It’s completely fair to say that nowadays more people are falling prey to allergy, be it, food, pollen, pets, and dust. We often start sneezing when we enter somebody’s house full of allergens. Allergens are found everywhere and the only place where we can minimize their presence is our own house. Here are some tips to keep your home allergens free.
- Long heavy curtains, thick carpets and decorative shelves are favorite breeding ground for dust mites. If you can’t get rid of them, make sure to clean them very often. Steam cleaners are one of the best available options to wash curtains. As for floors and carpets, good vacuum cleaners with HEPA 13 filter silver ions filter are good options. They are affordable carrying high suction capacity.
- If somebody in your family is allergic to feathers, you can help him/her by replacing feather-filled pillows with anti-allergic cotton filled pillows. They are easy available in the local market. You can also purchase woolen pillows, but give them the steam mop twice a week.
- Fancy carpets are a pleasant way to beautify your home, but not a good choice when someone in the family is suffering from allergy. Sadly, woolen carpets too contain dust mite and microorganisms, even if you clean them regularly. The only option left would be to get rid of carpets. However, if you cannot, clean them with the steam-mop.
- Remove all the pets from your house. It can be emotionally thumping, but essential if you want your family to stay healthy. Pets’ hair is a very strong allergen and an ideal breeding ground for microorganisms. Pets can bring pollen on their hair that will cause allergic reaction in the affected person.
It’s a difficult task to provide an allergy free environment at home. However, we should make every effort to make our loved one’s life easier when they suffer from allergy.
Can a balanced diet help you prevent food allergy? Some individuals agree and some don’t. But the fact is there are many dietary strategies that can help fight allergies and asthma. After reading the points below, you will get a fair idea of what works and what doesn’t. However, your first priority should always be to follow that your physician has advised.
Eating fruits to prevent asthma: Making fruits a part of your eating regime can significantly reduce the risk of asthma, especially children from birth to 8 years of age, researchers say. They found individuals with higher intake of fruits at lower risk of asthma. The antioxidants present in fruits and vegetables prevent damage to airways, probably reducing risk of asthma, which troubles more than 8 percent of Americans. Other fruits such as apples, bananas and Vitamin-C rich citrus may lower asthma risk.
Not a good idea to have honey: There is no clear evidence that shows eating honey assuages allergy symptoms. A myth pertaining to honey is honeybees carry pollen from the plants that cause itchiness in the eyes. That helps in strengthening immune system and reduces allergy symptoms. According to Miguel P. Wolbert, an allergist and immunologist at the Allergy & Asthma Care Center in Evansville, Indiana, eating honey doesn’t make a huge difference in reducing allergy symptoms. He further quotes, “It’s unlikely that honey will help your allergies.”
Less intake of salt: High salt diet often results in worsening of asthma symptoms in children. A low sodium diet is particularly helpful to people with exercise–induced asthma. Apart from other health benefits a low sodium diet possesses, it may be judged a medication to manage asthma. Stay away from packaged foods, which have higher proportion of sodium.
A strict no-no to raw milk: It’s still early days to tell whether raw milk actually benefits allergy and asthma sufferers. However, there are other risks involved with the consumption of raw milk. As reported by the Centers for Disease Control, raw milk was responsible for more than 1000 sicknesses, 100 hospitalizations and 2 deaths between 1998 and 2005.
A sudden and unexpected attack of allergy or asthma can hamper your travelling plans. Sometimes, a fresh environment can trigger allergy and asthma symptoms that can put you off schedule. It is important to consider your allergies or asthma and take precautions accordingly to avoid igniting your symptoms while travelling.
If your preferred mode of travelling is airways, remember airplane can be dry and trigger allergy or asthma symptoms. You may need supportive oxygen to help you breathe easier when you fly in higher altitudes. If you have encountered breathing issues previously, talk to the airline before your trip to make special arrangements.
If you suffer allergies and asthma often, you might benefit from immunotherapy, which can ease off your symptoms wherever you go. Immunotherapy decreases sensitivity to allergens like pollen and mold. Furthermore, it increases the amount of allergens in the body in order to build resistance to that allergen. Immunotherapy is beneficial especially for those who can’t plan their trip in a way that keeps them away from allergy and asthma.
Interestingly, there are things you can do to prevent allergies when you reach your destination. For instance, if the place is high on pollen count, try to stick indoors as much as possible. Keep the windows closed. Stay away from smoking, as it can severely hamper your allergies or asthma. Remember to close windows while travelling in a car.
Besides allergy shots, there are other methods to ward off allergies and asthma, which includes:
A visit to the doctor is particularly helpful before heading off to your destination. Give him/her details about the place and follow any advice or recommendations on dealing with your allergies or asthma while you are there.
Pack your bag with extra medication including a peak flow meter. Make sure to carry inhalers on hand at all times.
If you get a serious attack while traveling, talk to your physician about bringing along some emergency medications like corticosteroid medications and an epinephrine injectable medication, like an EpiPen.
