Weed AllergiesWeed allergies are last on the list to occur for pollen allergies. Tree pollen allergies begin the season in the spring. Grass pollen allergies follow in the summer. Towards the end of summer and into fall, weeds produce their pollen for reproduction. Fall can be a difficult time for allergy sufferers. Of all the plants that produce pollen, weeds produce the most. The amount of pollen in the air during weed pollen production is much more concentrated than when grass or trees are producing pollen. The potency of the pollen seems to be stronger for weeds than other plants. It takes very few grains of ragweed pollen to begin an allergic reaction compared to tree pollen or grass pollen. What is a Weed?The difference between "good" plants and weeds does not have so much to do with the plant themselves. The distinction falls more in the area of how man uses them. Plants growing in one place may be considered weeds but cultivated in another place. For example, corn growing in a bean field may be considered a weed but considered useful in a corn field. Weeds can cause economic damage. Too many ragweed plants in a bean field will lower the farmers yield. We tend to think of weeds as a plant that grows or spreads aggressively. Weeds are thought of as being a troublesome plant. Weeds are generally considered to have no agricultural value. In most cases, they are considered to be a nuisance. They have a great ability to thrive with minimal nutrition and water. They grow aggressively and tend to choke out the plants that we do consider as desirable. Weeds are generally unattractive with no decorative interest. Not only are they unattractive to people, insects and bugs find them unattractive also. Thus, they must rely on the wind to spread their pollen.
The University of Arizona PollenWeeds produce more pollen than other types of plants. One ragweed plant can produce more than a billion grains of pollen in one growing season. Their pollen can be found hundreds of miles from the source. Pollen is the male part of the plant trying to reach the female part of the plant for reproduction to occur. When people get in the way and breathe in the pollen, it triggers seasonal allergic rhinitis known as hay fever. Pollen from attractive flowers such as a rose has the same capability of causing an allergic reaction. But because insects are also attracted to these kinds of plants, the pollen hitches a ride on the insect and people are less likely to get in the way. Usually only the florist or other people who work very close with the plants develop allergic symptoms. In short, the pollen that gives the pollen allergy sufferer the most problems is pollen that comes from plain looking trees, grasses, and weeds. Because these plants relies on the wind, the pollen has aerodynamic characteristics that will catch the smallest of air currents. The small particle size allows the pollen to remain airborne for a long time. Weed pollen range in size from 10 to 30 microns. This makes it very difficult for the person with weed allergies to avoid weed pollen. Weed AllergiesHaving weed allergies is a hypersensitivity disorder. The immune system is over sensitive to pollen produced by weeds. For most people, weed pollen is a harmless substance. For those sensitive to the pollen protein, the immune system over reacts and the allergen produces an allergic reaction. Common allergens are dust mite droppings, proteins on pet dander, mold spores, and debris from the common cockroach. The immune system has cells to detect non-self particles that have entered into the body. Antibodies are produced to protect the body from harmful foreign substances such as viruses and bacteria. The immune system determines if the foreign substance is harmful or not. Weed allergies is when the immune system determines that a harmless substance such as pollen to be harmful. The immune system produces antibodies that are capable of launching an attack. These antibodies are known as Immunoglobulin E (IgE). The antibodies attach themselves onto mast cells and wait for the next exposure to the allergen. Mast cells are in the tissues of ports of entrances into the body such as the throat, skin, nose, and lungs. The allergic reaction consists of the IgE antibodies signaling to the mast cells to burst open. This releases the chemicals inside them. Histamine is the most well known of all the chemicals. It is these chemicals that produce the inflammation and other allergic symptoms.
Larry Burrell and Jed Colquhoun photo Collection SymptomsThere are many different chemicals released from the mast cells. These inflammatory chemicals produce symptoms that try to stop more allergens from entering and to expel those allergens that have already entered. Common symptoms for those with weed allergies consist of;
Ragweed pollen easily makes the asthma condition worse. Weeds produce such a potent allergen and in such large quantities. A stuffy and blocked nose is very common with the allergy sufferer. It is not uncommon for sinusitis to occur. Sinusitis can occur when there is a persistent blocked nose resulting from the inflammatory chemicals from mast cells. The lining of the sinuses is the same as in the nose. When inflammation occurs and the sinuses become blocked, bacteria get trapped inside and multiply which can cause infection. The large quantity of weed pollen also makes it practically impossible to keep the pollen out of the eyes. To those who are sensitized to the allergen, eye allergies are common. Large quantities of mast cells are found in the conjunctiva (the membrane lining the eyelids). The eyes become inflamed from the release of histamine. The eyes look red from the increase of blood supply. Tears develop to wash out the pollen. As the particles accumulate in the corner of the eyes, itching occurs to encourage rubbing and removing of the pollen. The medical name for eye allergies is allergic conjunctivitis. Itching and rubbing of the eyes causes further reddening and swelling of the eyes. Weed Allergy SeasonEach pollen producing plant produces pollen the same time each year. When this occurs on the calendar depends on the geographic location. In general, the farther north you travel, the later the season starts. As you travel towards the equator, some tropical locations can have plants producing pollen year-round. In the United States, the general weed allergy season is
Type your zip code into the box above, and click on "Enter", to find out the pollen count for your area.
Larry Burrell and Jed Colquhoun photo Collection Weeds that can Cause Weed AllergiesThere are too many weeds that cause weed allergies to list them all. What type of weeds that causes weed allergies depend on your geographic location. Below is a partial list of weeds that are known to be capable of producing allergy symptoms.
Ragweed and sagebrush is such a potent allergen. To compound the problem, there are so many different species of ragweed and sagebrush as seen above. They are very widespread. With their allergen being potent and the pollinating season lasting awhile, they play a major role for those who have weed allergies. For those who have pollen allergies, weed pollen season tends to affect most people. Most people who are allergic to pollen tend to also to have ragweed allergy. mold allergies are also a problem during this same time of year.
AvoidanceAvoidance is the best approach for those who have weed allergies. For many suggestions and ideas, click on Avoid Pollen Allergy. Lifestyle changes along with using environmental controls are the safest approach for the long run over time. The concept for avoidance practices is to bring your symptoms under control. A combination of lifestyle changes along with using products available on the market is safe, non-invasive, and the green approach to take. Avoidance doesn't come with the side effects of drugs or the health issues that come with taking drugs over the long term. Furthermore, using environmental controls minimizes the allergic reaction as opposed to trying to suppress them as in the approach of drugs. In other words, avoidance helps you manage your total allergen load. With a positive attitude, a lifestyle change and using environmental controls, avoidance turns your home into a place of relief from ragweed season. I find it a shame that so many people "wish away" the end of summer and autumn to arrive at the first frost which stops the ragweed season. Personally, my family tries to enjoy as much of that time as possible before the winter arrives despite the fact that we suffer from weed allergies.
Department of Natural Resources Click on weed allergies to go to the USDA government website to learn more about the plants that are causing you problems. Go to the avoid-nasal-allergies home page.
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