Should I keep on planting more native plants in my garden if I am concerned about seasonal allergies? You had mentioned in the lecture about a study that was done in Europe (not sure where exactly) that found there is a correlation of skin microbiome to the rate of allergies. I am very new at this, so I may have misunderstood the findings of the study. I've always been encouraged to grow more native plants, as they are great for the birds and the bees in the area, but is it also beneficial to us?

Rich said: Yes, I think so. Now that said, I could not say that having more native plants around you and in general a more healthy ecosystem will alleviate or mitigate allergic symptoms in frequency or severity, etc. What I can say more confidently is that growing up exposed to that kind of healthy ecosystem will reduce the likelihood you will develop allergies. So those are two different things. But...(1) it can't hurt and maybe it helps, who knows, (2) it is so helpful to our health and wellbeing as well as that of the planet, that there are plenty of other reasons to do it, and (3) we need to begin to think preventively, so even if it does not help you, it will help whoever lives there after you!