Most of us have a love-hate relationship with spring, am I right? The season brings some of the very best weather of the year to be outdoors. Whatever your hobbies are, the soft, cool breeze coupled with warm sunshine motivate us to take time to enjoy outdoor actives and even invite friends to join. For me, flying remote controlled gliders is my go-to spring pastime. All of this is good and wonderful…but then there’s the flip side of spring: allergies.
Allergies and springtime
Allergies can be caused by many different pollens throughout the year, but springtime marks an increase in blooming for the spring growing season. Grasses, flowers, various weeds, and trees produce billions of pollen spores per plant; thus, many of us have one or more pollens that our bodies choose to treat as allergens.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America reports that 8.2% and 8.4% of adults and children experience hay fever yearly. Pollen-based allergies aren’t the sole cause of hay fever, but sadly household pets can be an initiator of hay fever. Various molds and dust mites complete the gamut of possible allergens.
What’s going on?
Our immune systems are the heroes of our body’s defense system. The immune system is one of the most complex systems in our bodies. It protects the body from infections by destroying foreign bacteria, viruses, and harmful environmental substances. When any of our own cells become ill and malfunction, namely cancerous cells, our immune system works to eliminate these abnormal cells.
Sometimes, when pollen enters our bodies by way of our (through our respiratory tract, our immune system reacts to the pollen, treating the pollen like a serious invader. Chemicals known as histamine are released to cause inflammation, which is what causes our allergy symptoms.
Symptoms of allergies:
• A runny nose
• Nasal congestion
• Watery, or itchy eyes
• Sneezing
• Also: throat irritation, fatigue, headache, hives or rash, asthma attacks.
These symptoms can really make everyday activities such as work, recreation, and social life a hassle to enjoy. More serious seasonal allergies can trigger asthma attacks in people with asthma; therefore, avoiding these allergy-caused attacks is very important. Everyone who suffers from allergies can attest to how frustrating and even debilitating the symptoms are, but there are ways to alleviate and avoid these allergens.
(Article will be continued as Part 2 in a following edition of The Enterprise. Submitted by Betty Dean. Written by Justin Leal, MPH. Used by permission from www.LifeandHealth.org. Courtesy of LifeSpring – Resources for Hope and Healing Stuart, VA)
