Lean How To Combat Your Allergy Symptoms With This Useful Advice

The non-allergy segment of the population know about allergies, but have no idea how aggravating living with allergies can be. Some people are able to entirely avoid certain types of allergens, but airborne allergies are far more difficult to avoid. Keep reading for more tips.

If you're allergic to latex, be sure to avoid products containing it. Some examples of household items that usually contain latex are: bandages, gloves, condoms and clothes. Alternatives can be found for a lot of these things. Ask your pharmacist for some advice on where you can locate them. Also, be sure to read labels for latex warnings that will give you a heads-up.

Close all your windows. You want to keep all the air and dust from the outside from coming in and collecting in your home. Keep your window opening time to a minimum to ensure that the dust remains outside.

Congestion and smog are big allergy triggers for those living in urban areas. If you are a city dweller and often feel a bit congested, think about taking a drive to the country for a few days in order to determine if a smog allergy is the root of your difficulty.

If you are allergic to latex, be aware that your nurse or doctor might overlook this in your medical chart. Don't fear telling them directly so that you can avoid an uncomfortable or serious allergic reaction.

Spending any amount of time outdoors can lead to an accumulation of airborne allergies on your hair, skin and clothing. It can help to take a shower when you get home, or before going to bed. This will wash away any irritants that you have come in contact with. Anytime you go outside, these irritants will settle on your hair, skin and clothing.

When you want to go on a vacation, don't just randomly pick a place to go. This can be risky if you or your family has allergies. Instead, you should carry out detailed research into the weather conditions, any local allergens and pollen counts before you select a destination.

Bleach has a well-deserved reputation for killing mold, cleaning, and sterilizing. However, bleach can adversely affect people with breathing problems and allergies. Wear rubber gloves and a mask to keep your skin and lungs protected while using bleach. Keep the room ventilated as well, so that you're not breathing in too much of the substance.

Whenever you come home, you should put your street clothes in the washer, take a shower and don new garments. If you don't, you may make your allergies worse because you will bring allergens in your home.

If you want to steer clear of a common source of allergens, make sure to clean your car regularly and keep it sealed. Keep dust, pollen, mold and so on out of your car by using your air conditioner and keeping your vents shut. If you vacuum on a daily basis, your car's interior seats will remain clean and it will be free from dust accumulating in it. Without doing this, you can see an increase in your attacks.

If you suffer from similar symptoms but different allergies, your best bet is to treat your symptoms. If your allergies cause your eyes to become dry, always keep a lubricating eye drop on hand. As another example, those with scratchy throats can carry throat lozenges or mints.

Consider getting a humidifier. This will stop those particles that cause allergies in the air. Water droplets from the humidifier will attract allergens and stop them in their tracks. Because the allergens are no longer drifting through the air, you will be less likely to inhale them.

Rather than suffering from allergy symptoms, such as sneezing, coughing, and itchy eyes, you should learn about all the options you have. Saline sprays and medications like Claritin are just two ways to control your allergy symptoms. Keep this article's advice in mind and continue to learn more about living with allergies!

How to Help Allergies - Steam Clean to Get Natural Pet Allergy Relief

Pet Allergies, What Sparks a Person's Reaction?

Do you know which type of animal is most responsible for allergic reactions in people? You guessed it, household pets. Animals that live in the home are the most common cause for activating pet allergies within a person. Many believe that the fur of their companion; like dogs, cats, guinea pigs, or others are the source of the problem. However, it is believed that the real culprit is pet dander.

Exactly, what is pet dander? It is matter that some animals shed from their bodies. A discovery has been made that the oil glands in animal skin releases proteins and that these proteins are the main substances that causes allergies. These proteins are disposed of from the animal's skin and are known as dander. Your carpets and furniture are prime areas where dander can settle, remaining anywhere from four to six weeks. Here is one way you can rid these areas and others within your home of allergens that could possibly trigger an allergic reaction?

Steam Clean for Natural Alleviation of Allergies

You can steam clean your carpets, upholstery, draperies, bedding and more with a steam cleaner. You can obtain natural allergy relief by using the right steaming device. Using a steamer that cleans with only water and no chemicals and that reaches temperatures of 130 degrees Fahrenheit or higher can eliminate animal dander. Other pathogens that may live on surfaces and embedded within your carpets can also be destroyed on contact with a steaming appliance.

How to help allergies? It has been suggested that steam cleaning every seven to ten days is a guide you can use for keeping your home clean and sanitized. Some people may not want to initially get rid of their animals in order to give pet allergy sufferers relief. If not, here are some other suggestions:

Limit the areas within the house where your pet can roam.

Brush and bath your cat or dog weekly, especially cats.

Use a vacuum that has a HEPA (High-efficiency particulate air) filter.

Use a steam mop and vacuum combination that steam cleans and sweeps your floors and carpets at that same time.

Use a multi-purpose steam machine to clean and sanitize floors, carpets, bedding, upholstery, draperies and more.

Use a steam press for clothing to get rid of any dander, pollen, and more that may adhere to your clothing.

Symptoms of Allergies and Solutions

Does someone in your family suffer from airborne allergens, such as pet dander, pollen, dust, or mold spores? Although the journey of these materials starts in-flight, eventually most will settle somewhere within your home or elsewhere. Some symptoms of allergies set off by elements that begin in the air are sneezing, runny nose, stuffed nose, coughing, and itchy eyes, nose, or throat. It is best to speak with a doctor who specializes in allergies in order to help you determine what may be causing the reaction and possible treatments.

Here are some things you can accomplish by using a home steamer to eliminate and control the recurrence of allergens:

Provide healthier living conditions for family members.

Help to provide some natural relief for those who suffer from allergies.

Prevent additional complications for allergy sufferers, by not using household chemicals when cleaning.

Keep clothing like pants, jackets, and more deodorized and refreshed between washings with a garment steamer or steam press.

Begin to maintain a safer and healthier home, especially in the rooms which your children and pets dwell the most. Do not wait on providing some comfort to those in the family who may have problems with allergies. Discover how our home steaming devices can help.

Food Allergy in Infants and Young Children

Food allergy is common in infant and young children. It can be frustrating for parents - colicky infants, vomiting, constipation and not tolerating formula or sometimes even breast milk. And for the child, the impact is even more so - failure to thrive is common, which may lead to developmental delay as poor nutrient intake impairs achievement of developmental milestones. Thus, it is important for parents and pediatrician to diagnose food allergy in a timely manner to avoid long-term detrimental outcomes. The good news is most of these allergies in young children will resolve on its own by 4-5 years of age.

Hidden food allergy or intolerances are also common and difficult to identify. Our common perception of food allergy is someone who is allergic to seafood, and ate something with shrimp, and within minutes reacted with full body hives, facial swelling, itching mouth and throat, etc.

However, these are not what we're seeing in children with hidden allergies or intolerances. Reactions to food intolerance are delayed and more subtle. Therefore, they are frequently ignored or dismissed. Food intolerance and food allergy shares many similar signs and symptoms. However, they are very different physiologically.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FOOD ALLERGY AND FOOD INTOLERANCE?

Food allergy triggers an immediate immune response, usually involving the immunoglobulin E (IgE). IgE-mediated response activates a cascade of systemic reactions, involving multiple organ systems. That is why this is the more severe form food intolerance. Fatal peanut allergy falls into this category. Usually a tiny amount of the offending food can cause an immediate and severe reaction, and may sometimes lead to anaphylactic shock, which is life-threatening emergency.

An anaphylaxis is characterized by systemic responses, such as difficulty breathing due to swelling of airway, hives along with itching, flushed or pale skin, weak and rapid pulse, dangerously low blood pressure, nausea/vomiting or diarrhea, dizziness or fainting.

An anaphylactic event requires emergent medical treatment, and delay of treatment may result in death. People with severe food allergies are usually prescribed and "epi" epinephrine pen that they carry around in case they consume or come in contact with their allergen by accident.

Food intolerance, on the other hand, does not involve the immune system, and reaction also comes on a lot slower - usually after two hours of ingestion of food, and sometimes up to 48 hours with more subtle presentation. Unlike food allergy, an individual usually is able to tolerate a small amount of the offending foods without much adverse effect.

Symptoms of food intolerance are generally less serious, less obvious and appear very subtly and slowly. That's why the trouble food is seldom identified. Some common signs and symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, constipation, diarrhea, asthma, eczema (atopic dermatitis), etc. Food intolerances may also result in behavioral symptoms frequently seen in ADHD and autism.

Unlike food allergy, food intolerances are not detected by RAST test or skin prick tests, as both these test for IgE circulating in the blood. Reactions in food intolerance are not IgE-mediated. It may be the result of activation of IgG antibodies or other causes.

Once the offending food is identified, it should be avoided completely, especially the reaction is an IgE-mediated reaction. Food allergies are common in the first years of life. With every repeated exposure to the offending food, the immune system becomes better in attacking that allergen, which means the response will become more and more intense with each repeated exposure. Children usually outgrow their allergies by 4 or 5 years of age. However, repeat exposure may prevent or delay the time to outgrow the allergy.