Pollen on a patio table in Napier. Photo / Paul Taylor
Pollen on a patio table in Napier. Photo / Paul Taylor
Spring is in the air - and so is the pollen. It is also in our gutters and rimming puddles.
White and silver cars parked on the side of the road now have a gold-dust finish and pharmacy shelves are stocked with hay fever tablets.
Hay fever, which is thecommon name for allergic rhinitis, affects up to 30 per cent of adults and 40 per cent of children in New Zealand, according to Allergy New Zealand.
It seems every second person is reaching for the tissues and complaining about allergies.
It can also affect your eyes, sinuses, throat and ears.
Which begs the question is the pollen getting worse or is it just our bodies struggling to acclimatise to the new season? It certainly feels earlier and heavier.
I too am sneezing and sniffing away, especially while cycling past the tree and hedge lined rural roads. It is these wind-pollinated plants that cause allergies as they send clouds of pollen into the air.
It seems cruel that as the winter cloud and cool temperatures rise mother nature strikes us down with runny noses and itchy eyes.
