It’s Officially Pollen season … that time of year when you sneeze and wheeze, have congestion … and even a cough … you may have itchy and watery eyes. And you might be wondering, “which pollens produce the most allergens?”
Let’s first look at what pollen is.
Pollen is the mass of reproductive spores produced by a plant that fertilizes other plants around them. The pollen is spread through the air and those allergic breathe in the pollen particles. The lungs may react to the foreign particles causing the allergic reaction.
The Most Allergen-Producing Pollens
An allergy involves the immune system and how it reacts to certain substances such as pollen from grasses, trees and weeds in addition to foods, insect bites, animal fur, and dander. The immune system is designed to protect the body from disease, germs and viruses. But it can overreact when faced with substances it tries to fight, such as pollen allergies.
Allergies from trees, grasses and weeds come from the pollen content. Pollens are minuet egg-shaped male cells of plants. As pollen travels through the air, it causes allergic reactions such as hay fever known as rhinitis, asthma and conjunctivitis. The most significant cause of allergy symptoms includes certain types of grass and spring tree varieties, weeds and ragweed in the late summer and fall. Weather and rain can sometimes have an effect on the pollen count, which is more prevalent in early morning hours.
Allergen-Producing Trees
Some of the most allergen-producing trees include oak, elm, ash, birch, maple, mountain and box elder varieties. The cedar, juniper and sequoia can also typically cause allergy symptoms. Other allergen-producing trees are in the dioecious family and include the cottonwood and pine.
Allergen-Producing Grasses
The most prevalent allergen-producing grasses tend to be Kentucky blue grass, Johnson grass, Bermuda grass, Timothy grass, redtop grass and perennial rye. These particular trees and grasses tend to produce more pollen granules that are airborne for many miles. The Bermuda and Bahia grass varieties are allergen-producing grasses that cause the most allergens, nearly year-round in warmer climates. Such varieties of grass can be found in medians and on the sides of various roads.
Both tree allergies and grass allergies can cause symptoms that are similar to that of the common cold. A person with these allergies may begin sneezing, have itchy eyes, a runny nose, feel fatigued and experience headaches. The symptoms of the common cold can last anywhere from seven to 10 days while allergy symptoms from grass, weeds or a variety of tree will usually continue to persist as long as there is exposure to the allergen. Usually, the symptoms will not subside until the allergens are totally eliminated from the environment.
Get Help for Your Allergies
Luckily there are ways to improve one’s way of life by identifying what the triggers are for the individual through allergy testing.
The Board certified doctors know how to assist those suffering from these allergies. They will perform a physical exam complete with allergy skin testing and get a detailed account of the patient’s environmental and medical history. There are numerous ways to combat and ease a patient’s symptoms.
Besides knowing how to treat pollen allergies, Asthma & Allergy Associates are the official pollen counters of the Pikes Peak region. To learn how Pollen is counted and to get today’s numbers go to aacos.com/pollen-count.
Don’t suffer through another pollen season, make an appointment with the pollen experts, the doctors at Asthma & Allergy Associates. We’ll find the triggers to your allergic reaction and make this intimidating allergy a thing of the past so you can enjoy your Colorado lifestyle! Asthma & Allergy Associates with 4 locations to serve you.
The allergists and professional asthma specialists at Asthma and Allergy Associates can help you fight your allergies to any grass or tree. Come in today to get a diagnosis of what allergen from pollens you may be allergic to and get a treatment plan from our physicians to help fight your symptoms. Call us today, we are glad to help!