Hey, Hay Fever! Achoo!

Hey, Hay Fever...

Spring is a wonderful time of the year, with everything blooming again and new life emerging from dens or birds returning from their southerly vacation. The only bad thing to deal with, besides the weather, is hay fever. 

What is hay fever? Hay fever is cause by an allergic reaction to the immense amount of pollen that is floating around so that the trees and flowers can reproduce. Sometimes, however, people can have a reaction to the pollen, including your's truly, with a cough, runny nose, and swollen and puffy eyes. The thing inside the human body, that causes the allergic reaction is something called histamines. According to WebMD.com,  "Histamines are chemicals your immune system makes. Histamines act like bouncers at a club. They help your body get rid of something that's bothering you -- in this case, an allergy trigger, or "allergen."" 

An Allergen is something that causes your body to produce these histamines, like shellfish, bee stings, strawberries, milk, peanuts or pollen. sometimes the reaction can be life threatening, usually associated with bee stings, shellfish, or peanuts. They cause the face and hands to swell and will even cause the throat to swell shut. If you are prone to these life-threatening allergens and are exposed to them, use your Epi-pen or seek medical help at once.

Pollen usually looks like a ball with barbs on it. It enters the body through the mouth or nose and sticks to the mucus membranes within each. This will trigger the histamine reaction and the body will go on mucus overdrive. It generates a lot more mucus so that the increased amount of pollen input is captured and flushed out. 
 

  What can you do to help prevent an allergic reaction to pollen, during the Spring pollen blitzkrieg? Here are a few tips WebMD's pollen survival guide: https://www.webmd.com/allergies/features/pollen-survival-guide#1

-Take your allergy meds

-Know your pollen count

-Stay indoors when pollen counts are high

-Plan outdoor time wisely

-Pollen can follow you indoors

-Pets can carry pollen indoors, so take action, and don't blame the dog.

-Again, take your meds

-Take an allergy vacation.

Using these helpful hints and knowing your body and your pollen count, you can get through this pollen season without too much trouble. Remember, these steps are not medical advice, so follow your doctor or allergist's advice when planning for each allergy season and have a great Spring!