Your Action Plan for Moderate to Severe Allergies

When everyone else has spring fever, are you worrying about hay fever and indoor allergies? If so, it's time to take action against allergies. Try these 10 tips to minimize allergy symptoms.

1. Track the Allergens

As the weather gets warmer, pollens and molds are released into the air. If you have seasonal allergies, check your local pollen forecasts.

2. Keep Allergens out of Your Bed

You spend a third to half your life in your bedroom, so make sure allergens like dust mites don't too. If you've had your pillow and mattress for several years, replace them. Encase new ones in allergen-proof covers that zip closed. Keep pets and clothes you wear outside out of the bedroom.

3. Take up the Carpet

Hardwood, tile, and linoleum floors are easier to clean and aren't a haven for allergens, as carpet is. Sweeping stirs up allergens, so clean floors with a damp mop instead.

4. Wear Oversized Sunglasses

Jackie Onassis did. Audrey Hepburn did. You should too -- at least when pollen counts are high. Especially on windy days, big sunglasses will help keep pollen out of your eyes.

5. Let the Dogs Out

The best way to minimize allergies from pets is to keep them outside most of the time. If you can't keep your pets outside, limit them to one or two rooms of the house. Pets can also carry allergens on their coats, so clean their fur and paws before they come inside.

6. Take a Moonlight Stroll

On peak pollen days, experts recommend staying inside during the day, when pollen counts are higher. But that doesn't have to derail outdoor exercise. Instead, ride your bike, walk, or run in the evening. Shower when you come indoors.

7. Use HEPA Filters

High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters trap allergens. Vacuum carpets in your home once a week with a vacuum that has a HEPA filter. Put HEPA filters on vents if you have central heating and air-conditioning.

8. Bathe Your Pet

There is really no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog or cat. Both cats and dogs spread allergens in their dander (dead skin cells), urine, and saliva. Bathing and brushing your pet regularly may reduce your pet allergies significantly.

9. See an Allergist

If over-the-counter allergy medications don't provide relief, an allergist can dig deeper into what's causing your allergy and how severe it is. An allergist can also develop a more advanced treatment plan, which may include prescription medicines and allergy shots (immunotherapy).

Source : webmd

Mold Exposure in Infancy Raises Asthma Risk

Mold at Home Increases Risk of Asthma for Infants Later in Life

Infants raised in a home with moldy areas may be more likely to develop childhood asthma.

A new study shows that infants who lived in moldy homes were nearly three times more likely to have childhood asthma by age 7.

"Early life exposure to mold seems to play a critical role in childhood asthma development," researcher Tina Reponen, PhD, professor of environmental health at the University of Cincinnati, says in a news release.

"This study should motivate expectant parents -- especially if they have a family history of allergy or asthma -- to correct water damage and reduce the mold burden in their homes to protect the respiratory health of their children," Reponen says.

Mold Tied to Asthma Risk

In the study, published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, researchers looked at factors associated with the risk of developing childhood asthma in a group of 176 children followed from birth in the Cincinnati, Ohio, and Northern Kentucky area.

Mold exposure in the home was measured using EPA standards, and the children were evaluated for asthma at age 7.

The results showed that 18% of the children had childhood asthma by age 7. Children who lived in a home rated as having a high level of mold during the first year of life were 2.6 times more likely to have asthma as those who lived in homes with a low level of mold.

Researchers found that other factors associated with an increased childhood asthma risk were a family history of asthma and an allergic sensitization to dust mites.

The study also showed that air-conditioning at home slightly reduced the risk of childhood asthma development.

Researchers say about 9% of school-aged children in the U.S. will develop asthma. Symptoms of childhood asthma can range from a nagging cough to episodes of shortness of breath and wheezing that require emergency treatment.

 Source : Webmd

Asthma and asthma action plan

Asthma is an allergic inflammation of the lungs, which is usually triggered by pollens, molds, dust, animal dander, air pollution, chemicals, exercise, temperature changes or ingestion of certain foods. During an asthma attack the walls of the lungs turn out to be swollen and the mucus membranes fill with fluid and thick, sticky mucus making it hard to breathe. Asthma symptoms can include a scratchy throat, coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing and a tight feeling in the chest. An asthma attack can be mild, moderate or severe and lasting for a few minutes, hours, or even several days. People with asthma should have an asthma action plan. An asthma action plan lets you and your doctor to make a personalized plan for controlling your asthma.

The main key to understanding and controlling asthma is to know yourself. One person might get a severe asthma reaction from a minor whiff of perfume, whilst another asthma sufferer has no reaction at all to the very similar trigger. Everybody who suffers from asthma is unique and is affected differently so the asthma action plan should be tailored plan which helps you manage your asthma.

Knowing when to get emergency help for a severe attack can save your life. If you are experiencing the following, you should look for immediate medical attention:

-you have intense difficulty breathing, talking and walking,

-your chest feels tight and your ribs are pulled inward as you breathe,

-your medication does not control your symptoms

-your fingernails or lips are turning blue,

-your nostrils flare when you breathe

Very often things that we have eaten, used or are a part of our surroundings for years can unexpectedly become asthma triggers. Because there are so many variables involved that affect getting control of your asthma, the first thing you should do is keep a notebook as a part of your asthma action plan. This will help you identify your triggers. Once you recognize what they are, you can either take away these triggers or reduce them as much as possible.
Some people have both food and environmental triggers or allergies that they are unaware of. This can make determining specific triggers and controlling asthma symptoms much more complex, so keeping a notebook as a part of your asthma action plan is important. If you find that you are feeling asthmatic after consuming some food or drink, one of those stuff could be the culprit, but because you have also eaten quite a few things during the day, it's not always easy to know precisely what it was that caused the difficulty. If you evidence details of everything that was eaten every time you experienced asthma symptoms, you'll see a pattern developing, which will help you to discover exactly what your trigger is. Once you determine your triggers, you can then begin to eliminate them or reduce them as much as possible. This will help bring your asthma under control and help lessen your asthma symptoms.

Combining these measures with a good diet, stress reduction and natural supplements that help eliminate allergy and asthma symptoms as well as creating good asthma action plan will ensure an active, healthy life.

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