Prevent Different Allergies Using Different Methods
Know simple methods to prevent various types of allergies
Allergies are a malfunction of the immune system where innocuous pollen, mold, food or dust is treated as a threat. Allergic reactions involve the antibody called IgE, which has the ability to communicate through cells found in the lining of the intestines, skin, nose and stomach to induce reactions. The reactions are induced by the release of chemicals, including histamines.
This is one reason why allergy medications typically contain antihistamines. Unfortunately, some medications have unwelcome side-effects like drowsiness, while others fail to work at all. Such medications also tend to target hay fever, while food allergies are a different matter.
The best strategy for preventing allergic reactions is to avoid the allergen. This is simpler to imagine when dealing with foods allergies, where once the troublesome ingredient has been identified a person can try not to eat it. A comprehensive knowledge of what is in food helps greatly, which is part of the thrust behind accurate ingredient listing for processed foods.
Other allergens pose different problems. Pets, pollen, mold and dust mites are four reaction causers that are complicated to avoid.
Though not having pets in your home is the best avoidance strategy, this may not be possible for various reasons. There are ways to minimize the allergens that accumulate and the likelihood of a reaction.
1. Keeping pets in areas that are not carpeted or upholstered, and out of bedrooms.
2. Wearing gloves and a dust mask if you expect to be near a rodent or small animal.
3. Washing your hands and cleaning your clothes after handling animals.
4. Avoiding soiled litter boxes or cages.
5. Frequent dusting.
Pollen is impossible to avoid at certain times of year, but there are ways to minimize exposure.
1. Do not venture outdoors between 5-10 AM. The best time, early or late, is after a heavy rain as pollen levels will be lower.
2. Keep home and car windows closed. Avoid the use of attic fans for cooling purposes, if possible. Air conditioners are fine.
3. Use a dryer for drying clothes instead of hanging them outside, or hang them inside if there is a suitable space to do so.
4. If allergic to grass, have someone else cut it or wear a mask while cutting it. In either case, keep grass short. It may also work to use ground covers that produce little pollen such as dichondra.
5. If allergic to some types of trees, the trees most suitable to be planted on your property (least likely to be allergenic) are dogwood, crape myrtle, fig, palm, fir, redwood, redbud, pear and plum. Maple, elm, cottonwood and ash are some trees which are suitable if they are female cultivars.
Molds can be more difficult to avoid because they grow indoors and outdoors, but there are ways to reduce the amount of it in your home or yard.
1. Keeping inside temperatures cool and relative humidity below 50%. A dehumidifier can help to reduce moisture. Venting bathrooms and clothes dryers to the outside can also help keep moisture low.
2. Leaving windows open in the home or car when first activating an air conditioning system, to let mold spores disperse.
3. Checking ductwork, faucets and pipes for leaks.
4. Clearing the yard of decaying leaves or other organic debris. If you must do this yourself, wear a mask and gloves and avoid doing this on a hot or humid day.
Dust mites, microscopic things that feed on flakes of dead skin from humans or pets, will always be present in a home. The following suggestions can help you reduce the number of mites, somewhat alleviating dust mite allergies.
1. Encasing your pillows and mattress in special dust-proof covers.
2. Washing all bedding once a week in hot water to kill mites, or freezing bedding if it is not supposed to be washed.
3. Using synthetic materials for bedding.
4. Removing carpets in favor of bare floors, or using a special HEPA-filtered vacuum cleaner to trap allergens removed from the carpet. A mask is recommended while vacuuming.
5. Dusting with a damp rag. A dry rag would only stir up allergens.
The humidity tips listed for mold work equally well for dust mites.
One way currently used to decrease allergic problems is immunotherapy. Patients are injected with progressively larger doses of allergens to gradually reduce allergies. This vaccination method is the closest thing to a cure for allergies, and has been proven through studies to work. It requires a long-term commitment.
Alternative treatments exist. They include homeopathy, naturopathy, herbal medicine, applied kinesiology and traditional Chinese medicine. Hundreds of rigorous studies by the Mayo clinic failed to show any beneficial effect to these methods, compared to a placebo.
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