The Daily Feather — Allergic to Labor Risks
Itchy eyes. CHECK. Runny nose. CHECK. Sneezing. Scratchy throat. Clogged up. CHECK, CHECK, CHECK. It must be ragweed season! It’s estimated that one ragweed plant can produce up to one billion grains of pollen. If you live anywhere from the Midwest to the East Coast, you’ve seen the yellow dust congeal on everything from park benches to your smartphone screen. It’s this powder that causes reactions in about 15% of all Americans, making the ragweed pollen allergy one of the most common in the country. Thankfully, the season isn’t very long – it runs from late summer through mid-fall, once the plants’ flowers reach maturity. Most ragweed allergy sufferers experience the most severe symptoms around mid-September, so hopefully we’re past peak. Medication is the first line of defense against ragweed. Eye drops and nasal sprays treat specific problems, while over-the-counter antihistamines can minimize the symptoms.
Allergy relief was central to a QI brain trust exchange after yesterday’s Conference Board consumer confidence hit the wires. “SHORT DYSON! LONG ZYRTEC!” Consumer buying plans for vacuum cleaners and carpet crumbled -- the former fell to 4.8% of September’s respondents from 8.6% in August, while the latter plumbed to 5.4% from 10.7%. Both monthly declines were extreme, scaling to z-scores of -2.3 and -2.4, respectively. To this Danielle quipped: “Old carpet that’s NOT vacuumed. What could go wrong? (God bless you!)”