The Mysterious Green Cloud that comes every year
A pine tree in my yard opened up, releasing a yellowish green cloud that went up my nose and made me cough...
That was by far the most poetic reference to pollen that I had ever heard. It was from an associate on the West Coast and it got me to thinking.
As a resident of the Southeast, we are used to going to sleep one night and it being winter and then in the morning, awaking to flowers budding and a layer of yellowish green guck covering everything for a couple of weeks. Our sinuses react violently and a good number of us are out sick off and on during that period of time.
It's been a part of life and the annual ritual signaling the changing of the seasons and I have never really thought about the reason why. Until now.
Why are the trees opening up and spreading guck everywhere?
This is what I found-
Pollen is a fine, powdery substance produced by seed-bearing flowers, plants, trees and even grasses. It is part of the male plant's reproductive process and their way of spreading their microspores for fertilization.
Pollen is essential for the lifecycle of the earth. Without it, we would not have flowers, plants, trees or grasses. All the animals who depend on vegetation for food would no longer exist. All the predators would not have food and would struggle to exist. The bug and insect population who lose their habitat and food.
The world as we know it would come to an end.
So, now that we know that pollen is necessary and here to stay. It begs the question of how to deal with it in a way that we do not succumb to hay fever, end up with sinus infections and get sick.
For a lot of us, our bodies recognizes pollen as an invading threat and floods our body with mucus to flush it out. Our immune system will cause us to sneeze and cough in an effort to expel the pollen from our bodies. The mucus can build up causing sinus infections and headaches.
Not surprisingly, some of the best treatments are holistic, relatively cheap and easy.
- It is important to not have the pollen rest in our nasal passages. A regular saline flush can greatly help to keep the passages clean and the mucus loose.
- Wearing a mask during the worst days and keeping windows closed can reduce your exposure.
- Using honey from local sources can help your body get used to the pollen so that it doesn't react so violently to the exposure.
- Drinking plenty of water is always helpful to keep things flowing and reduce the chance of the mucus hardening and causing sinus infections.
- Turmeric has been immensely helpful for me in keeping inflammation down.
That's it! A lot of therapies can be simple and easy but incredibly effective.
Let me know what your remedies for pollen and hay fever!