THE DOCTOR IS IN by Dr. Adil Manzoor OP/ED
If you have suspected your allergies have worsened this year, you’re not alone. Allergy seasons are bad enough as they are, making it very unfortunate that they are worsening. At the center of it all is a very familiar foe – climate change.
Think about it, climate change in the modern world is never really associated with anything good. Climate change in itself is not bad; I mean, it’s literally just the weather conditions of a place changing over a long period. But in the modern world, climate change is basically a nice way of saying global warming, and that’s not good.
While it sounds strange, there’s actually a valid and reasonable reason climate change worsens your allergies. For starters, when you hear about climate change, what’s the immediate impact on the weather you think of? Yes, warmer weather conditions. Another effect of climate change is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
When you combine warmer weather conditions with more carbon dioxide, you get bigger plants. That would naturally be a good thing, wouldn’t it? But not for people with allergies. This is because bigger plants mean a higher pollen count for a longer period.
Pollen grains are really important in plants for fertilization and reproduction, but not so much for humans. Pollen grains have long been associated with allergies in humans. Note that allergies occur simply because the immune system wildly overreacts to an invader. The result is sneezing, itching, nasal congestion, and even serious eye irritation.
When plants get bigger, often due to favorable weather conditions, they produce more pollen and for longer. The implication for us – more severe and longer allergy seasons.
This has already been observed in a survey of over 2000 adults in the United States. A whopping 75% of the surveyed adults said they had experienced seasonal allergy symptoms, and many of them claim their allergies are getting worse every year.
Let’s consider another study. There has been earlier release of pollen in Atlanta than the preceding year for 27 straight years. For even more clarity, the trend over the last 27 years is an earlier pollen release. This translates to pollen season lasting longer. To further consolidate that, it has been estimated that allergy season has increased by an average of 20 days since 1990. If the current trend is anything to go by, pollen season will only get longer.
So, we have more pollen and for longer. As I mentioned earlier, the effect is more severe and longer allergy seasons. Of course, we can keep sending out useful tips to combat allergies and using multiple medications, but is that sustainable? At what point do we start addressing the root of the issue?
I hate to sound like that guy, but climate change is going to wreak havoc on every aspect of our society if we do not change anything. And before you ask, I promise you, climate change is real. I find it amusing when people debate the effects of climate change. Such people expect very drastic and apocalyptic effects before they are convinced climate change is really messing up our world. That’s ironic because it is literally happening right in front of them.
This has been a recurring theme in our society. We tend only to start caring about a problem when it gets out of hand – it reminds me of something that rocked the last two years, but I won’t say it.
Climate change is real, and it is making allergy season worse – I can tell you that for a fact. We need to find solutions and fast because decades from now could be very scary if the current progression is maintained.
Stay safe.
This article was written by Dr. Adil Manzoor DO, a Board Certified Internist & Board Eligible Pediatrician, who works as a Hospitalist, and Emergency Room Physician. He is also the current President of Garden State Street Medicine, a non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to provide free preventive and acute urgent care services for the homeless. He is also the co-founder of his own unique medical practice Mobile Medicine NJ.
References
· https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/allergies-seem-worse-this-year-climate-change-could-be-to-blame/
· https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-04-worsening-allergy-seasons-climate-blame.html
· https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=203544
· https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-04-pollen-miserable-triggers-allergiesand.html
· https://www.annallergy.org/article/S1081-1206(21)00503-2/fulltext
