Riding With Allergies

Spring's coming on, and in Florida, March means pollen counts in the 9 to 10 range (considered high to very-high). Riding when you have pollen allergies can be miserable, and dangerous. I try to stay off any kind of medication when I'm riding, because there's nothing worse than feeling drowsy or blurry-eyed on the road (we're talking allergies right now).

Of course, sneezing constantly is no fun either.

What causes pollen allergy reactions?

• A grain of pollen looks like a very spiky sea urchin. When it enters your nasal and bronchial passages, it latches onto the mucous membranes and gets stuck.
• These membranes have cells (called mast cells) full of histamines.
• When an allergen trigger (like pollen) lands on one of these cells, a receptor sitting on top of the cell tells the cell to let loose on the histamines.
  
• The histamine starts a series of annoying reactions like sneezing, watery eyes, and itching to help you get rid of the allergan.
  

What are some natural solutions?

• Neti Pots are a way to flush your sinuses, but are really for after you ride. Someone mentions this in the LiveJournal discussion mentioned below.
• Quercetin is a natural plant-derived compound (flavonoid) that helps keep the mast cells from releasing histamine. Flavonoids can be found in citrus and green tea.
• Food can help. Add some horseradish, chili peppers or hot mustard to your food. They're all temporary decongestants.
• Stinging nettle is a natural antihistamine without the side effects (drowsiness, dry mouth) associated with the drugs most commonly used.

So, what are you options?
I usually go with a bandanna over my mouth and nose when riding in a half helmet. It helps cut down on what you're breathing in, and actually works on days with moderate pollen counts. A full face gives you additional protection if you keep the vents closed.

Before I start out in the morning, I try and get an idea of the pollen count. You've got several options available.

• Pollen.com has an Allergy Forecast by state
• Google and Yahoo desktop pollen widgets can be downloaded from Pollen.com's site
• Weather.com's PollenCast is pretty quick and easy if you're already online
  

You should also avoid certain kinds of food during ragweed season since they share allergans with ragweed:

• Sunflower seeds
• Melons and bananas
• Zucchini and cucumber

What have others tried? Here are a few conversations on the web:

• LiveJournal's gerardwing got a good "Riding with Alleriges" thread going with several riders giving their solutions.
• Masks are available from several manufacturers. You can find reviews and comments on several different types at AchooAllergy.com's blog. Respro does make a bandanna-style scarf called the Bandit Scarf.
  

You can also get more information on natural remedies and causes from several web sites:

• WebMD
• Allergy Treatment / Allergy Relief Blog
• FamilyDoctor.org