Additionally, when holiday decorations are taken out of storage, eleven months worth of accumulated dust are invited to join in with the festivities. Humidifiers, to combat the dry air of winter, can cause mold if too must moisture is created. Asthma doctor may be the appropriate individual who will get the dilemmas leading to asthma and thus propose for preventive measures. Pets and pine trees are other winter allergy triggers because we bring them indoors at this time. If you are one of the many people who suffer from these pesky winter allergies, don’t fret. Here are some tips to lessen their affects:
- Hire professional cleaners to clean out your ducts and change your heat system filters once a month.
- When repacking your holiday accessories, use resealable plastic bins to keep out the dust while in storage.
- With the humidifier, too avoid too much moisture; make sure to set it to less than fifty percent.
- If you bring your pets indoors because of the cold, bathe them weekly to reduce dander.
- Buy an artificial tree instead of a real one.
- Visit your allergist to discuss your symptoms and possible forms of relief.
For those who have experienced both allergies and colds, you know that the symptoms can be very similar. Coughing, sneezing, watery eyes, runny nose and dark circles under the eyes are symptoms of both a cold and an allergic reaction. So, how can you tell the difference? Here are some ways to figure out if you have a cold or are just reacting to an allergy trigger:
- Itchy eyes and/or nose, ears and throat are present in an allergy attack and are not typical of a cold.
- Body aches, fever, and sore throat are symptoms of a cold and not of an allergic reaction.
- Allergic reactions usually last for as long as the trigger is present, while cold symptoms will usually clear up after a week or so.
- Visiting your physician or allergist is always the safest bet to determine whether or not you are having an allergic reaction or have something more serious like a cold or the flu.
If you think you may be suffering from allergies a visit to an allergist can confirm your suspicions. With the use of a skin test patients can be tested for most allergens. The test is performed by pricking the skin and releasing a tiny dose of the allergens. The test normally takes 15 minutes and the results are immediately after the test is administered. Once the allergist knows what allergist the patient is dealing with they can prescribe medication and tell them how to manage their exposure to the allergens.
In some more serious cases the allergist may suggest allergy shots. Allergy shots contain extracts of the allergens in small doses. The shots are administered weekly and over an 8 month period the concentration of the allergens are increased until the patient’s body shows no signs of allergic reaction. The frequency of the shots is then decreased for once a week to once every two weeks to eventually once every three to four weeks. An Allergy doctor like this will also be able to address acne or eczema that is caused by makeup or certain soaps. The patient can usually stop having shots after four to five years.
It seems that more and more people are being affected by allergies every year and although allergic reactions tend to drop off in the winter, the running nose and itchy throat you think as the beginning of a cold may very well be an allergy or the cold that just will not go away or the post nasal drip that seems to be making your throat hurt may in fact be an allergy. At the Allergy Clinic, you happen to be assured of your complete allergy assessment by nationally-recognized experts.