Allergy Relief Resource and Guide

In the past we have written about how allergies can affect your sleep.  The problem is you may be “Sleeping with the Enemy” to borrow the title from an old Julia Roberts movie.  An anti allergy mattress cover can alleviate nasal allergy symptoms that you experience at night.  Managing your allergies involves more than just allergy medicines.  Many times it involves examining your daily habits for clues and then making the effort to change them.  Dust mite allergies affect many people who sleep on uncovered mattresses and an anti allergy mattress cover is a relatively easy thing to buy to decrease your exposure.

I don’t know of many people who attempt to really clean their mattress though vacuuming it with an allergy friendly vacuum cleaner may be helpful if you do it regularly.  Beds are used daily so the mattresses can get pretty dirty.  Think about wearing the same clothes every day, you definitely wouldn’t want to do that.  Changing and or cleaning the bedding in hot water regularly especially for those that suspect they are allergic to their beds is a must.  An anti allergy mattress cover will add to the level of cleanliness that will help manage your dust.

An anti allergy mattress cover basically covers and encloses your mattress so even if you are not able to clean your mattress you are shielded from exposure to not only the dust but the hair follicles, dead skin and sweat that may be embedded in the mattress.  Some best practices for using an anti allergy mattress is to clean the mattress as we discussed above before enclosing it in the cover.  You can also clean the covers as well.

Hypoallergenic bedding has been around for a while so finding them should not be a problem.  Keep in mind sometimes those that experience allergy symptoms at night like sneezing and congestion may be allergic to something else in their bed.  An example of that is an allergy to down comforters but there are allergy free comforter available as alternatives too.  A blitz approach would definitely include covers for both pillows and your mattress and making sure that you are using alternatives to down pillows and down comforters.

An anti allergy mattress cover not only helps with allergies but asthma sufferers also have a better nights sleep.  The new disturbing trend of bed bugs has also made mattress covers more main stream as some of the newer anti allergy covers are also applying “bed bug shields” to make it harder for your mattress to be infested with bed bugs and dust mites.

Many types of allergies are easy to manage because the key to that is basically avoiding the allergen.  If you have a peanut allergy your plan is to avoid peanuts.  If you react to latex avoid latex.  Dust is not that easy to avoid and a dust mites allergy can make for a lot of regular discomfort.

Dust mites feed off of the dead organic material that is shed by humans like dead skin cells.  These can be found in the particles that accumulate to form dust.  A dust mites allergy is actually caused by an allergy to the feces of the dust mite not the dust mite itself.  A dust mite falls into the arachnid category like spiders versus an insect since it has eight legs.  They are so small they really are not seen.  They can reproduce at a great rate so in order to manage a dust mites allergy you need a regular cleaning routine.

Since organic matter like dead skin cells and sweat can be found on our beds this is usually a spot where many dust mites and their feces can be found.  Hypoallergenic sheets, mattress liners and pillow cases can be used.  They basically hold the dust mite and their deposits on the mattresses and pillows so you don’t breath them in.  Allergy symptoms that you experience at night like congestion and sneezing could very well be a dust mites allergy caused by bedding that is full of the waste from the dust mites.

A dust mites allergy can be further managed by air cleaner and purifiers.  Using special filters in your cooling and heating systems will also help.  Dusting often is advised with a face mask.  Please note though that if your duster is not a good one you basically are just moving the dust from the object you are dusting to the floor and the air.  Following up with vacuuming with an allergy friendly vacuum cleaner is a must.  Dust mites like mattresses, couches and carpets so a good vacuum is a good weapon to have in your allergy fighting arsenal.  One with a good set of attachments to reach areas like blinds and corners is a plus.

Though a dust mites allergy is hard to avoid managing it is doable if you are willing to put in the work.  Many times if will depend on how bad your allergy symptoms are.  Since dust mites also affect asthma the stakes can be higher.  I know that since I have kids with asthma I take dust very seriously.

Eye allergies can sometimes seem to take a back seat to many of the nasal and seasonal allergy symptoms that are complained about today.  Television commercials tend to focus on the sneezing and the congestion but many seasonal allergy sufferers also suffer from irritating eye allergies.  Some may debate whether eye allergies are really an allergy all to their own since many times they are basically a symptom of another type of allergy like nasal allergies.  What elevates it to it’s own category is how irritating and debilitating it can be to have your eyes affected by allergens.

Our eyes are such an important part of our everyday functioning that eye allergy symptoms can really make some of us dysfunctional.  Eye allergy symptoms include swollen, red and irritated eyes.  In more severe cases they can cause blurriness too.  Many times sufferers make their symptoms worse by rubbing their eyes.  Our eyes are particularly vulnerable since they are exposed to the elements so to speak.

The most common type of allergen to cause eyes to have an allergic reaction is pollen but any airborne type of particle can irritate the eye, especially those who have a history of allergies.  Dust can also be a culprit.  This can be blown into your environment by forced hot air systems or just blown around in the act of every day cleaning.

Can eye allergies be treated?  It of course depends on the cause of the allergic reaction itself.  The best approach to eye allergy treatment is really the old school method of identifying what your eyes are reacting to and doing your best to avoid those allergens.  In the case of dust and pollen, air cleaners also called air purifiers can decrease the level of those particles in the air.  Dry air also can irritate the eyes so humidifiers can also be useful.

The next phase of eye allergy treatment would be to look at both over the counter and prescription eye allergy medicines.  You do need to note that many allergy medicines for seasonal allergies do not directly address eye allergy symptoms.  Since eye allergies tend to be associated with nasal allergies many people think their nasal symptom medicine will help their eye allergy symptoms.  In general antihistamine type medicines may help but you may have to get dedicated prescription eye drops.  We have actually used Visine allergy drops for short eye allergy flare ups in our house but if these over the counter drops don’t work you really should consult with your doctor.  Prescription allergy eye drops are not that hard to use since you typically use them once or twice a day and can just be implemented in your normal morning and night routines.

It is important to note that eye allergies can be confused with actual eye infections caused by viruses and bacteria.  What most people think of as conjunctivitis can be broken down into viral, bacterial and allergic conjunctivitis so it is important to pay attention to your eye allergy symptoms and to see your doctor when they don’t get better.  Different medicines will be prescribed if it is not allergic conjunctivitis – eye allergies.  Either way managing and treating your eye allergies will improve your daily quality of life.

Dog allergies can change the wonderful bond shared over the centuries.  Dogs may be man’s best friend but dog allergies are man’s worst enemy.  Dog allergy symptoms can be miserable if they are severe.  Mild symptoms can include watery eyes, itchy skin and even a dry mouth.  The more severe symptoms can include hives, difficulty breathing due to congestions and even asthma attacks.

You may not even know you have dog allergies until after you get a dog and even then the allergic reactions may not start until weeks or even months after you have been living with a dog.  If you know you suffer from allergies in general odds are you may end up being allergic to dogs.  Dog allergies can also run in families so that may be a clue too.  This doesn’t necessarily mean you can never own a dog but you will have to do more homework before you buy one.

Certain dog breeds are better for those allergic to pet dander.  Dander is basically the particles of skin that are shed by pets like dogs and cats.  There are some dogs that shed their skin more slowly than others, they include poodles and schnauzers.  Because of the rise in dog allergies there actually has been a lot of research and cross-breeding to develop dogs that cause less dog allergies.  Those of note to avoid are cocker spaniels and basset hounds that are said to shed their skin faster which leaves more dander all over.

Indoor dogs of course will cause more problems for dog allergy sufferers but if you don’t want an outdoor dog you can try to manage the amount of dander you get exposed to.  You can do this by cleaning your house regularly.  Particularly areas like the bedding in your bedroom, the carpets and even curtains.  An air purifier with a HEPA filter may also help as it removes particles in the air including dander.

Contrary to popular belief you should not wash your dog frequently.  This actually cause more dander as the skin is dried out and then sheds more.  Dog allergy sufferers should be washing their dogs monthly.  Feeding your dog quality dog food can also reduce dander particles because it keeps their coat shiny and healthy.

Depending on the severity of your dog allergies you may be able to manage them with allergy medicines.  Consulting with a doctor to confirm your suspicions and to get advice on whether over the counter medicines will do the trick is highly advised if you want to keep your pet.

If you decide that you have to give away your dog you need to know that you may continue to suffer from your allergies for months.  You need to thoroughly clean and vacuum your house and if you have carpets odds are you need to have them shampooed.  Sadly you will have to get rid of their toys as well.

Being allergic to dogs can by a nuisance but for some it can be more than that.  Whether you get exposed to dogs of your own or through your family and friends getting the help you need can help you manage man’s worst enemy – dog allergies.

Is frequent urination tied to food allergies?  Though there are a few articles online advancing this theory, the truth is that no connection has been made in the world of medical studies.  This doesn’t necessarily mean that the connection will not someday be established but it is important to look at all the known causes for frequent urination before assuming there is a cause between your frequent urination and food allergies.

It isn’t hard to see how the jump can be made in associating this problem with food allergies since food allergy symptoms do include stomach related upset like diarrhea and abdominal pain.  The theory is that wheat allergy and gluten allergy are specific suspects in the correlation between food allergies and frequent  urination.

Celiac disease sufferers are of specific interest here since their problems with the digestion of gluten products cause a variety of intestinal issues.  Some people with Celiac Disease have reported frequent urination as a symptom so there may end up being a basis in that regard.

Other culprits that have been tagged as suspects are foods high in acid.  This would also include drinks like sodas, tea and cranberry juice.  Interestingly enough foods can affect people in different ways.  I for one know that if I combine orange juice with peanut butter and jelly I am headed to the  bathroom within 15 minutes.  Is this the acid in the orange juice or the wheat and gluten in the wheat bread for my sandwich?  Keep in mind that some soda and coffee drinkers have many of these drinks a day which in and of itself may cause you to go to the bathroom often.

As with food allergies in general, cataloging what you eat and the allergic symptoms they may cause will allow you to make more progress than just guessing.  Frequent urination is a symptom of a variety of possible illnesses like Diabetes so a doctor should rule all of them out before you just assume your frequent urination is associated with your food allergies.  Another area the doctor may look at are the medicines that you are taking.  Many medicines have what may appear to be benign side effects including frequent urination including some allergy medicines.

Frequent urination though may be more than a nuisance if it is affecting your ability to do the things that you need to do and the things that you want to do.  There a plenty of medicines being marketed for over active bladder so that may be an option for you depending on your doctor’s advice.  If you truly suspect that  your frequent urination is associated with a food allergy or a food intolerance make sure you go into the doctor armed with a catalog that can help them pinpoint the problem.

This is just a brief post to announce a new service for our website visitors. We have added a directory of allergy related videos. We feel it is a great addition to the information that we provide in our guide. The full directory of allergy related videos is here. Whereas we will provide periodic picks on on our allergy videos page.

We hope that you enjoy the wide range of videos available on this topic. As with any other information please be sure to check with your doctor. The amount of videos really demonstrate to me how big the problem of allergies is. It also helps to know that we are not alone…