Flowering trees, grasses and weeds often bring with them runny noses, sneezing and itchy eyes, commonly known as hay fever or ‘allergic rhinitis’ (not a stuffy rhino). The culprit? Pollen! But before we label this the ultimate enemy to our mucous membranes, let’s have a closer look at some interesting facts about pollen, its link to allergies and a few possible solutions.
Hay fever affects one in five people. It usually begins in childhood and appears to be more common in boys. Pollen enters the upper respiratory tract when you breathe and stimulates your immune system to launch an attack against this foreign invader.

Antibodies are released and our white blood cells produce histamine. If you imagine your body as a membersonly club, histamines are the bouncers. Histamines dilate the blood vessels in your upper respiratory tract, which results in a runny nose, itchy eyes and coughing, basically to help get rid of whatever’s bothering you.
But only in spring, right? Actually, the pollen season lasts all year round (hooray). It appears more prevalent in the warmer months, but different varieties of plants spore at different times throughout the year. Mould can be particularly pervasive in the colder and rainy seasons.