On 30 Mar 2005 10:40:36 -0800, "John W." <worthj1970@yahoo.com>
brought down from the Mount tablets inscribed:

>Eric Takabayashi wrote:
>> "John W." wrote:
>>
>> > A friend of mine works for a prefectural government's office as a
>> > researcher and he said there's a growing belief that it's not
>simply
>> > the pollen but the pollen combined with pollution that's the
>problem.
>> > People who live in areas with lower pollution levels don't
>typically
>> > have the allergy, while urban areas are generally more affected.
>> >
>> > Personally I think the whole sugi allergy situation is kind of
>> > fascinating, since it's such a home-brewed problem.
>>
>> I like the story of one researcher who claims that intestinal
>parasites
>> (worms) secrete some substance which protects its host from the
>effects of
>> pollen, and that the rise of allergies is linked to the decline in
>> Japanese with worms. He prescribes ingesting worm larvae (up to about
>30
>> were claimed safe) to combat the problem.
>>
>I've heard similar things before. Somewhere I saw that doctors are
>experimenting with using leeches to heal burn victims because they eat
>the dead flesh and secrete something that's beneficial.
>
>What's interesting is that Japan's insistence on planting sugi over the
>years without much focus on biodiversity.

Here in Kiryu someone spotted smoke billowing up from the mountains in
the north part of town and reported a forest fire. The fire department
dashed up there and discovered that what looked for all the world like
a forest fire was actually the fucking pollen blowing off the trees.




--

Michael Cash

"Clowns to the left of me and jokers to the right, Mr. Cash.
Clowns and jokers."

                                Prof. Ernest T. Bass
                                Mount Pilot College