‘Tis the season for sneezing. While nature wakes up from its winter slumber and celebrates with explosions of color from flowers blooming, grass growing and trees flowering, some of us see no reason to laud the display. Allergy sufferers endure watery eyes, hide behind tissues and use medication to hold the effects of pollen at bay.
One company ranked U.S. cities from worst to best for sneezers. Lawn Love took a close look at the most prolific pollen maker as we move through May and into summer – grass.
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“The exact onset of grass pollen season is more specific regionally, but as a whole, grasses will pollinate in the late spring to early summer and, to a lesser extent, a brief pollination in the fall,” Dr. Andrew Rorie of the University of Nebraska Medical Center told Lawn Love.
Scientists crunched numbers after looking at the forecast pollen index from May to August, wind speeds (pollen dispersal), the severity of the allergens in areas and the availability of allergy tests and allergists/immunologists in cities.
They found the worst city for grass pollen was Springfield, Massachusetts, and the best was Huntington, West Virginia.
A quick look shows a tough couple of months ahead for those allergic to grass in the Northeast, hosting six of the top 10 worst cities. If the Upper Ohio Valley is also included. That’s 13 of the worst 20 cities despite being the home to the best city for grass allergies.
The Sunshine State fared well, hosting three of the five best cities for sufferers. Florida and surrounding southern states claim 17 of the top 25 best cities.
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Take a look at where your city places in individual scoring, like the number of allergens, forecasts and testing/treatment availability.
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Avoidance of pollen is the first suggestion of Lawn Love’s panel of allergy and immunology experts. However, don’t feel like you must lock yourself indoors. Not all grass is an irritant.
“Your lawn is not usually the problem,” Dr. Sean McGhee of Stanford University told Lawn Love. “Grass pollen is released when grass grows up and goes to seed, so the pollens causing your symptoms are not usually coming from your lawn, which is kept mowed.”
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Keep the lawn and hobbies, he said.
“A common misconception is that people with grass pollen allergies cannot play field sports like soccer or football,” said McGhee. “Your symptoms are not coming from the field you are playing on; it’s the wild grasses that have gone to seed that are the problem.”
“Grass pollens can blow in the wind for miles, so ripping out your lawn or refusing to play field hockey will have little effect on your symptoms,” he added.
If you do suffer, the doctors recommend taking over-the-counter, non-sedating antihistamines for mild symptoms and nasal sprays for more serious symptoms. For longer-term management, talk to your doctor about allergen immunotherapy.