Allergy Times — The Daily Edition

As anyone who knows me is aware, my list of allergies is something to behold. So much so that my fantasy is to own a low-allergen home to help reduce my symptoms of allergy. I’ve read about various builders who are able to build homes with hypoallergenic materials, and install an allergen filter in the furnace area to reduce dust mite allergen reactions. As for animal allergy reactions, the filter helps when pet owners come over to visit, with animal dander on their clothes. (Being dust allergic poses problems while travelling too, but that’s for another posting!)

But since my dust mite-free dream house is pretty expensive, I’m just, well, dreaming, so I’ve had to come up with realistic ways to reduce the allergen load in our home. My allergy symptoms can be pretty severe, especially my hayfever and my mold allergy. There is no true hayfever remedy, so when the pollen count is high, I simply stay inside with the allergen filter system. For those readers who are looking for allergy filters of all kinds, I’d like to recommend these allergy filter products at The Allergy Store. You can also check out the rest of their products at their main site. I’ve been really impressed with what I’ve seen so far.

I’m also allergic to cats and dogs, and I get hives if I’m so much as licked by one of these furry animals, and antihistamines don’t always work for me. These pet allergen neutralizers are one way of coping with the problem, but obviously, you have to gauge your own level of allergic reactivity; some allergy sufferers can tolerate being around a dog for an hour or so, and this type of dander neutralizer helps to reduce symptoms even further.

In addition to taking precautions to prevent environmental allergies such as the dust allergy and dog and cat allergies, my sesame seed allergy and peanut allergy are also dangerous enough that I have to take precautions to avoid severe allergic reactions against them as well. So my approach is one of prevention, and I do several things at once to stay safe and reduce my allergic symptoms. For example, I do the following:

I call food companies to ask about their allergen labeling whenever I eat something new, and every time the packaging or ingredients change, or if the company has been bought. I also call once every year just to be sure.

1. I keep all major allergens out of the house (works for me)
2. I own and use two HEPA allergen filters
3. I wear a dust-mask when I have to be in dusty areas, or when I need to dust the house — this reduces dust mite concentrations in my nose and lungs.
4. I stay indoors during high-pollen days.
5. I carry Epipens everywhere I go.
6. I take antihistamines as I need them, but again, they don’t always work perfectly, and do nothing for me when I have a severe allergy.
7. I take annual allergy shots against ragweed pollen; I find that this works for me.

If any or all of these tips is useful to you, please let me know in the comments area.

Stay safe and healthy!

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