Question:

LOL. That’s a funny one Bharat. In fact, many people think they know ragweed, when they are actually looking at goldenrod, which is not allergenic at all. Pierre – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Good luck – sometimes its worth the discomfort of scratch tests to really identify your allergy. Yes… my wife went for her allergy test on Monday, and the swelling on the ragweed scratch didn’t disappear completely until today (Thursday) morning!  Anyway, next year (and every year thereafter) she’ll take shots, which should help… I like Wendy’s "burned earth" aka "raze and destroy" approach.  The first thing is for me to find out what ragweed actually looks like before I destroy my neighbors rare exotic African wildflowers in a regrettable accident:-) Bharat — R. Bharat Rao, Adaptive Information & Signal Processing Dept. Siemens Corporate Research, 755 College Rd, Princeton,NJ 08540 "These opinions are mine, not those of Siemens."

Response:

Good luck – sometimes its worth the discomfort of scratch tests to really identify your allergy.

Yes… my wife went for her allergy test on Monday, and the swelling on the ragweed scratch didn’t disappear completely until today (Thursday) morning!  Anyway, next year (and every year thereafter) she’ll take shots, which should help… I like Wendy’s "burned earth" aka "raze and destroy" approach.  The first thing is for me to find out what ragweed actually looks like before I destroy my neighbors rare exotic African wildflowers in a regrettable accident:-) Bharat — R. Bharat Rao, Adaptive Information & Signal Processing Dept. Siemens Corporate Research, 755 College Rd, Princeton,NJ 08540 "These opinions are mine, not those of Siemens."

Response:

Any allergist will tell you, reactions are funny things.  After teetering on the brink of anaphylactic (sp) shock several times, my brother went to  the Scripps institute in San Diego for two weeks of intense testing.  This is what they found: Bill is allergic (or reactive) to a combination of citric acid (found in any commercially prepared citrus product) fried foods, and he must had a high level of physical activity.  No reaction without all three.A soccer game, then McDonalds for burgers, french fries and orange drink.  Running at the beach, then burger and fries and orange drink.  Swimming, then potato chips and a grape drink. He carries a shot kit, and always has liquid benadryl with him. (by the way – Sominex and other OTC sleep medications are usually antihistamines, if you are traveling and get in a pinch for benadryl) Good luck – sometimes its worth the discomfort of scratch tests to really identify your allergy. Mary

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have a similar problem with apples, grapes, peaches, nectarines and cherries. Not a full blown thing, just itchiness in the lips and sometimes tongue also. While I have documented bad allergy to ragweed, kiwi fruit and sunflower seeds/oil, I don’t know that there is any relation between those and apples and grapes. I also react with similar lip and throat itching when eating honey. Once, when I didn’t know any of this except the kiwi and sunflowers, I happened to eat some popcorn and right after I drank a cup of herb tea (I think it was chamomile) that I had sweetened with honey. I started feeling like my lips were itching and swelling inside, and then my uvula suddenly swelled up to 3 times its normal size, almost blocking my throat. I drove myself to the hospital, but I stupidly didn’t go in, and went home after the problem resolved itself a bit. I’m still not sure what the actual allergen was, or maybe it was a combination. I’ve never had that again, until about 5 years later when I reacted similarly to a blood pressure medication called an ACE inhibitor. Needless to say, I now avoid honey and chamomile and popcorn religiously, and I always keep some Benadryl in the house, just in case. Anybody ever heard of anything like this? Pierre My daughter (11.5), who had an easy spring this year for the first time in who know how long, is starting to react to the ragweed more than she usually does.  For the past couple of years, she’s complained that her throat itched when she ate an apple (and sometimes her lips were itchy and seemed to swell up a little).  Other fruits have started bothering her as well: peaches, nectarines, plums, kiwis, jicama (is that a fruit) to name some. —

Response:

And the curse will probably be the most effective or at least soul satisfying.  Your wife has my sympathies.  My daughter has the same problems with allergies.  What has been most effective for her is to eat _local_ honey.  Honey produced from the plants that causes the allergies will work as a vaccine.  vaccine may not be the best choice of words, but as long as she uses local honey, here problems are reduced to the point that an over the counter drug will take care of the occasional flare up.

This is something that you want to try with a great deal of care.  It is possible to induce anaphylaxis with this. Chris Owens

Response:

If you research it, you will find that ragweed allergy sufferers (I am one) can be cross-allergic to a number of other things, but as far as I know, these cross-allergies occur only when ingesting the product, not as respiratory allergies. They are: sunflower seeds, kiwi, honeydew, cantaloup, watermelon, bananas and chamomile (found in many popular herbal teas). I can smell sunflowers directly, but I almost go into anaphylactic shock if I accidentally eat something that contains sunflower seeds or oil, and the same thing happens with kiwi fruit. Pierre L. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My wife had severe allergic reactions this year (and last year too) starting Aug 15.  Turns out she is allergic to ragweed. This year we planted 200+ sunflower plants of from 25+ varieties in the garden.  Anyone know if sunflower pollen is similar to ragweed in terms of allergies?  The allergist told her "may be similar"; obviously, if it causes her distress we won’t plant any sunflowers, but if they are unrelated, then we both agree it would be a shame not to plant them. (The current plan is not to plant, unless we learn definitively one way.) BTW, does sunflower pollen start drifting around Aug 15 (thats when ragweed season, & her allergies, began this year — and every year — in New Jersey, Zone 6.) Thanks for any feedback/help, Bharat — R. Bharat Rao, Adaptive Information & Signal Processing Dept. Siemens Corporate Research, 755 College Rd, Princeton,NJ 08540 "These opinions are mine, not those of Siemens."

Response:

If you research it, you will find that ragweed allergy sufferers (I am one) can be cross-allergic to a number of other things, but as far as I know, these cross-allergies occur only when ingesting the product, not as respiratory allergies. They are: sunflower seeds, kiwi, honeydew, cantaloup, watermelon, bananas and chamomile (found in many popular herbal teas). I can smell sunflowers directly, but I almost go into anaphylactic shock if I accidentally eat something that contains sunflower seeds or oil, and the same thing happens with kiwi fruit.

I’ll never forget the first time I ate a whole cantaloupe.  It was just prior to driving to work.  If I hadn’t been on back roads with no pay phone, I would have called 911.  A natural thing like breathing was quite a task. I have since found that strawberries, peaches, nectarines, plums, and many other fruits can cause the same reaction.  If I drink lot’s of fluids to wash the fruit juices from my throat, I only get a mild reaction. Ragweed?  This year it was bad and I got a shot of who knows what.  some kind of steroid I think.  I was in absolute misery and that stuff kicked @$$.  To bad (actually it is a good thing) the Doc told me that it isn’t something that i would want to use all year long. — Tony

Response:

Turns out she is allergic to ragweed.

I am very allergic to ragweed, also. Every year, I do "ragweed patrol" of my neighborhood (1 mile radius around my house) in early August. This is just before the ragweed begins to blossom. Ragweed grows up to 10 feet tall, and is especially found in moist areas, such as drainage ditches. The stems are hollow, and very easy to cut with a long-handled garden clipper. If I see ragweed in someone’s garden (common), I ring the bell, explain that I have asthma, and ask if they mind that I cut down their weeds. They always say OK. If I see the plants in a public area (such as the side of the road or in a ditch), I just cut them down. Because ragweed is an annual, cutting them before flowering prevents them from setting seed. They don’t grow back in the same place the following year. After 10 years of doing this, there is no ragweed left in my neighborhood. This makes a big difference to my allergies. I also use Flonase, a steroid which is sprayed into the nose. Wendy

Response:

My wife had severe allergic reactions this year (and last year too) starting Aug 15.  Turns out she is allergic to ragweed. Thanks for any feedback/help, Bharat — R. Bharat Rao, Adaptive Information & Signal Processing Dept. Siemens Corporate Research, 755 College Rd, Princeton,NJ 08540 "These opinions are mine, not those of Siemens."

Acupuncture helped my severe allergies so that I can go most places again and enjoy life.  The only side effect I had was my allergies are MUCH more manageable-no more really nasty reactions.  No drugs or shots, just a little needle stick that doesn’t hurt as much as a mosquito bite.  Worth a try. Regards, Sandy

Response:

I’m surprised this stuff is not more common knowledge. I’ve had severe problems with sunflower seeds and oil (and that’s in a lot of products now) and kiwi fruit since my youth. And I’m a know severe allergic to ragweed. No doctor has ever connected the two, and I only learned about this though researching it myself about a year ago. Pierre

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – If you research it, you will find that ragweed allergy sufferers (I am one) can be cross-allergic to a number of other things, but as far as I know, these cross-allergies occur only when ingesting the product, not as respiratory allergies. They are: sunflower seeds, kiwi, honeydew, cantaloup, watermelon, bananas and chamomile (found in many popular herbal teas). I can smell sunflowers directly, but I almost go into anaphylactic shock if I accidentally eat something that contains sunflower seeds or oil, and the same thing happens with kiwi fruit. I’ll never forget the first time I ate a whole cantaloupe.  It was just prior to driving to work.  If I hadn’t been on back roads with no pay phone, I would have called 911.  A natural thing like breathing was quite a task. I have since found that strawberries, peaches, nectarines, plums, and many other fruits can cause the same reaction.  If I drink lot’s of fluids to wash the fruit juices from my throat, I only get a mild reaction. Ragweed?  This year it was bad and I got a shot of who knows what.  some kind of steroid I think.  I was in absolute misery and that stuff kicked @$$.  To bad (actually it is a good thing) the Doc told me that it isn’t something that i would want to use all year long. — Tony

Response:

My wife had severe allergic reactions this year (and last year too) starting Aug 15.  Turns out she is allergic to ragweed.

Thanks to everyone for the very detailed responses.  I passed on the responses to my wife, and she sends her thanks as well. So stay away from local honey, sunflower products, and watch some of the fruits she eats.  But plant sunflowers like crazy:-):-) Bharat — R. Bharat Rao, Adaptive Information & Signal Processing Dept. Siemens Corporate Research, 755 College Rd, Princeton,NJ 08540 "These opinions are mine, not those of Siemens."

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – And the curse will probably be the most effective or at least soul satisfying.  Your wife has my sympathies.  My daughter has the same problems with allergies.  What has been most effective for her is to eat _local_ honey.  Honey produced from the plants that causes the allergies will work as a vaccine.  vaccine may not be the best choice of words, but as long as she uses local honey, here problems are reduced to the point that an over the counter drug will take care of the occasional flare up. We have some beekeepers on the ng that probably have more information on what I am trying to say. Zhan

As a matter of fact, we do eat local honey for that reason and others, and i think it does work somewhat. But the effectivity of ragweed pollen is so incredible, it needs to be dealt with positively. regards.

Response:

After 10 years of doing this, there is no ragweed left in my neighborhood. This makes a big difference to my allergies.

Wow, Wendy!  You see a problem and you solve it.  My hat’s off to you (truly!) — Ann, Gardening in Zone 6a Just south of Boston, MA If I keep a green bough in my heart, the singing bird will come. ~Chinese Proverb

Response:

Wow, Wendy!  You see a problem and you solve it.

That’s how I make my living. Guess that carries over into home-front activities. Regards, Wendy

Response:

My daughter (11.5), who had an easy spring this year for the first time in who know how long, is starting to react to the ragweed more than she usually does.  For the past couple of years, she’s complained that her throat itched when she ate an apple (and sometimes her lips were itchy and seemed to swell up a little).  Other fruits have started bothering her as well: peaches, nectarines, plums, kiwis, jicama (is that a fruit) to name some.   —

Response:

I have a similar problem with apples, grapes, peaches, nectarines and cherries. Not a full blown thing, just itchiness in the lips and sometimes tongue also. While I have documented bad allergy to ragweed, kiwi fruit and sunflower seeds/oil, I don’t know that there is any relation between those and apples and grapes. I also react with similar lip and throat itching when eating honey. Once, when I didn’t know any of this except the kiwi and sunflowers, I happened to eat some popcorn and right after I drank a cup of herb tea (I think it was chamomile) that I had sweetened with honey. I started feeling like my lips were itching and swelling inside, and then my uvula suddenly swelled up to 3 times its normal size, almost blocking my throat. I drove myself to the hospital, but I stupidly didn’t go in, and went home after the problem resolved itself a bit. I’m still not sure what the actual allergen was, or maybe it was a combination. I’ve never had that again, until about 5 years later when I reacted similarly to a blood pressure medication called an ACE inhibitor. Needless to say, I now avoid honey and chamomile and popcorn religiously, and I always keep some Benadryl in the house, just in case. Anybody ever heard of anything like this? Pierre – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My daughter (11.5), who had an easy spring this year for the first time in who know how long, is starting to react to the ragweed more than she usually does.  For the past couple of years, she’s complained that her throat itched when she ate an apple (and sometimes her lips were itchy and seemed to swell up a little).  Other fruits have started bothering her as well: peaches, nectarines, plums, kiwis, jicama (is that a fruit) to name some. —

Response:

lth inspector to bring the mower people out to kill it each year in . Put a curse on anyone who says the little birdies need the seed. regards.

And the curse will probably be the most effective or at least soul satisfying.  Your wife has my sympathies.  My daughter has the same problems with allergies.  What has been most effective for her is to eat _local_ honey.  Honey produced from the plants that causes the allergies will work as a vaccine.  vaccine may not be the best choice of words, but as long as she uses local honey, here problems are reduced to the point that an over the counter drug will take care of the occasional flare up. We have some beekeepers on the ng that probably have more information on what I am trying to say. Zhan

Response:

My wife had severe allergic reactions this year (and last year too) starting Aug 15.  Turns out she is allergic to ragweed. This year we planted 200+ sunflower plants of from 25+ varieties in the garden.  Anyone know if sunflower pollen is similar to ragweed in terms of allergies?  The allergist told her "may be similar"; obviously, if it causes her distress we won’t plant any sunflowers, but if they are unrelated, then we both agree it would be a shame not to plant them.

Ragweed and sunflowers are both asters.  However, ragweed is wind pollinated and sunflowers are insect pollinated.  The odds of her being allergic to both are pretty slim. Chris Owens

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My wife had severe allergic reactions this year (and last year too) starting Aug 15.  Turns out she is allergic to ragweed. This year we planted 200+ sunflower plants of from 25+ varieties in the garden.  Anyone know if sunflower pollen is similar to ragweed in terms of allergies?  The allergist told her "may be similar"; obviously, if it causes her distress we won’t plant any sunflowers, but if they are unrelated, then we both agree it would be a shame not to plant them. (The current plan is not to plant, unless we learn definitively one way.) BTW, does sunflower pollen start drifting around Aug 15 (thats when ragweed season, & her allergies, began this year — and every year — in New Jersey, Zone 6.) Thanks for any feedback/help, Bharat — R. Bharat Rao, Adaptive Information & Signal Processing Dept. Siemens Corporate Research, 755 College Rd, Princeton,NJ 08540 "These opinions are mine, not those of Siemens."

Sunflowers do not bloom at the same time as ragweed. For ragweed, get a good filter in your air conditioner. call the farr filter co. A 24×24x6 inch thick pleated filter will last a year and pays for itself in the drug savings. You will have to have it installed to provide the facility to change it. Go to a beach area for the month ragweed blooms. Call you health inspector to bring the mower people out to kill it each year in july. Stay indoors or wear a mask outdoors. Put a curse on anyone who says the little birdies need the seed. regards.

Response:

My wife had severe allergic reactions this year (and last year too) starting Aug 15.  Turns out she is allergic to ragweed. This year we planted 200+ sunflower plants of from 25+ varieties in the garden.  Anyone know if sunflower pollen is similar to ragweed in terms of allergies?  The allergist told her "may be similar"; obviously, if it causes her distress we won’t plant any sunflowers, but if they are unrelated, then we both agree it would be a shame not to plant them. (The current plan is not to plant, unless we learn definitively one way.) BTW, does sunflower pollen start drifting around Aug 15 (thats when ragweed season, & her allergies, began this year — and every year — in New Jersey, Zone 6.) Thanks for any feedback/help, Bharat — R. Bharat Rao, Adaptive Information & Signal Processing Dept. Siemens Corporate Research, 755 College Rd, Princeton,NJ 08540 "These opinions are mine, not those of Siemens."

Response:

My wife had severe allergic reactions this year (and last year too) starting Aug 15.  Turns out she is allergic to ragweed. This year we planted 200+ sunflower plants of from 25+ varieties in the garden.  Anyone know if sunflower pollen is similar to ragweed in terms of allergies?  The allergist told her "may be similar"; obviously, if it causes her distress we won’t plant any sunflowers, but if they are unrelated, then we both agree it would be a shame not to plant them. (The current plan is not to plant, unless we learn definitively one way.)

Both plants are members of the Aster family (Asteraceae, formerly Compositae). This is a very large family, with *LOTS* of commonly grown members, including sunflowers, mums, daisies and coneflowers (also weeds like thistles and dandelions). But sunflowers and ragweeds are about as dissimilar a set ‘family members’ as you could find.  While one may be allergic to more than one member of the family, the chance of being exposed to large amounts of pollen varies. Ragweeds and wormwoods (wind pollinated) are the major offenders in the Aster family. BTW, does sunflower pollen start drifting around Aug 15 (thats when ragweed season, & her allergies, began this year — and every year — in New Jersey, Zone 6.)

I doubt that the sunflower pollen drifts very far before coming to ground. It is an insect-pollinated plant — the pollen tend to be heavy and sticky, the better to be carried around by bees.  Ragweed is a wind-pollinated and inconspicuous plant which pumps out enormous amounts of fine pollen. It’s *very* common but often unnoticed.  Because it is seldom noticed, its more conspicuous relatives get blamed for the sneezing and dripping.  (Some very nice flowers that bloom in late summer are commonly called ’sneezeweed’ even though they aren’t to blame.) Ragweed pollen starts showing up in mid-August, peaks around Sept. 1 (in New Jersey and Michigan) and can continue to be a problem until after the first good frost.  (My allergist’s office is *crowded* in early September.) Some URLs (with quoted material): http://www.pollen.com/gloss_ragweed.html "In the eyes of many medical authorities and allergy sufferers, ragweed pollen is the worst allergen in the United States.  Ragweed plants can be found along many highways, in agricultural fields and urban landscapes. Ragweed is found in nearly every state." http://www.niaid.nih.gov/publications/allergens/pollen.htm "The types of pollen that most commonly cause allergic reactions are produced by the plain-looking plants (trees, grasses, and weeds) that do not have showy flowers. These plants manufacture small, light, dry pollen granules that are custom-made for wind transport. Samples of ragweed pollen have been collected 400 miles out at sea and 2 miles high in the air. Because airborne pollen is carried for long distances, it does little good to rid an area of an offending plant–the pollen can drift in from many miles away. In addition, most allergenic pollen comes from plants that produce it in huge quantities. A single ragweed plant can generate a million grains of pollen a day." … "It is common to hear people say that they are allergic to colorful or scented flowers like roses. In fact, only florists, gardeners, and others who have prolonged, close contact with flowers are likely to become sensitized to pollen from these plants. Most people have little contact with the large, heavy, waxy pollen grains of many flowering plants because this type of pollen is not carried by wind but by insects such as butterflies and bees."   — Pat in Plymouth MI "The generation of random numbers is too important to be left to chance." Robert R. Coveyou "Il faut cultiver notre jardin."  Voltaire, _Candide_

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