Achi news desk-
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high pollen levels in some cities such as Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.
Daniel Coates, director of Aerobiology Research Laboratories in Ottawa, expects the high amounts to continue next week for places, like most of Ontario, if temperatures continue to rise. Aerobiology creates allergen forecasts based on data it collects from the air on different pollens and mold spores.
Pollen fertilizes a fine powder of certain plants such as trees, grass and weeds. They contain a protein that irritates allergy sufferers.
Although pollen levels have dropped after a cold spell in some places, he said they are soaring again across parts of Canada.
“So the worst is definitely British Columbia right now, followed by Ontario and Quebec and then the Prairies and Atlantic Canada for the next few weeks,” Coates said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca. “We’re seeing pollen almost everywhere, including the Maritimes.”
He said pollen has increased over the past 20 years mainly due to longer periods of warm weather in Canada.
Meanwhile, the Maritimes is one of the best places to live in Canada if you have seasonal allergies, in part because of its rocky terrain, Coates said.
With high levels of cedar and birch pollen, British Columbia is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada, he added.
“British Columbia is going strong,” Coates explained, noting that allergy season started “very early” in the province in late January. “It has been going strong since the end of January, beginning of February and it is coming forward with high levels of pollen, mainly cedar, but also birch, and birch is very allergenic.”
Causes of high pollen levels
Coates expects a longer allergy season if the warm weather continues. He notes that pollen is increasing in Canada and around the world, adding that the allergy season in some cases is starting earlier and lasting more than 15 years ago.
He says that tree pollen that was produced last year is now being released into the air due to warmer weather.
“Mother nature operates like a business,” he said. “So you have cyclical periods where things go up and down. … So when it cooled down a little bit, we saw (pollen) decrease in its levels, but now it’s going to start spiking.”
Along with warmer weather, another factor in higher pollen levels is people planting more male trees in urban areas because they don’t produce flowers and fruit and are less messy as a result, he said. But male trees produce pollen while female trees generally do not.
moulds
Coates said molds are not that much of a problem.
“They have mainly been at lower levels so far this season,” he explained. “Molds are not as bad in many areas of Canada, but they are really, really bad in British Columbia.”
In BC, molds are worse because of its wet climate and many wooded areas, he said.
Coping with allergies
Dr. Blossom Bitting, a naturopathic physician and herbal medicine specialist who works for St. Francis Herb Farm, that a healthy immune system is important to deal with seasonal allergies.
“More from a holistic perspective, we want to keep our immune system strong,” he said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca from Shediac, N.D. “Some would argue that allergies are an overactive immune system.”
Bitting said ways to balance and strengthen the immune system include managing stress levels and getting seven to nine hours of restful sleep. “There is some research that shows that higher amounts of emotional stress can also contribute to how well your allergies respond to the pollen triggers,” says Bitting.
Eating well by eating more whole foods and less processed foods along with exercise is also important, he added. She recommends foods high in Omega-3 Fatty Acids such as flaxseed, flaxseed oil, walnuts and fish. Foods fermented with probiotics such as yogurt, kimchi and miso, rather than pasteurized, can keep the gut healthy, he added. Plant or herb remedies such as astragalus, reishi mushroom, nettle and schisandra can help bodies adapt to stressors, help balance immune systems or stabilize allergic reactions, he said.
To cope with allergies, he recommends doing the following to reduce exposure to pollen:
- Wear sunglasses to reduce pollen in the eyes;
- Wash outdoor clothing often, use outer layers for outside and remove them when you enter the house;
- Use air purifiers such as with HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filters;
- Wash pets and children after they go outside;
- Keep the window closed on days with high pollen counts.
Mariam Hanna, a pediatric allergist, clinical immunologist and associate professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., says immunotherapy can help patients retrain their bodies by working with an allergist so they become more tolerant to pollen and have fewer symptoms.
“Some patients will need medications such as over-the-counter antihistamines or talk to their doctor about the right types of medications to help with symptom management,” he said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca.
Coates recommends that people check pollen forecasts and reduce their exposure to pollen since there is no cure for allergies. “It’s best to know what’s in the air so you can adjust your schedules, or whatever you’re doing, around the pollen levels.”
