Although summer is approaching in the northern hemisphere, spring is still raging because of the allergy. Sneezing, rhinitis, itchy eyes and other common symptoms have become the periodic nightmare of allergy sufferers, who would love to be able to escape from the pollen as they get closer to him. But of course, for that you would have to see it and this is usually not possible with the naked eye.
Sometimes we get confused and think that those cottony pinwheels that fly from some trees, like the poplarsThey are clusters of pollen. But the truth is that no. Actually it is about seeds on which those villi grow to facilitate the flight and that they can spread as far as possible.
Pollen consists of much smaller grains, which cannot be seen when in the air, although they can be seen when accumulate on a surface. Now, luckily for people with allergies, there are detectors in which the pollen levels of different plants are measured. In Spain we have measurement stations practically throughout the country and their data can be seen in a very organized way in the website of the Spanish Society of Allergology and Clinical Immunology. Although there are also traces in some weather pagesWhat The time is.
What is pollen?
The grains of plants with seeds inside which the pollen are found are known as pollen. male gametophytes. If we compare it with animals, these gametophytes would be the equivalent of sperm.
These grains fly to make it easier for the male gametes to reach the female gametes of the flowers and thus produce the fertilization. It is then that the seeds containing the embryo. Those seeds can also fly to other places, so that the new plants are not concentrated in one place.
We have already seen why pollen moves through the air. And why do they do it too? cottony poplar seeds. They both need that movement, but usually only the pollen causes an allergy.
Now, something must be taken into account and that is that the fluff of the poplar may be accompanied by pollen. Its villi are very sticky and can attract all kinds of particles, including pollen itself. The poplar would no longer be a problem, after all, the seed is already formed. However, pollen from other later-flowering plants, such as olive trees or grasses, can adhere to them. And that is dangerous, so it is worth avoiding them if we have allergies.
The origin of the allergy
pollen allergy, like the rest of allergiesoccurs when the immune system recognizes an external agent as dangerous. This causes it to react in a similar way as it would to a virus or bacteria.
Specifically, in the case of allergies, what happens is that one type of antibody, the Immunoglobulin Ebind to that substance, known as an allergen, and trigger the generation of certain substances, such as histamines, which modulate both the humoral immune response, mediated by antibodies, and the cellular one. This generates a vicious circle whose result is the appearance of the characteristic symptoms of allergy.
And it is that, although our immune system it is very important for our survival, an excessive action ends up causing us problems. His fight against pathogens, real or misunderstood (as in allergies), can be visualized as a horse fight between two enemy armies. The good guys may come out on top, but in the process the battlefield will have been trampled and damaged. And that battlefield is our body. In the case of allergies, including pollen, the symptoms of that fight are sneezing, runny nose, itchiness, sore throat and many more. They can be mild or intense and in some cases they can trigger more dangerous situations, such as asthma or anaphylaxis.
That is why it is important that those allergic to pollen are clear about the levels of the cause of their discomfort. They cannot see it flying through the air, but it is possible to control the levels measured by the detectors in their province. As for the grinders, it’s good to know that it’s not about pollen, but that they can transport it. So if you were running from them, keep running.