It’s springtime. Everywhere you turn there are signs of new life: baby animals, daffodils and brightly colored growth on trees and bushes.

But as beautiful as this spring scene is, it can signal trouble for some people with allergies: the beginning of pollen season.

Trees are the first plants to begin their mating process (which, after all, is what pollen is all about), releasing their pollen in late winter and early spring. They’ll be followed by grasses in late spring and summer and by weeds, especially the potent ragweed, in late summer and fall.

Here’s why spring pollen drives us crazy – and what you can do to avoid a love-hate relationship with spring.

Pollen Facts of Life

• Pollen are tiny male cells sent out by flowering plants to find females. Female plants don’t produce pollen.
• Pollen that causes allergy tends to be small, light and dry. It is easily spread by wind over long distances. The pollen that gets all over your car or lawn furniture is not as much of an allergy problem as the pollen too small to be seen.
• Bright-colored flowers actually release less pollen into the air than their drab cousins. Instead they depend on insects to carry pollen from one blossom to another.
• Airborne pollen concentrations are usually highest early in the day just after the dew dries and on into late morning.
• There is often a burst of pollen into the air when the wind comes up just before a rainstorm. During and after the rain, however, pollen becomes damp and heavy with moisture, keeping it still and on the ground.

Tree Tidbits

• Oak, maple and birch are among the most common tree allergens, as well as evergreens such as cedar and juniper.
• Mountain cedar is an early bloomer in the south – often causing allergies in December in Texas and Oklahoma. It releases so much pollen that it looks like smoke in the air.
• Some trees, like birch, only release pollen for a couple of weeks each year; others, like eucalyptus, pollinate all year long.
• If you buy trees for your yard, look for species less likely to cause allergy symptoms, such as crape myrtle, dogwood, pear, plum or redbud. You might also consider female varieties of ash, maple, poplar or willow trees.

Finding Clean Air

• During pollen season, close your windows and run the air conditioner at home and in your car.
• Pollen can come inside on you and your clothing. Change your clothes when you get in and keep pollen off your pillow by showering and washing your hair before going to bed.
• Dry your laundry indoors rather than outside.
• Check daily pollen counts, but realize they often represent collections made 24-48 hours earlier. In addition, the amount of pollen it takes to set off symptoms varies considerably from one person to the next.
• For pollen forecasts at home or across the country, visit the National Allergy Bureau (www.aaaai.org/nab ^[1]) or The Weather Channel (www.weather.com ^[2] – click on “Outdoors”).

Be Prepared
Don’t let pollen catch you off guard. Physicians recommend you begin using allergy medications like antihistamines or nasal corticosteroids before pollen season begins. Ask your healthcare provider what’s right for you.

If you think you have pollen allergy, see a board-certified allergist ^[3]for testing. Allergy shots (immunotherapy) often provide long-lasting relief for pollen allergy.

First published:  The MA Report ^[4]
Updated:  March 2011

Related posts:

1. Oral Allergy Syndrome ^[5]
2. Ask the Allergist: Oral Allergy Syndrome ^[6]
3. It’s Not Too Late to Get a Flu Shot ^[7]