The Spring Season Is Here
Spring has certainly arrived here in the Southeast with even warmer temperatures, which unfortunately for nasal allergy sufferers may not be welcomed. With the warmer temperatures and the longer days comes the blooming of the flowers and trees which leads to an increase in pollen in the air. Most grasses begin pollinating during the late spring to early summer while most weeds begin pollinating during the late summer here in our area. Because of this, trees are the main source of seasonal allergies during the early spring season.
It is understandable why some people with nasal allergies may think that their allergies are due to the pollen generated by colorful flowers in their flower beds, but actually it’s mainly the trees without large impressive flowers that cause the majority of the problems. This is because most of the colorful flowers of small plants are insect pollinated rather than wind pollinated and therefore the amount of pollen in the air for these types of plants is quite low. On the other hand, many trees are wind pollinated and these are usually the most allergenic trees. However, there are also several trees that are mainly insect pollinated, so this means that some trees are common culprits of nasal allergies while others are not.
Some of the most allergenic trees are birch, oak, and cypress. These trees have very allergenic proteins in their pollen and they are suspended in the air in relatively high concentrations. Other important trees that cause nasal allergies include maple and elm, but there many others with varying degrees of allergenicity. Interestingly, pine tree pollen is only occasionally associated with allergies, although this is mainly the pollen that we find on our cars. This is partly due to the relatively large size and weight of its pollen grains. Since pine pollen is large and heavy, it falls to the ground and on our vehicles which means that there is not much of it suspended in the air to be inhaled and cause nasal allergy symptoms.
Knowing which trees one may be allergic to can be easily determined by simple skin testing. If you think that you or your family member may be suffering from nasal allergies this spring season, then feel free to give us a call to schedule an appointment. The allergists here at Atlanta ENT, Sinus & Allergy associates are board certified in Allergy/Immunology and are ready to help you breathe better and feel better.
