California Super Bloom leads to super allergies

If you live in California, you are most likely witness to the massive blossom of desert wildflowers happening across the state, following the five-year drought broken by overdue record winter rainfalls. The Super Bloom, as it has come to be known, has been making headlines as it travels from south to north, tracking with the warm spring weather. There are some fascinating satellite photos that show, side by side, just how landscape-affecting the Super Bloom is for the desert. The Super Bloom has even earned a modest hashtag following on Instagram.

With the Super Bloom comes massive amounts of pollen. While that’s great for bees, it has been an ordeal for allergy sufferers. Most of these wildflowers remained dormant through the drought years, and those with pollen allergies had it relatively easy. Now, it’s as if a (beautiful) allergy bomb was dropped on the state.

Allergies occur when the immune system mistakenly identifies pollen as a virus. While most cases of allergies are primarily considered a nuisance, some cases can become dangerous when the same allergic response affects the bronchial system and triggers asthma.

Allergies are expected to become more widespread over time, coinciding with global warming, arising from more atmospheric CO2 leading to more plant growth. In addition, rising temperatures can support a longer growing season.

If you’re living in a pollen-rich area and are a seasonal allergy sufferer, there are long term allergy treatments and over the counter remedies that reduce symptoms. You may also have results using a sinus wash, and it is recommended that you shower and change your clothes after outdoor exposure. Finally, you can significantly reduce any pollen in your home environment using an air purifier with a HEPA filter. Airmega’s HEPA filter reduces up to 99.97% of particles in the air, including pollen.