What ARE Allergies?

Now that spring season has rolled around, we can finally shrug off the blankets and enjoy the great outdoors. Well, at least most of us can, but those who have a pollen allergy might be in for a rough time. Being allergic to pollen myself, I can say that the last month has been terrible. I had a stuffy nose nearly everyday and that incessant irritation which kept me on the brink of a sneeze every 3 minutes. If I was going to go through all of this suffering, I might as well understand more about allergies in general as well as why pollen allergies are so common. 

Allergens?

The cause of most allergies are the human body’s misinterpretation of an outside substance. These outside substances dubbed “allergens” can come in various forms like pet hairs, peanut butter, certain kinds of nuts, and of course pollen. For certain people’s bodies, these kinds of foreign substances are seen as dangerous and cause a massive immune response even when it is not necessary. This overuse of the immune system is what leads to allergy symptoms. Think of it like this, the immune system might use its big guns on an ogre like a virus or flu, but using those same strong weapons on a tiny goblin like allergens is overkill and will cause damage to the surrounding area. 

That being said, how come the immune system makes such a mistake in the first place? Well that can boil down to various reasons that all have to do with childhood exposure to these same allergens. The kind of immune system you develop as a child will have a significant impact on any allergies you develop later on. For example, if a child is not exposed to many microbes, his immune system will begin thinking that harmless allergens are bigger threats because it has never encountered a true illness. This “first impression” of a substance is very important because if the immune system labels it as a danger, there is a high likelihood that a child will have an allergic reaction to that substance in the future. With a modern society like ours, there are significantly less microbes and dangerous substances we have to deal with which is a double edged sword as it allows us to have a better life but also makes allergies more common. 

Why are Pollen Allergies so Common?

Now that we have covered the basic understanding of allergies, it is time to tackle pollen. First, we have to understand pollen. In a simple definition, pollen is essentially “tree sperm” and while that is disturbing, it places it in that category of foreign dangerous substance that your immune system is bound to dislike. Also, most people who live in cities are also likely to have a pollen allergy because cities are considered “heat islands” which means they grow more humid therefore allowing plants to produce more pollen even faster than normal. This over abundance of pollen combined with underlying pollen allergies from our modern society leads to the unfortunate spring that many experience. But that’s not all, there also sings that climate change has extended the pollen season because of the increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This means that the seasons of sniffles may stick around for a little while longer, but I promise that summer I will make it all worth it.

Sources: https://www.bayer.com/en/news-stories/the-pollen-problem, https://aafa.org/allergies/types-of-allergies/pollen-allergy/#:~:text=Each%20spring%2C%20summer%2C%20and%20fall,Symptoms%20include, https://www.livescience.com/33871-pollen-allergies-common.html#