Commonwealth Medical Laboratories
This newsletter is published as a service to our customers.
| CONTENTS:
12 Ways You Can Beat Your Allergies Common Sources of Mold and Fungus How can I limit mold exposure? Learning to Live with Animal Allergies |
12 Ways
You Can Beat Your Allergies What gives an otherwise healthy person the sneezes, or a day-in, day-out case of the sniffles, is usually an allergy. And, as Sneezy might attest, allergies can make you miserable, From early spring, when oak, cedar, maple and birch trees blossom, until the first autumn frost kills off ragweed, Russian thistle and sagebrush, the air over America swarms with pollen. Though the microscopic grains are designed to fall on and fertilize other plants, a good share are inhaled by humans - many of whom respond with sneezes, sniffles, tears, itching and fatigue. Allergies - principally "hay fever" caused by pollen - affect between 35 million and 50 million Americans. They are a major cause of missed school days, and they account for about ten percent of all doctor visits. They are also difficult to defend against. You're probably having an allergic reaction - not just suffering from a cold or flu - when you have no fever, the mucus in your nose is clear, your nose and throat itch, and the symptoms don't get dramatically better or worse over a number of days. Here are 12 ways to keep your distress to a minimum: 1. Watch how you exercise. Outdoor exercise may be especially troublesome if you have hay fever. No matter what pollen ails you, the best time to be outdoors is after a rain shower, when the air is washed of pollen. 2. Take care in the yard. If you must do yard work when your offending pollen is at large, cover your nose and mouth with a mask that can filter allergens from the air. 3. Avoid irritants. Because it causes the blood vessels of the nose to expand, alcohol can exacerbate nasal congestion. Other irritants include cigarette smoke, perfumes, hair sprays, bug sprays, chlorine and fragrances in laundry detergents. 4. Beware of "cross-reactivity." A small group of people with especially severe ragweed-pollen allergies may find that their lips and tongues tingle or go numb when they eat bananas, cantaloupe or honeydew melon. And those sensitive to birch tree pollen may sniffle when they snack on apples, hazelnuts, raw carrots or celery. That's because the proteins in certain foods are similar to pollens and other allergens. 5. Plan ahead for trips. When returning to places where you once lived and wheezed and sneezed, beware. Antibodies you may have stored up can lie in waiting for long periods, then start your nose running as soon as you breath the same old air. 6. Clean the car. Keep your car dust-free by vacuuming carpets, seats and even heater and air-conditioning outlets. 7. Use common sense about pets. If you're allergic to cat dander but can't bear to get rid of your pet, at least keep the cat out of the bedroom. 8. Dust-proof your house. Rugs, wool throws, heavy curtains, down bedding and overstuffed chairs are havens for dust mites and other allergens. If you're allergic, consider having bare hardwood floors, washable slipcovers and window shades. 9. Condition the air. Both mold spores and dust mites thrive in humid conditions. Ideally, humidity inside your home shouldn't rise above 50 percent. 10. To bring it down to that level, consider a dehumidifier. People with allergies to pollen should keep bedroom windows closed at all times during the months they suffer. 11. Fight back. Antihistamines are the widely used defense against allergies. If your allergy is particularly bad, start taking your antihistamines a week or so before the pollen that bothers you comes into season. "Decongestants can work temporarily," says Dr. Rosenwasser, "but they're not an effective long-term treatment." 12. Take a shot at a remedy. "As long as they're administered correctly, shots can be very effective." Typically, a person gets injected once a week for several months with a mixture of substances to which he is allergic, then once a month for another year or more. Eventually, the patient's allergies may diminish enough so he can get by with little or no medication. |