Pollen Allergy

Pollen allergy is one of the most widespread seasonal allergies. An allergy is just the body’s adverse reaction to a normally harmless substance called the allergen. This allergen could be any substance, natural or manmade, and encountered in any form, from skin contact to inhalation to ingestion. Allergens do not harm people who are not overly sensitive (or allergic) to them. The allergic reaction symptoms caused by these allergens are various.

Pollen is an airborne allergen that causes symptoms such as sneezing, itchiness in the eyes, nose, or throat, eye irritation. A related symptom is the presence of so called “shiners” which are dark circles under the eyes due to constricted circulation near the sinuses.

These symptoms are familiar to many, as there are millions of people that suffer from pollen allergy. Pollen allergy is a seasonal problem, since many plants have seasonal pollen producing times, or pollinating periods, during the year. Pollen actually forms a vital part of plant reproduction: particles of pollen are released to the air to hopefully land on other plants and start the fertilization process. However, while airborne, pollen can get into human respiratory systems to trigger the familiar symptoms of the allergy.

Weather forecasts often include a pollen count in areas where pollen allergy is a prevalent problem. These pollen counts provide a useful estimate for allergic people, for when it would be better to stay indoors. Pollen concentrations tend to be higher when the conditions are warm, dry, and windy, and lower when it is colder, wet, and still.

What are the options open to someone who has, or suspects that they have a pollen allergy? The best thing to do would be to visit an allergist or allergy clinic to pinpoint the exact kind of offending pollen. Once this is known, the solution may seem to be as simple as moving to an area where the plant producing the specific pollen-allergen is not indigenous.

However, moving is not always easy, or even possible. In addition, moving to a new area may provide temporary relief, but allergists have found that allergic people are likely to develop new allergies to new kinds of pollen after repeated exposure. Hence, relocation is not an advisable solution. Installing filters and using air conditioners are the better choices when trying to avoid exposure to pollen.

When exposure occurs and the pollen allergy takes it course, there is nothing but to try and relieve the symptoms. Antihistamines come in handy here. Antihistamines are drugs that hinder the action of histamine, which is the chemical that causes the symptoms of an allergy in the body, such as inflammation.