Three basic treatments exists for allergy sufferers:
1. Allergy Medication
2. Immunotherapy (Allergy Shots)
3. Environmental Control
What’s Environmental Control?
Environmental control requires a bit of focus on your behalf – it isn’t quite as easy as swallowing an herbal viagra or getting a shot – but it’s the most effective strategy to allergies. If you can take control of your environment and steer clear of your allergens, then you will not experience allergy symptoms. It’s that easy!
Environmental control may involve frequent vacuuming having a HEPA-filtered vacuum cleaner, encasing your mattress and pillows with special allergy relief bedding, running an aura purifier, wearing a mask, or placing a dehumidifier inside your basement. Your environmental control plan depends upon the particular allergens to which you are allergic.
What can cause Allergic reactions?
Allergic reactions appear following a sensitive individual is exposed to allergens. The most typical allergens are proteins from animals and plants (even though some people may be allergic to particular chemicals). Once an allergen makes its way within the body, it sets off a chemical squence of events inside the defense mechanisms of sensitive individuals. This squence of events, which includes the discharge of histamine and other inflammatory chemicals, leads to allergic reactions – sneezing, watery eyes, congestion, etc.
How Do I Discover My Specific Allergens?
Before you formulate an eco control plan, you must understand the substances that cause your allergic reactions.
You should visit an allergist or ENT physician for allergy testing. In most method of allergy testing, an allergy technician pricks your skin having a tiny needle to insert a small amount of the allergen. When the patient is allergic, then your site of your skin prick will become red and swollen.
As another option that’s more cost-effective and convenient, you should use MyAllergy Test in your house. This easy-to-use kit allows you to collect a sample of blood (using a finger stick lancet) and send it to some lab for allergy testing. MyAllergy Test shows if you’re allergic to timothy grass, bermuda grass, mountain cedar, short ragweed, mold, milk, egg-whites, wheat, cat dander, and mud mites. If you want more extensive testing, you need to make an appointment with an allergist.
Knowing your particular allergens, then you can start implementing environmental controls to help you avoid contact with your allergens.
Dust Mite Allergy
Like villains inside a microscopic sci-fi movie, dustmites are everywhere. They are able to live inside automobiles, deep within carpet fibers, as well as on furniture. Since dustmites feed on dead our skin, they tend to hang out in which the shed skin collects: within the fibers of your bedding, mattress, and pillows. That’s why it’s vitally important to encase your bed with allergy relief bedding, also called dust mite encasings. These encasings could keep dust mites from invading sleep. Begin to see the Allergy Relief Bedding Buying Guide to find out more.
It’s also wise to vacuum frequently having a HEPA-filtered vacuum. Vacuuming alone will not suck up all of the dust mites, however it will take away their food. To kill dust mites in carpet, use anti-allergenic carpet powders and sprays. We also recommend using anti-allergenic laundry detergents and additives to kill dustmites and denature allergens in your laundry, especially if you normally wash your laundry in cold water. (Water should be hot in order to kill dustmites, but you can kill these questions cold water wash by utilizing de-mite laundry additive or Allergen Wash.)
If you have a dust mite allergy, you need to monitor your relative humidity. Dustmites like warm, humid environments, and they cannot thrive should you keep the relative humidity below 50 %. Monitor your humidity with a humidity gauge. If necessary, you are able to lower humidity in your home having a dehumidifier.
Finally, although an air purifier won’t get rid of the actual dustmites, it will eliminate excess dust in your home. To lessen dust mite populations, it’s important to keep your home free from dust and clutter. If you’re able to, replace carpet with hardwood flooring and low-pile rugs.
Stuffed animals also harbor dustmites. You can kill dust mites on small items like stuffed animals by placing them out in the sun’s rays for several hours or by putting them in the freezer over night. Or, you can buy washable toys like Gund Stuffed toys.
Mold Allergy
As with dust mites, you can’t really get rid of every single mold spore in your home. They’re everywhere! However, using environmental control measures, you can greatly reduce the number of mold spores in your house and thereby reduce the frequency and severity of your allergy symptoms.
Like dustmites, mold takes a warm, humid environment for growth. Monitor the humidity in your home having a humidity gauge, and humidity below 50 percent utilizing a dehumidifier.
For protection while you’re sleeping, Allergy Armor allergy relief bedding includes a special antimicrobial finish that prevents mold growth.
Use M-1 Sure Cote Mold & Mildew Resistant Sealant to wash up mold around your house and stop future growth. AllerMold and Vital Oxide are two additional household cleaners which are effective against mold but safe for the family and the environment.