While most of the world looks forward to the arrival of spring, over 35 million others who suffer with springtime allergies dread it because of the airborne allergens that are released into the air, in some locations, as early as January.
Using the following simple but effective 3-prong approach will help even spring allergy sufferers join the rest of the world in looking forward to spring.
1. Identify the Allergens-Allergies are most often triggered by a combination of irritants. One of the best ways to identify exactly which triggers are at the root of allergies is to consult an allergist. They can conduct a series of skin tests which introduce small amounts of suspected allergens.
Those that show as positive are the ones that should be avoided. These are most likely to include pollen from trees and a combination of common indoor pollutants such as dust, dust mites, and mold and mildew spores.
2. Control the Symptoms-Controlling the symptoms and feeling better can be approached in several ways. The first way is to minimize the sneezing, coughing, watery eyes, runny nose, congestion, and other symptoms that plague allergy sufferers once they have occurred. Over the counter or prescribed antihistamines and decongestants are two of the most widely used drugs for this purpose.
The second approach is by using medicine that helps reduce the body's reaction or sensitivity to the allergen which reduces the symptoms before they happen. These drugs include Cromolyn sodium and Leukotriene modifiers.
You can also ask your allergist about immunotherapy. This is a gradual process that occurs over the course of many months and involves exposing your body to injections of increasing amounts of the allergens to which your body is most sensitive.
Gradually the body is desensitized which greatly reduces if not totally eliminates symptoms. Immunotherapy is not for everyone, and produces different results for different people.
3. Avoid Them-This piece of the approach is far easier said than done. However, once you know which outdoor allergens are causing the problem, your allergist will be able to tell you when they are most prevalent during the day, and the time of year they affect your area most.
For example, spring pollen is heaviest in the morning, and on dry windy days. And if pollen is a major irritant for you, the air is clearest after a heavy rain. Your local weather forecast will also include a daily pollen count. Take this into consideration daily and plan outdoor activities on days when the count is low.
Whatever the airborne trigger is for you, it is virtually impossible to keep it out of your home. Whether it is mold and mildew spores, or pollen that sends your body into overdrive, it can enter your home in your hair, on pets and packages, and be blown in with air currents as you open and close doors that lead outside. And with most homes being so well insulated, these irritants have no way out.
Combine these outdoor allergens with indoor allergens that are present all the time and, unless you do something to get rid of them, the air in your home can trigger even more symptoms than the outdoors.
What can be done? Using the right high efficiency particle arresting air purifier will remove not only pollen, mold and mildew spores and other outdoor triggers, but will remove the common household pollutants that work in perfect concert with each other to cause you misery.
Filtering your air continually will help you effectively manage your allergies by removing the airborne triggers constantly which will allow you to put the spring back in your step not just when spring arrives, but all year long.
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