Not all pollen is the same

[max2]

Climate change has led to a sharp rise in the number of people suffering from hay fever in Switzerland. A hundred years ago hay fever was largely unknown in Switzerland, but today it affects around one in five people in Switzerland.
This content was published on May 14, 2024 - 10:05
3 minutes
Keystone-SDA

Climate change has led to many allergy-causing plants releasing their pollen earlier and with greater intensity, according to a factsheet published by the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) on Tuesday. Climate change also favours the spread of invasive, highly allergenic plants such as ragweed.

Air pollution could also have contributed to the spread of hay fever. According to the researchers, plants stressed by poor air quality appear to produce pollen that triggers stronger allergic reactions. Air pollution can also damage people?s airways, which promotes asthma and hay fever.

+ Landmark ruling: Switzerland?s climate policy violates human rights

According to the factsheet, an estimated 0.8% of the population were allergic to pollen in 1926. Today, it is estimated that around 20% of people in Switzerland are affected. The increase in the frequency of allergies is therefore a global phenomenon.

In addition to the impact on the quality of life of those affected, this also has economic consequences: ?In Switzerland, it is estimated that they amount to between CHF1 billion ($1.1 billion) and CHF4 billion a year,? the factsheet says. This includes both direct costs for medication or hospitalisation as well as indirect costs due to reduced productivity and missed school and workdays.

+ City dwellers more likely to suffer from hay fever

The factsheet was compiled by researchers from the Swiss Commission for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, SCNAT and the Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss).

The researchers propose a series of measures to combat this. These include limiting climate change and air pollution, combating invasive species, appropriate planting in communities and a warning system.

[Ben Framed]

A hundred years ago hay fever was largely unknown as such, not only in Switzerland, but in most every other country in the world. Back then the sufferers thought they had what was known as the common cold. Thanks to modern medicine which has identified hay fever for what it really is. A pollen related allergy in many cases.

The field of allergy was largely initiated in the United States by Dr. Robert Cooke and Dr. Arthur Coca, who started the first allergy clinic at Cornell University in New York. Cooke, who standardized allergy skin testing procedures and popularized allergy immunotherapy, trained Dr. Harry Alexander, who set up the first allergy clinic in the Midwest at the former Jewish Hospital and began training physicians in the sub-specialty of allergy. At the same time, Dr. Richard Eyermann followed by Dr. Stanley Hampton started an asthma clinic at Washington University School of Medicine.

This is where our friend the honeybee comes to the rescue! And why many Medical Allergist recommend pollen related hay fever suffers to ingest local honey and honey bee pollen.

[BeeMaster2]

Yes, allergies are way up. When I was growing up I didn?t know anyone who had peanut allergies or any of the other allergies that people now have. When my generation was old enough to crawl we were playing in the dirt. There have been several studies done that show that dirt has things in it that help keep you healthy, especially when you?re young. Now a days most kids hardly ever play outside let a lone play in the dirt. I strongly suspect this has more to do with allergies than pollen that has been here for millions of years.
According to this article, in Switzerland the plants are producing a lot more pollen than in years past. Doesn?t that mean that plants are doing much better in the warmer climate that we are experiencing?
I don?t know about Switzerland but I do know that the air pollution here in the US is ten times better than it was when I was a child and into adulthood. When we drove into or near almost any city in this country you could see a dome of haze over them. It was really bad and it was not healthy. I have not seen domes over any cities in this country in a long time.
Jim Altmiller

[Terri Yaki]

I do know that the air pollution here in the US is ten times better than it was when I was a child and I t adulthood. When we drove into or near almost any city in this country you could see a dome of haze over them. It was really bad and it was not healthy. I have not seen domes over any cities in this country in a long time.

Yes, we have moved all of that pollution to China and Taiwan.

[Ben Framed]

I do know that the air pollution here in the US is ten times better than it was when I was a child and I t adulthood. When we drove into or near almost any city in this country you could see a dome of haze over them. It was really bad and it was not healthy. I have not seen domes over any cities in this country in a long time.

Yes, we have moved all of that pollution to China and Taiwan.

Good point Terri; While many climate change gurus hail China, seemingly eager, giving them a hall pass.

[Michael Bush]

I never was allergic to pollen or anything else until I took the Flu shot in 2010.  I think he cause of all these allergies are the vaccines.

[Terri Yaki]

I never was allergic to pollen or anything else until I took the Flu shot in 2010.  I think he cause of all these allergies are the vaccines.

Something is causing it. As was stated above, nobody I knew growing up had all that garbage. One of my friends did have asthma thought, and I was jealous of it. He didn't have to mow the grass because of it. Growing up in a family with six kids, we did all get the regular illnesses like measles, german measles, chicken pox and the mumps. To this day, 'mumps' cracks me up. Where did they get that name from? I might have gotten some shots about 20 years ago when I went to Thailand on vacation but I don't remember. Other than that, no vaxes for me, tetanus shot only. I tell the doc that I used to eat my boogers when I was four years old so I'm good to go.

[Kathyp]

We have a lot of things we didn't used to have.  Everything from allergies to obesity.

The reasons are probably multiple and complicated. 

People used to eat what they grew and what was local.  Now we eat too much and stuff from all over the world.  That means exposure is up and the chance for a reaction increases. 

Back in the day, if someone was severely allergic to something, they died.  Since many things, including a tendency toward allergies, can run in families, if you don't live long enough to breed, you don't pass on those tendencies.  In fact, I think this one thing accounts for a lot of what we see now.  Many mental illnesses run in families.  Many health problems like certain cancers run in families. 

I'm not advocating for letting people die of treatable things, but we can track back increases in a lot of things to our ability to treat those things.
People worry about population increases, but population absent medical intervention, is self-limiting. 

[Michael Bush]

I think obesity is more a matter of the food processors and the USDA recommendations.

[Terri Yaki]

As a kid, I used to think my mother was just a cheapskate because we hardly had any junk food to eat whilst all of my friends had all kinds of good stuff. That might be the case but later in life, she told me that she did that so we wouldn't eat it all and get fat. I get a kick out of watching the bands from my yute and the '70s. They're all way skinny for their height with the exception of Meatloaf. Any picture you see of today's Americans is full of overfed people, including me. Thank God for today's technology because I don't think we could win a ground war today.

[animal]

I'm going with the "dirt is good for you" idea. ... exposure to stuff builds up resistance, kinda thing.
Also, can't help but think being inside and breathing filtered AC air might have something to do with being more sensitive to pollen.

plus ... that means... when I was a kid and made my little sister take a bite of a mud pie .. I was just helping her build her immune system

[max2]

Terry
" Other than that, no vaxes for me, tetanus shot only. I tell the doc that I used to eat my boogers when I was four years old so I'm good to go."
I guess you have not been in the military?
When i was called up we where blessed with every shot possible - no choice

[Lesgold]

I have an allergy to hard work. Don?t know when I got it but it looks like I have it for life.  I?m afraid there?s no cure for it either. I?m thinking that I will just have to live with it.

[max2]

Ben Framed
"This is where our friend the honeybee comes to the rescue! And why many Medical Allergist recommend pollen related hay fever suffers to ingest local honey and honey bee pollen"

Is there enough science behind this statement?

I have heard it said many times but is there solid proof?

[max2]

I have an allergy to hard work. Don?t know when I got it but it looks like I have it for life.  I?m afraid there?s no cure for it either. I?m thinking that I will just have to live with it.

Pollen?
Fishing?

[Terri Yaki]

Terry
" Other than that, no vaxes for me, tetanus shot only. I tell the doc that I used to eat my boogers when I was four years old so I'm good to go."
I guess you have not been in the military?
When i was called up we where blessed with every shot possible - no choice

Nope, I missed out but I heard all about it from other guys. Yep, shots for things that they had no idea what they were for. I heard two different schools of though on later vaxes...1) I've had enough shots for my lifetime, I'm not getting any more and 2) With all the shots I had already, what's one or two more?

[animal]

Ben Framed
"This is where our friend the honeybee comes to the rescue! And why many Medical Allergist recommend pollen related hay fever suffers to ingest local honey and honey bee pollen"

Is there enough science behind this statement?

I have heard it said many times but is there solid proof?

Hey max ... maybe? It sounds like a home remedy version of immunotherapy to me. Some home remedies actually work.
It's hard to find any studies on non-drug treatments in general though ... no money in it for big pharma.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/seasonal-allergies/could-allergy-drops-be-the-key-to-allergy-relief#:~:text=Allergy%20immunotherapy%20is%20an%20allergy,produces%20an%20abnormal%20immune%20response).

[BeeMaster2]

Years ago during my navy years I was at the navy courthouse for jury duty. I spotted an old shipmate sitting outside of an office. I called his name and he was very slow to respond and his speech was real slow like he was severely drugged up. I asked him if he went to the gulf war. He said yeah. They gave him a bunch of vaccines all at once. They messed up a lot of our military doing that.
A few minutes later his wife came out from a lawyer?s  office and said common John and took him by the arm and led him out.
Jim Altmiller

[Kathyp]

He said yeah. They gave him a bunch of vaccines all at once. They messed up a lot of our military doing that.

When I was to deploy for Desert Storom I went in for my medical and my shot record was missing.  Must have ticked off the wrong person 

I got everything all at once. Made me kind of sick for 24 hours, but a shipmate of mine ended up in the hospital.  We are, after all, expendable components...

[Ben Framed]

I have an allergy to hard work. Don?t know when I got it but it looks like I have it for life.  I?m afraid there?s no cure for it either. I?m thinking that I will just have to live with it.