Students and staff at Carson exchange viewpoints on pollen allergies

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Brinda Patel

Anshika Bansal, an eighth-grader on the X-Treme team, holds a bright yellow, perennial weed.

As we transition from winter to spring, many students and staff are constantly rubbing their eyes and sneezing in their masks, all because of the pollen in the air. It’s our first time dealing with this since the year of 2020, and with the aftermath of the recent pandemic, seasonal allergies haven’t become any easier than before, they’re probably worse. 

 During the spring and summer, pollen, a fine and powdery substance, is released into the air by different plants like dandelions and oak trees in order to fertilize other plants. These grains of pollen in the air are then capable of finding ways into your nose, lungs, and eyes, causing different symptoms if you’re allergic to pollen. These symptoms are usually referred to as allergic rhinitis or hay fever. 

Having pollen allergies isn’t something new, but with ongoing concerns regarding the current pandemic, seasonal allergies are also adapting to the new changes provided in our daily lives. From wearing masks to staying sanitized, here’s how seasonal allergies of different severities affect the students and staff at Carson. 

Nicolas Espinal Dapic, an eighth-grader on the X-Treme team, expressed the difficulty of having to sneeze while wearing a mask. 

“I just take my allergy pills before school,” he talked about using medicine to help him cope with his allergies. 

On the other hand, Ms. Anne Thrasher, a Civics teacher on the Dolphins team, explained how a clean environment helped handle her allergies in class. 

“I make sure to keep dust out of the room as I’m allergic to it, and I’m sure some students are too,” she said after stating how she uses this strategy for her pollen allergies as well. 

And because no two people are the same, not everyone will have the same allergy symptoms and solutions as others. According to Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit American medical center, the severity of allergies ranges from person to person. Some people could have minor allergic symptoms like irritation whereas others could be diagnosed with something like anaphylaxis, which is a life-threatening reaction.

“Everyone has a different reaction, some [allergies] are just more severe than others,” said Ms. Cheyenne Cole, one of the school nurses at Carson. “It’s just how you’re built.”

“Even though pollen allergies can be painful sometimes, we are rewarded with a plethora of different plants,” said Anshika Bansal, an eighth-grader on the X-Treme team, after addressing the advantages and disadvantages of seasonal pollen allergies.