Allergy Relief Resource and Guide

Have seasonal allergies affected you this year? I was looking at the latest videos posted regarding allergies and found a recording of Robin Roberts from Good Morning America talking about what appear to be pollen allergy statistics for 2006. Though the data is dated it got me thinking about how the last few years have been particularly hard on me and my kids for spring allergies.

We live in the Boston area and in the video it talks about the worst and best cities. Boston was the worst that year. I found a new report for 2008 for the Worst Cities For Allergies provided by Forbes. Boston is down to 59 out of 100 but I found their measurement method interesting. They factor 3 things:

• a pollen score
• a medicine utilization score
• a score based on number of Board Certified Allergists per Patient

Boston scores above average for number of allergists per patient. In the older video it talks about warmer winters being the culprit and we indeed have experienced those in the NorthEast.

I find the Forbes list interesting but as with any study potentially flawed. Though Boston has dropped in standings many seasonal allergy sufferers are treating themselves nowadays with over the counter medicines like Claritin and Zyrtec. Pharmacies even offer cheaper versions with similar ingredients that I have tried and worked for me. Our higher allergist ratio also suggests to me that patients may have identified their allergies with their allergists in years past and are now educated enough to help manage them.

Whether you believe in Global Warming or not it is not hard to see the changes in our weather patterns will continue to affect seasonal allergy sufferers. As the allergists in the older video mention visiting your allergist to pinpoint your exact allergies can help, especially if the over the counter allergy medicines don’t work for you. Also be sure not to confuse cold medicine with allergy medicine. Allergy medicines contain antihistamines which cold medicines do not.

When most people think of mold they think of the mold in damp basements or the mold and mildew associated with bathroom cleaning products. A mold allergy in that case would have been thought of to result from somehow touching the mold. The reality is that a mold allergy is typically triggered by the mold spores that become airborne at certain times.

There are a number of triggers that can cause seasonal allergic rhinitis. Most of these identified allergens are airborne. Typically they include the pollen that is blown about from trees, plants and grasses. Another type of airborne allergen, mold spores, is the seasonal culprit that causes mold allergies.

This type of allergy is generally found from spring to early fall, with a peak in the late summer months, although other types of mold can cause symptoms almost year-round. The allergens that cause mold allergies are generally found in humid climates, and moist areas like rotted logs and compost piles. They can also be found indoors in damp basements or closets, or even lurking in your shower stall. Fresh food storage areas are also a popular hangout for mold spores, as well as house plants and certain pieces of furniture.

How are Mold Allergies Triggered?

If you suffer from a mold allergy, your immune system has incorrectly identified mold spores as a threat. The response of your immune system is to produce antibodies called immunoglobulin that will create chemicals that will fight off these potentially damaging substances. The result is the typical symptoms like sneezing, wheezing, watery eyes and itching. In the case of a mold allergy, the mold spores are airborne and inhaled into the body through the nose. This is why nasal congestion and coughs are common complaints of mold allergy sufferers. The amount and severity of symptoms from a mold allergy will depend on the amount of the allergen and the ability of the air currents to spread the spores. The weather can affect these patterns making mold counts somewhat ineffective in determining the severity of your exposure.

Treatment of Mold Allergies

A mold allergy remedy is usually one that is good for treating rhinitis. Because mold allergies are airborne, they usually result in the symptoms of rhinitis, which will include nasal congestion, watery eyes and coughing. The best treatment for rhinitis is generally an over-the-counter antihistamine, decongestant or nasal spray to treat the inflammation and congestion. If over-the-counter medications are not effective in treating your mold allergy symptoms, you should see your doctor for possible prescription relief for your mold allergy.

There are a number of medicines that your doctor can recommend to treat your mold allergies through the use of prescription antihistamines and steroidal nasal sprays that will reduce the inflammation in your sinus passages. Allergies to molds and other airborne allergens can cause seasonal or even year-round rhinitis.

As can be seen by the above a mold allergy can be treated like most airborne allergies. Being aware that you can have this type of allergy and confirming it with your allergist are the first steps in managing your symptoms. Allergy relief may just be a trip to the pharmacy away.

Are you one of those people that loves to clean in bursts? A dust allergy may cause you to adapt a new strategy. Instead of waiting until spring cleaning to do a major clean up you should consider taking out the feather duster more often. If you find yourself sneezing and wheezing and you can’t figure out why, you might just have a dust allergy. A dust allergy occurs when dust enters your system. You can either breath it in from the air or you might come in direct contact with it.

There’s little you can do about a dust allergy, except for cleaning the dust in your house with a feather duster. Just make sure that when you are cleaning the dust in your house that you don’t spread it around. Clean it softly so that you contain it as much as possible. If you or someone in your house has a dust allergy you don’t need to stir the dust up since it will just cause more problems.

Dust is Everywhere

Even if you don’t have a dust allergy you might be amazed at the amount of dust that can accumulate in a matter of days. You may even be someone who already cleans regularly yet the dust always seem to appear. Dust can accumulate in any space that’s not cleaned on a regular basis and this can sometimes mean daily.

Common Places Where Dust is Found:

• Television
• Bookshelves
• Computers
• Tables
• Under Beds
• Behind Doors…

A dust allergy can make someone crazy because the job of cleaning the dust never seems to end. Dust is comprised of everything from dead skin cells to dirt to anything else that can accumulate in areas that aren’t cleaned regularly.

To maximize the cleaning of dust, and to alleviate the bad affects of your dust allergy, make sure, when you do clean your house, that you use a feather duster and go slow. Get all the areas that you might frequent, so that you can prevent breathing in the dust that makes you sneeze, cough, wheeze, or whatever else it makes you do.

Vacuum cleaners are a great option. You can get a small vacuum cleaner that will also help you suck up the dust without spreading it around. The benefit of a vacuum cleaner is that you collect the dust in a bag, or whatever kind of receptacle the vacuum uses, and then you can just throw it away and replace it when you’re done. Unlike a feather duster, a vacuum has less of a chance of spreading the dust all around your house. Air purifiers are also good at keeping the amounts of dust down and furthermore help remove other allergens from the air as well.

Free Shipping with Professional Plus Ionic Breeze Silent Air Purifier: expires 5-31-07

If you have a dust allergy you should of course consult with an allergist. I have heard that they might have vitamins to prevent dust mite allergies. Until they come up with a cure for dust allergies regular cleaning is your best bet to help avoid and manage your dust allergy. Regular cleaning may be a pain but on the good side it will help you avoid that huge spring cleaning project.

Do you miss comforters? I did until I found out that they now make some for those of us who have problems with allergies caused by dust mites. Natural Comfort has a whole line of bedding and covers that are allergy friendly, so to speak.

I have included the link above to the comforter but they also have covers for pillows and covers for existing comforters too. I have used the pillow covers since my oldest child was born since she had some asthma as a baby. I started using them as well and they have definitely helped me to breathe better at night.