Achooooo!
Spring is very nice, except that for me, it's allergy season (specifically tree pollen). It just kicked in about two days ago; I took an OTC antihistimine pill yesterday, and it completely kicked my ass--I wanted to just lie down on the couch in our office for the afternoon. However, it did relieve my symptoms and keep me from having to burn through tissues all day. I bought some OTC Claritin; it seems to be doing the job so far.
As a kid, my allergies used to be much worse; I'm glad that nowadays, it's a week of sneezing, and then it is over with. But it is a week of hostility towards pollinating trees--as one of my friends put it to them, "Get your friggin' sperm out of my nose!" Hrm.... "arboreal bukkake" is an disturbing yet apt image that came to mind.
I did some research to determine if I can blame my allergies on the crap-ass genetic material I inherited from my dad (on top of the height, weight, eyesight, tendency towards depression, and cholesterol genes). He had miserable allergies--bad enough that he needed seasonal injections, and made my mom deal with mowing the lawn. It appears that there is evidence for a genetic basis, according to Wikipedia.
But a more interesting point was in the following paragraph of that article: research shows that intestinal parasites secrete immunosuppressants to defend themselves; as a result, the immune system has evolved with the "gain set higher", so that the combination results in a "correct" immune response. By this logic, taking away the parasites results in an over-reacting immune system. (Don't worry, Alethia, I'd rather have allergies than hookworm, in case that wasn't obvious.)
Man... when I have an income again, donating to Wikipedia will be a priority.
posted by Bats @ 10:04 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Re: Arboreal Bukkake.
Ew.
I'm gonna be stuck with that all damn day.
Thanks.
There's some kind of frequently planted urban tree whose pollen has a rather, well... appropriate smell. There's a bunch by the Kendall Square T stop. Pretty white flowers, but ugh! I should figure out what they are, lest I accidentally refer to them as "semen trees" in polite company.
Actually, Cecil Adams of The Straight Dope addressed these trees specifically in this classic posting (scroll down to below his response to nipple piercings). The candidates mentioned in his column include the carob tree, the gingko tree, the California privet, Chinese chestnut, and the tree of heaven.
Two of these are commonly planted in urban areas, according to Wikipedia's article on Gingko trees: The Ginkgo has the intriguing distinction of being one of the world's most urban-tolerant trees, often growing where other trees cannot survive. Some claim that only one tree species, the Tree-of-heaven, is as urban-tolerant. It goes on to describe gingko trees surviving the bombing of Hiroshima 1-2 km away from the blast.
Example of the white flowers found on the Tree of heaven.
There's also an entertaining little writeup on a blog here. A choice quote:
Of course, it's bloody hilarious too - try dragging a supposedly innocent mind into line of smell and ask them to place the odour; they usually change colour... aha! Not so innocent after all.
I think I found it, actually: it's the Bradford Pear. Fast growing, disease resistant, tolerant of a wide range of environments, and only lasts 25-30 years. Perfect for urban planning. Except if you're having lunch outside on a spring day near one of 'em.
I suppose it shouldn't surprise me that there's more than one variety of tree with this, er, characteristic.
Googling "Bradford Pear" turns up all sorts of pictures and info. Many of the botannical sites note the "unpleasant odor" of their flowers except, of course, the nurseries that sell them...
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