must rake the yard, mow the lawn, or work in the garden, wear a particle mask. Also wear goggles to prevent itchy, watery eyes.
• After spending time outdoors, remove and wash your clothes, and shower and shampoo to keep pollen from hitching a ride indoors by sticking to your clothing, skin, or hair.
• Avoid drying your clothes on outdoor clotheslines, where they can collect pollen.
• When driving on hot days, keep pollen out of the car by rolling up the windows and running the air conditioner instead.
• Consider using an air purifier with a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter to remove pollen and other airborne allergens from the air inside your home or office.
• If possible, keep your pets outside. If you can track pollens into your home, so can your pet.

Having pollen allergies doesn’t mean you should associate springtime with sneezing. Learn more about your pollen triggers. Avoid being outside when and where you’re likely to encounter high pollen counts. And talk to your doctor about the best way to treat your symptoms when they do occur. Spring is the time when everything begins anew. If you have hay fever, it can be your opportunity to take better control of pollen allergies.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 4th, 2007 at 2:23 am and is filed under Healthy Breathing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.