The immune system of a person who suffers from an allergy believes that certain substances it encounters will be harmful to the body. Its reaction therefore is to release antibodies and sensitised white blood cells to attack the invading substance. Very often substances that trigger an allergy, in other words, allergens, are harmless for others.
The most common allergens that cause spring allergies, for instance, are pollen from grasses, trees and flowers. Knowing and understanding what causes your allergy will help you take preventative measures in order to try to alleviate the symptoms and bring some relief.
Because spring allergies, such as hay fever, are caused by particles of pollen in the air, check the pollen count every day and when it is high, avoid going outside. It can be frustrating not being able to experience and appreciate the joys of the open air at a beautiful time of the year but as you will know, the symptoms that result won’t make it particularly joyful and are likely to cause lasting discomfort so it just isn’t worth the risk.
How to Alleviate Symptoms of Allergies
When you do go outside, preferably when the pollen count is low, avoid walking in woods, fields and gardens that have many fruit trees and flowers. More importantly stay away from freshly cut grass. If you are in the countryside, hay barns are also a no-no as hay can aggravate eczema, hay fever and asthma. Pollen count is usually quite high between 5 and 10 in the morning, you might therefore arrange trips outside later in the day. Wearing a mask can help prevent you breathing in as much pollen
If travelling in the car, keep windows closed. On returning home, take off your shoes before entering the house. Shower and wash your hair to remove any pollen particles that may be on your body. Change your clothes. After washing clothes it isn’t a good idea to hang them on the washing line to dry as any pollen that is in the air will collect on your clothes and aggravate your symptoms.
At home, keep windows closed especially when the pollen count is high. If you have animals, try to make sure they stay away from long grasses and flowers as they can bring in pollen particles on their fur. If you have hay fever or asthma, aim to keep dust levels down by vacuuming regularly. Keep dust in the bedroom down to a minimum by keeping the bedroom door closed. Wash bedding regularly.
Flowers look beautiful in the home but can cause terrible suffering to hay fever and asthma sufferers so keep plants in the home to a minimum or go for silk and other artificial ones instead.
It might also help to use a dehumidifier or ionizer as these will purify the air.
There are medications that can help seasonal allergies and some allergy sufferers are turning to alternative therapies to help alleviate their symptoms. Medications for hay fever include anti-histamine tablets while anti-histamine creams can help soothe the itchiness of eczema. Corticosteriod nasal sprays can be used to reduce inflammation of the nose and eye drops might relieve the itchiness and reduce the swelling of sore eyes.
The best way to find relief from spring allergies is to avoid the allergens but often this is not practical and therefore all you can do is take measures such as above to try to reduce the symptoms and bring some degree of relief.
Finally, Know Your Body ~
Allergy sufferer’s often find that when they are tired, under pressure or depressed, this tends to aggravate their symptoms. Hormone changes can also increase allergic reactions. If you can recognise environmental conditions and even emotional situations that might trigger your allergy, do your best to avoid them. Try to find moments during the day for relaxation. ~ With all your body is going through trying to cope with a debilitating allergy, you deserve it!
