Allergy Information, Get Allergy Relief

Living with Allergies

When you’re an allergy sufferer there are some simple things you can do to prevent allergies in your home, office, school, outdoors, or when you travel. The best way to prevent an allergy flare-up is to avoid allergens all together. Allergens are all the things that make you sneeze and your nose itch. It can be anything from your family pet to dust mites on your pillow.

Taking your allergy medications as your doctor has instructed can provide relief from your symptoms. Getting involved in your own treatment plan and learning as much as you can about your allergies will give you an enormous advantage. Knowledge is power and any awareness of allergies will help improve your health status.

Buy an allergy medication.

Coping with Allergies

Pets

**Cats! We love them, but...**

Allergy-causing substances can be found in your pet’s hair, dander, urine, feces, and saliva. They can be carried on clothes and can stay in carpets and furniture for months, even long after the animal has been removed from the home.

Cats and dogs, which are often our best friends, are sometimes the biggest triggers of allergy symptoms. Cats are more likely to trigger allergy symptoms than dogs because they often clean their fur with their tongues, spreading saliva (and allergen) all over their bodies. Dogs are thought to cause fewer reactions because they are bathed more often.

There are no allergen-free cats or dogs, however there are certain breeds of both cats and dogs that are much better for people with allergies. You can find out more at the Apartment-Pets. All cats shed hair (containing allergens), whether they’re long or short haired and the allergen is the same across all cat breeds. Additionally, allergy-causing proteins are often higher in male cats than female. Neutering a male cat could possibly decrease allergic reactions.

Other fur-bearing creatures may also cause problems for people with allergies. They might include indoor pets such as hamsters, mice, gerbils, rats, rabbits, and guinea pigs. Outdoor pets, such as horses, cows, goats, ducks, geese, and chickens may expose you to allergens that cause symptoms to flare up.

Before you find a new home for your beloved pet, try some other alternatives to dealing with the allergens.

Keep pets out of the bedroom or any other room, such as the family room or den that is frequented by someone with allergies.
Limit direct exposure to the pet, which includes hugging, petting, and kissing.
Wash your hands right away after any exposure to the animal.
It’s possible for animal allergens to be carried on an air current from room to room. If you have a central air-heating or air-conditioning system, consider installing an air cleaning system.
Vacuum carpets, rugs, and upholstered furniture frequently using a HEPA (High Efficiency Particle Arresting) filter.
If you own a cat, keep litter boxes out of the way, far away from anyone with pet allergies.
Bathe your pet weekly – even cats!
Brush your pet outside.

Home

Your home is your sanctuary, but it can also be home to many of the things that trigger your allergies. It’s not always possible to rid your home of all the things that make you sneeze and wheeze, but there are a number of ways to reduce allergens in the home.

Reduce pet dander in your home. Avoid pets with feathers or fur and try not to pet or hug your pet if you have allergies. If you can’t bear to part with your pet, keep it out of your bedroom or rooms in your house that you frequent.
Vacuum carpets and upholstered furniture once or twice a week, although cleaning can sometimes trigger flare-ups from the dust in the air. Try wearing a mask when doing housework and consider leaving for a few hours after you clean to avoid allergens in the air.
Keep pollen out. When cleaning your windows, do you see a film of pollen on the frame or sill? To prevent pollen from entering your home, keep the windows and doors closed, use an air filter and clean it regularly or run the air conditioner and change the filter often.
Avoid mold spores in the kitchen, bathroom, and basement, or anywhere you might find moist areas. If you reduce the moisture in these areas by fixing any leaks (inside and outside your house) and clean moldy surfaces, you will reduce mold growth. Don’t forget to look in refrigerator drip pans and under the kitchen sink – places were water might collect and stand. Plants can carry pollen and mold also, so limit your exposure to them and reduce the number of plants you bring into the house. You can also help reduce mold by using a dehumidifier.
Wipe down surfaces where dust and dust mites accumulate. Dust contains many allergens, such as molds, fibers, animal dander, even human skin cells. It also contains dust mites that feed on the skin cells we shed. Their favorite places are in bedding, pillows, curtains, upholstered furniture and carpet. To beat them:
- Purchase an airtight mattress and pillow cover. Buy a new pillow every year and wash them, along with your sheets, in hot water (at least 130 degrees F) once a week.
- Don’t sleep, sit, or rest on upholstered or stuffed furniture.
- Use a damp cloth to clean dust off of furniture as soon as possible.
- Use a HEPA vacuum filer.
- Do not use carpet in your bedroom. Shag carpets are the worst for a dust-sensitive person, although any carpet can trap dust and house dust mites.
- If your child has asthma, limit the number of stuffed animals they have in their bedroom and wash them weekly in hot water.
- Dust mites and allergens like warm, humid environments, so keep humidity low, ideally less than 50 percent. Keep track of humidity with a hygrometer or humidistat, available at specialty stores or through catalogs that specialize in wind and weather equipment. It also helps to use a dehumidifier.
- Instead of using Venetian blinds, use shades on the windows to prevent trapping dust. Wash curtains every so often in hot water to kill dust mites.

In addition to allergy-proofing your home, remember that cleaning products and chemicals can make your allergy symptoms worse. Try to avoid these as much as possible. For instance, people with pollen allergy should avoid unnecessary exposure to dust, insect sprays, air pollution, fresh tar or paint, and other irritants. Tobacco smoke is an irritant for nearly everyone, but especially for people with hay fever and sensitivity to allergens.

Office

Allergic to work? Hey, it can happen. Well, kind of. You’re not allergic to the job itself, but you can develop allergies to substances you encounter at the workplace. Allergens you find at home are similar to those at work and affect millions of people each year. Constant symptoms like sneezing, nasal congestion, and headaches make it difficult to concentrate.

Common allergens you might encounter on the job include:

Chemical fumes, mold or dust that might come from paint, insulation, furniture, foam mattresses, or packing materials.
Animal dander, hair, or mites. If you work at a kennel or on a farm you might have too much exposure to these irritants. Veterinarians and animal groomers may also be at risk.
Metals, cosmetics, and other chemicals can cause dermatitis, an itchy rash that breaks out where an allergen has come in contact with your skin. Nickel, chrome, and mercury are the metals most likely to cause a reaction.

If you think your job is making you sick, talk with your health care provider or pharmacist about prevention and discuss what treatments you can take to help treat symptoms.

School

The classroom and playground are often breeding grounds for an array of symptoms, such as sneezing, runny nose, itchy eyes, headaches and hives. For children with allergies, the fall season – and possible the school itself – can be torture.

If your child is coming home with allergy symptoms, find out exactly what may be causing allergies at school. Talk with the teacher, the school nurse, and possibly, the cafeteria people. Inform them of your child’s allergies and discuss any conditions that might be a problem. If your child has never experienced allergies before and suddenly comes home from school with symptoms, find out what they might have done just before the reactions occurred. It’s possible they may be allergic to the classroom pet, or came in contact with something on the playground.

If it’s necessary, the child may need to avoid classroom pets by either changing classrooms or politely asking the teacher to remove the pet. Encourage your child to wash their hands frequently, especially after touching an animal or plant or playing outside.

Often the same allergens found in the home will also be found at school. However, its may not be possible to vacuum or dust the classroom as easily and frequently as at home. If allergy symptoms persist, speak with your health care provider about options.

Outdoors

Pollens are tiny particles that are released from trees, weeds, and grass. Pollens from plants with bright flowers, such as roses, typically do not trigger allergy symptoms. These large, waxy pollens are carried from flower to flower by bees and other insects. Many trees, weeds, and grasses have small, light, dry pollens that are carried by the wind from the bush to your nose. These are the pollens that trigger allergy flare-ups.

Pollen levels vary by season, by day, and by geographical location, so monitor them just as you would the weather. If the pollen count is high, try to avoid outdoor activities. High pollen counts occur more in the morning, between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. Low pollen counts generally occur in the evening, during and right after rainfall, and on cool cloudy days.

If you are going to be outside, follow these tips to help prevent or lessen allergy symptoms:

Check pollen levels online and avoid going outside if they are high.
Avoid high pollen counts around early morning (between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m.). Do outdoor activities later in the day.
If you start suffering from symptoms, take a time out and get away from the allergy source. Head indoors a bit and take a break.
Reduce strain on your eyes by wearing sunglasses or a hat.
Wear a long-sleeved shirt, hat, and gloves to reduce expose to grass pollen.
When you’re ready to come inside, take a shower and change your clothes to wash away the pollen.
Get rid of weeds in your yard.
Keep car windows rolled up during peak pollen season.
Close doors and windows to the house during high pollen counts.
Dry your laundry indoors, not out, to prevent pollen sticking to wet fabrics.

Travel

When traveling, keep in mind that the allergy climate of where you are going may be different from the one where you live. Sometimes getting there is half the battle, if you are traveling by car, bus, or train, you may find dust mites, mold spores, and pollen a nuisance. If traveling by car, turn on the air conditioner or heater and open the windows to get allergens out of the car, then travel with the windows closed.

Travel Tips:

Travel early in the morning or late in the evening when the air quality is best.
Stay inside during peak pollen times.
Keep car windows closed when driving.
Stay inside when humidity is high and when there is a strong wind.
Bring along allergy medicines.
Know what triggers your allergies and stay away from them. For example, if you have pollen allergies, spend your next vacation at the beach, or if you have an allergy to pet dander, think twice about staying with a relative who has cats.
Rule of thumb: Dry climates will have more dust, but low pollen and mold counts. Humid climates will have less dust but higher pollen and mold counts.
If staying in a hotel, find out how the room is cooled. Try to stay in a room with central heat and air conditioning. Avoid a room with evaporative (swamp) coolers. These typically harbor mildew and mold spores that may trigger an allergic reaction.