Hay Fever Season 1
Is dust getting the best of you? Well, get ready, its heyday is just around the corner.
I thought I’d give you a few tips on how to prevent some of the most uncomfortable moments of the season.
We do live in a dusty area, the Eastern Sierra. It’s unavoidable at times to steer clear of the misery of this affliction.
As the snow melts and the earth is uncovered, we are exposed in the springtime to many irritants.
One of the most powerful pollens is the pine pollen that we get here in our area in the spring and in the fall.
When you notice the fine golden dust covering everything outside, you can be assured that is getting into your home and into your nose and eyes.
A good idea when you notice this pollen is to keep your windows closed in your home. This will help a little bit. Home air filters can help as well. Especially in the bedroom at night, while you’re sleeping.
In the spring and summer, from rag weed, sage, flowering trees and to my favorite, rabbit brush, it’s sometime a time to dread. Just when you think you’re ready to go outside for that bike ride or a great hike, the ever present dust or pollen can ruin an otherwise fantastic season.
I’ve suffered from allergies my whole life, so it’s something that I’ve grown accustomed to, but also I’ve tried to find ways to lessen the agony.
After going to the doctor many times and looking into different remedies, I’ve found out the following information:
Allergies change and develop over different periods of time.
Usually an immune breakdown and intolerance to different things takes several years. You may not be allergic at certain times of your life and then develop allergies later.
There are many factors that can contribute to an allergic condition, including stress, food, pets, home and office environments, etc.
Of course, I am not a doctor, but there are a few things that I’ve learned from my own experience that have given me some insight of how to help out in some of these conditions.
When it comes to the interior of your home or office, there are a few things that can be done to help out allergic conditions.
Pets can be a big contributor to allergic distress. Try to keep dogs and cats away from your face or out of your bed if you have allergic conditions. Certain dogs are non-allergenic, as they have hair and not fur. The fur or undercoat is the part that sheds. If you’re looking for a dog and are allergic, try to find the type that doesn’t shed. That will really help this condition for yourself and or your children.
Other household irritants are household cleaners and laundry detergents. Try to find products that are free of perfumes and harsh chemicals. There are many cleaning products and laundry supplies that are available that do not contain the chemicals that annoy the nose and sinus as well they are probably much better for the environment.
Cosmetics, bath products and perfume can be a problem as well.
Bedding is one of the big problems for people with allergies. Try to buy hypo-allergenic pillow and comforters. Also the use of dust covers that are washed frequently for the sleeping pillows and mattress pads can really help. One of the biggest helps that I’ve found is that if you’re allergic to certain pollen and you’ve been outside, walking, gardening, hiking or biking, make sure that you wash your hair before going to sleep. The dust and pollen in your hair will get on to your pillow and cause days of irritation, even when you haven’t been outside.
One of the biggest problems with allergies that I’ve found is food allergies. This can be the main contributor to the breakdown of the immune system that causes some of the other allergies to flare up.
Conventional allergy doctors can help with this, but I’ve found help with some alternative health professionals.
There are a couple of acupuncture specialists in the area that have done wonders with many patients as well as those who work in the energy related professions. They can help determine the foods or other common products that can affect our immune systems.
Prevention is always the best, so start looking around your home for possible culprits, bedding, cleaning products, laundry detergents, bath soaps, perfume, animal hair and cigarette smoke. These are the most common items to clean up and see if it helps this condition.
Further investigation may be needed, so check with a professional, either in conventional or alternative medicine to try to make it a healthy and sneeze free spring, summer and fall!
