By Paula Peterson

If you’ve been in Lake Tahoe this week you know that it is pine pollen season. The light winds have even made the annual spreading of the yellow powder even more evident, that is, if the sneezing and pollen covered cars weren’t enough of a clue.

As a long time resident of South Lake Tahoe I just take the arrival of pollen as I do the changing of the seasons, but I thought a little research would help us understand causes, and cures, a bit more.

Did you know that a pine tree produces 2.5 lbs to 5 lbs of pollen in a two to four week period? This much pollen is needed to ensure the reproduction of the tree. Pollen that is dispersed by wind will ensure the species of tree can be reproduced over large areas. Each grain of pollen can travel over 25 miles and up to 200 feet into the atmosphere.

This spread of pollen is what we are now seeing in Lake Tahoe.

Good news…it doesn’t last forever!

The length of a pine tree’s pollen season depends on biological factors but is also influenced by temperature. For some pines, the length of a season can be determined by the number of days after February 1 that the temperature rises above 55 degrees. Add up the number of degrees the daily temperature is above 55 and once you get to 636, that is the peak of season.

Now that we know a little bit more about pine pollen, what do we do when it affects us?

According to Dr. Ronald Roth, a board-certified otlaryngologist at Barton Ear, Nose, and Throat, there are six things people can do to survive pine pollen season:
· Stay indoors, especially on dry windy days
· Use a HEPA filter system in the house
· Wear a mask outside
· Wash your hair before going to bed (hair traps pollen and then leaches onto your pillow)
· Take an antihistamine, such as Claritin or Zyrtec. Both are available over the counter.
· Use intranasal steroid spray (Flonase or Nasocort). Both are available over the counter.

Some people have only allergies to pine pollen, while some aren’t fazed. Dr. Roth said a person with pine pollen sensitivity typically reacts to most pine tree species. It not particularly connected to other allergens.

If the six tips above don’t help, and your symptoms are not substantially reduced, you can consider allergy testing and evaluation, something Roth does at Barton Ear, Nose, and Throat.

Or, you can just hang in there for a few weeks. As my mother always told me, “This too shall pass.”