Are gardeners more prone to allergies? I think in the human population, almost every human being has a predisposition to be allergic to something at some point in time. There are people, however, whose immune system has a low tank when it comes to respiratory problems, whereas there are some with low immunity within the endocrine system, biliary, urinary, but having said that, there is no perfect system and the reason we have so many specialties of medicine. Many of us never worked outside, played outside and did all those things that laborers do by working outside or athletes do by working outside and perhaps our immune systems have a lower threshold as we never exercised them in order to build immunity and become desensitized, or they were just weak to begin with and then we exposed ourselves via the garden to many allergens. Hay fever might have been better known as spring fever back in the day. Who am I to determine that spring fever was not meant to mean the season of respiratory difficulties? Even the strongest immune system can come in contact with something that it has been exposed to a million times and one day suddenly express a sensitivity to it. Is it true that gardeners are more prone to allergies than the general population at large? I doubt it. We are more predisposed to it by placing ourselves in a position where allergens abound. However, hormones, immunity and familial tendencies play a large part in everyone's response to certain conditions. If you are having allergic problems, perhaps you need to see your doctor for medication that can help with that. Even the strongest among us will find something in the great outdoors to which we can be allergic at any given point in time.

A local nursery sells honey from bees on their property.
The clerk told me lots of folks buy it and swear taking 1 (one) teaspoon daily helps their allergies. I am trying it and hope that it will help... yes, I know it may be
the power of suggestion but even if it is all in my head...that is where my allergies are. LOL

This could very well be, especially if the mulch and soil contains mold and other small particles which it often does. And then of course there's always frequent exposure to high pollen levels (grass!).

Now, the problem with allergies, including allergic asthma, is not a weak immune system but actually an over-reactive immune system: your body treats these particles as harmful invaders of which it needs to rid itself, hence the runny nose, sneezing, itchy throat, tearing eyes, coughing etc. Small particles of any kind can trigger these reactions with too high and constant exposure - many workers in flour mills develop asthma caused by the flour dust (not flowers)!

Theories about the increasing tendency of the population in the industrialized nations to develop allergies and asthma are abound, and my sense is that it is a combination of factors. One culprit may be better insulated and airtight, i.e. warmer and more humid homes have been leading to an increase of dust mites and mold, and an increased presence of animal dander if there are animals in the house. Dust mites, mold and animal dander are all very potent allergens. Air conditioning also tends to whirl any kind of small particles around, although a good filter can also clean the air (if the AC dries out the air too much, it's not good for the respiratory system either, btw). Then there's the theory about too much hygiene which lets the immune system become overly sensitive (not weak, but over reactive) to any kind of foreign body. And then, there's is an increased exposure to chemicals and fumes of all kinds, from additives and any other "artificial" ingredients in food/processed food, to smoke and car and other chemical fumes (plastics, paint incl. solvents, formaldehyde, pesticides, you name it) an endless list really.

That there's probably something to these theories can for instance be seen in the extent to which the allergy and asthma rates rapidly rose in Eastern Germany from negligible before its unification with Western Germany to the same high numbers within a few years after unification. Now, interestingly, the outside air quality was not always good in the old GDR (lots of coal and industrial smoke and very fumy 2 stroke engine cars), unless you lived in the country of which they admittedly had a lot. So I actually suspect that the move toward more artificial ingredients in food and perhaps the addition of chemically aggressive (and highly perfumed) household chemicals has a lot to do with this rapid rise in allergies and asthma in Germany's old East.

You can get tested for allergies, and, if you wish, then opt for avoidance of the allergens (always a good idea, but not always possible of course), medication and/or desensitization shots which treat the problem at its root and avoids the side effects of medication that can sometimes make you even more sensitive in the long run. Whatever you choose, it's probably a good idea to do something about it before things worsen, especially develop into asthma.

And yes, from my personal experience, I can tell you that mulching and digging in the soil can cause or worsen allergies and respiratory problems. No question about it.

Andrea

Asthma and allergens and the Autoimmune System: Autoimmune diseases are a typical example of malfunction in which the immune system turns against itself and becomes self-destructive (overreacts). This may seem like a strange thing for the immune system to do, but consider how often we do exactly the same thing, e.g. smoking even though it destroys lung tissue, or becoming stressed and angry even though it doesnt feel good.

I know there a thing these days with people being hyper-hygenic and it is causing allergies galore. Our family is very healthy and our house is NOT tidy. My mother, when she went to school, said there were a family of gypsy children in her class. They didn't even have shoes to wear to school. There was also a boy who's mother fed him everything to keep him healthy. When something came around (was it measles? Can't remember) They 'healthy' boy died. It didn't even phase on the gypsies.
When I was a kid we took peanut butter sandwiches to school day in and day out. Now if you do you are putting some unfortunate child's life at risk.
Goodfun 58, there is also the method of taking bee pollen from hives who collected locally. A person can build up their resistance to local plant allergies that way too. The theory DOES hold water.