Thursday, January 29, 2009

Pollen!

I've been a little under the weather the past few days. Pollen is thick here where I live right now. Today I walked out to check the mail and I could see it floating in the air. The predominant pollens here right now are Cedar and Juniper. I am allergic to cedar pollen.


The photograph above is my windshield from one afternoon this week as I was leaving to pick up my kids at school.


I thought I would do an entry with some allergy info. Do you have allergy symptoms during certain times of the year? Did you know you can go to http://www.pollen.com/ and type in your zip code and find out your pollen forecast? You can also explore the site and learn about plants, trees, weeds, grasses indigenous to your region.


If you experience severe allergy symptoms you ought to consider visiting an allergist. They can test you for every plant, tree, weed, grass, mold, food, animal. I had this test taken about 7 years ago when I lived in Albany, GA. I was so sick and decided to find out what I was getting sick from. Come to find out I am allergic to Pecan trees. Well, Georgia is the pecan capital of the world I think.


I also found out from this test that I am allergic to food: bananas, soy (yes, that's right, soy), animals: cat hair, cat pelt, weeds: dock/sorrel, lamb's quarter, marsh elder, pig weed, trees: pecan, cedar, cottonwood, sweetgum, sycamore, walnut, molds: monilia/neurospora, and rhodotorula sp.
Some of the things from that list do not bother me at all. Soy, however, does so I have to try to avoid it as much as possible. I believe the more of the things on the list that my body is exposed at once the worst my allergies can be.


I know this isn't about decorating or cooking, but I like to share information that others can use, too. Maybe you or someone in your home suffers occasionally from allergies. It's always good to check the pollen count in your area to know when to take allergy medicine as a preventative.


Be Inspired! -Karol :0)

8 comments:

Tara said...

Thanks for sharing. Texas is famous for all kinds of allergy related stuff floating around in the air. NE Texas has a lot of ragweed, pine trees, and pollen that causes trouble to many.

Lynn said...

I am in Texas too, and our area is supposedly one of the worst in the country for allergies.

A home remedy that helps my husband, who has allergies galore, is to take a teaspoon or two of local honey every day, i.e., made within 50 miles of your home. Don't buy big jars of honey because you want to take advantage of honey that is made with the most recent pollen.

It has almost the same effect of an allergy shot but much sweeter. :D However, I've never seen a collection of pollen on a windshield, though, like the photo!
That has got to be the pits.

http://musingsfromthehill.blogspot.com

Amy said...

Great post! I was stunned to see your picture this early in the year, as we don't get it like that until spring. I thought your link might fill me in on why I'm having a scratchy throat lately, and it did! The cedar all around us must be an irritant. Thanks!

sadie said...

I'm on the laptop and it has a smaller screen,so I thought I was looking at snow on your windscreen at first!

I'm sorry you have so many allergy problems. I am lucky enough to have no such problems, and I hope and pray that little one takes after me. BC however is different. Every summer he gets sniffly and very annoying! You know what men are like when they are 'ill'! I've been totally unsympathetic for the past ... ooh, ten years or so .. but that's because he's such a drama queen. After reading your post today I shall be kinder. I promise!

I hope you are feeling better now, or at least on the mend.
Lots of love to you, and have a good weekend xxx

^..^Corgidogmama said...

We spent last winter in Florida. I remember blowing noses and itchy eyes, but you know what....that was still more tolerable to us, and enjoyable than this winter in Indiana!! Missing the strawberry sundaes at Plant City, the beauty of Lake Wales, Anna Maria Island and the porpoises, TECO in Tampa, the parachuters at Zephyrhills. Just so many fun places to go down there. Sigh.....can you tell I love FL, eventho there's pollen?

Peggy said...

Oh, you poor thing!

I used to be allergic to roses, oh how my husband hated that?! :o) I don't know if I outgrew it or what, but they don't seem to bother me any more! Thank goodness!!

I don't think I've ever seen pollen that bad, when it's coated on something like that! WOW!

I'll be sure to forward the information you shared, onto some of my allergic friends!

Hope you get to feeling better!

Stacey said...

Karol, I heard them talking on the news the other day about Mountain Cedar Sickness. They said that so many people are sick with serious allergy symptoms that they've named it! Hope you feel better soon.

Kasey said...

Good to know. I would be miserable if I was there now. I'm so allergic to that junk.

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