Allergy Statistics and Facts
How many people in the U.S. are allergic — to ragweed pollen, cat dander, or food? What sort of impact do allergies have on society? Here’s a rundown of some of the most important allergy statistics — based on the best available data.
- Number of people in the U.S. who have either allergy or asthma symptoms: one in five.
- Percentage of the U.S. population that tests positive to one or more allergens: 55%.
- Rank of allergies among other leading chronic diseases in the U.S.: 5th.
- One estimate of the annual cost of allergies to the health care system and businesses in the U.S.: $7.9 billion.
- Number of workdays lost each year as a result of hay fever: 4 million.
- Number of weeks by which the ragweed pollen season has increased in the last 10 to 15 years, likely as a result
- of global warming: four.
- Odds that a child with one allergic parent will develop allergies: 33%.
- Odds that a child with two allergic parents will develop allergies: 70%.
- Number of ER visits in the U.S. caused by food allergies each year: 30,000.
- Percentage of the people in the U.S. who believe they have a food allergy: up to 15%.
- Percentage of the people in the U.S. who actually have a food allergy: 3% to 4%.
- Percentage of our lives that we spend indoors: 90%.
- Degree by which levels of indoor pollution in U.S. homes exceed levels of outdoor pollution: two to 100 times, depending on factors such as whether the residents smoke.
- Percentage of U.S. households with one or more dogs: 39%.
- Percentage of U.S. households with one or more cats: 36%.
- Percentage of all U.S. households with detectable levels of dog and cat dander: 100%.
- Percentage of people in the U.S. that have asthma: 7.7%.
- Increase in the prevalence of asthma in U.S. children under age 5 between 1980 and 1994: 160%.
- Number of annual ER visits in the U.S. caused by asthma: 1.8 million in 2004.
- Percentage of people hospitalized for asthma who are children: About 44%.
- Number of deaths each year in the U.S. from asthma: About 4,000.
- Number of people with chronic allergy-like symptoms — runny nose, congestion and cough — but who have nonallergic rhinitis instead: one out of three.
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Green Eyes On: Bee Pollen Cures Allergies
By Tree Hugger
I’ve found a way to save the bees and save your itchy, watery, allergy eyes. And, no, it doesn’t come in an orange prescription bottle or costly over-the-counter remedy. It comes from my favorite source –- nature.
Sulfur product called MSM (Methyl Sulfonyl Methane) for her allergies. It helps your body flush out foreign particles that could be causing reactions. Interesting. I had never heard of it, but she was having good luck with it.
Bee Pollen, the Natural Solution; So a few years ago, I suggested he start taking bee pollen. This man has tried many things that most people would deem strange, gross or insane because of me, so he didn’t hesitate to give it a try. He started, as I would recommend anyone do, with just a few granules and worked his way up to a teaspoon or two every day. A few months later, as spring began to take bloom, we waited for a sneeze or a stuffed up nose and none came. He went the whole season without suffering at all.
Bee pollen works by desensitizing your body to the pollen that travels through the air and causes your body to react. With small daily doses, your body builds up its defenses to fight off the allergens and avoid reaction in the future.
How to Choose the Right Bee Pollen; There are two important things to keep in mind when selecting a bee pollen. First: Find one with the greatest variety of color. This indicates that the pollen came from a variety of plants and will help you build a strong defense. And second (and probably most importantly): Be sure you are buying local bee pollen so that the defense you’re building is to the plants around you.
I buy my bee pollen at my area Whole Foods because they carry produce, honey, pollen and other foods from local farmers or at the farmer’s market. To find a farmer’s market in your area visit Local Harvest’s http://www.localharvest.org/ and just plug in your zip code.
To be safe, don’t take bee pollen if you have a history of anaphylactic shock.
My final argument for bee pollen is this. Honey bees are disappearing. It’s complex and there is still a lot of research that needs to be conducted in order to discover all of the causes for their accelerated deaths. And a lot needs to happen to reverse the damage and encourage healthy colonies and hives again. But, as I see it, if the demand for bee pollen goes up, maybe more farmers will put hives on their land. And more hives could mean more bees.
Let’s face it. Spring is no time to be inside. It’s a time for open windows, long evening walks, dinner on the patio and deep, deep breaths of fresh air. And if bee pollen can help you get there, wouldn’t it be worth giving it a try?
FIT ~an~ HAPPY 
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