• Seasonal allergic rhinitis, called pollen allergy, is also known as “hay fever” or “cedar fever”.

• Pollen allergies affect about 35 million Americans, 6 million of whom are children.

Of all things that can cause an allergic reaction, windborne pollen is one of the most widespread. Because of our temperate climate, something is in the air to cause allergy almost every day.

Tiny pollen particles are released from weeds, trees, and grasses, and can drift many miles. Ragweed pollen has been found 400 miles out at sea and 2 miles high in the air. Weeds are the most prolific producers of allergenic pollen. A single ragweed plant can generate a million grains of pollen a day.

Allergenic pollen is mostly produced by plain-looking plants without showy flowers. Only florists and gardeners who have prolonged contact with colorful, scented flowers are likely to become sensitized to their pollen. Most people have little contact with the heavy, waxy pollen of flowering plants because it is not carried by the wind but by insects such as butterflies and bees.

Pollen counts (familiar to many people from local weather reports), tend to be highest early in the morning on warm, dry, breezy days and lowest during chilly, wet periods. Although pollen counts are approximate and fluctuating measures, they useful as a guide for when to stay indoors and avoid contact with the pollen.