Pollen Allergies: Does Pollen Plague You with Allergy Symptoms?

Like any other type of allergy, pollen allergies are the result of an immune system gone mad. If you experience pollen allergies, you can bet that your immune system is working too hard, trying to protect your body from something relatively harmless. While the average immune system would protect the body against a destructive invader, like a virus or bacteria, people with pollen allergies have an immune system that views plant pollen as the bad guy, subsequently blocking your nose, eyes, and throat from allowing the pollen into your body. The result is the pollen allergy symptoms you experience such as a runny nose, watery eyes, and sore throat.

Pollen itself will not hurt you, but the symptoms of pollen allergies can range from annoying to life-threatening. Pollen, or pollens, are tiny particles that are released by plants to help the plants create seeds and reproduce. Pollen granules are practically microscopic, with a width measuring less than the size of a human hair. Pollen comes from all flowering plants such as roses, trees, grasses, and weeds. Pollen from flowers is carried from plant to plant by insects, and therefore, are not often associated with pollen allergies. Pollen from trees, grasses, and weeds, on the other hand, are carried through the air and land on all of us, which makes them the main culprits of pollen allergies.

Seasonal pollen allergies are divided into spring, summer, and fall pollen allergies. Spring pollen allergies are caused by trees such as oak, elm, maple, cypress, and birch. Summer pollen allergies are linked to grasses including Bermuda, timothy, Johnson, and orchard grass. Those who suffer from pollen allergies in the fall are reacting to weeds like ragweed, sagebrush, and tumbleweed. Studies show that weeds are the biggest source of pollen allergies in North America. A single ragweed plant can release millions of pollen granules into the environment.

Depending on where you live, the season for pollen allergies can begin as early as January in southern states. Trees usually pollinate from February to May, followed by grasses from May to July, and then weeds from July through October. For those who must deal with the troubling symptoms of pollen allergies, these seasons cannot end soon enough.