5 Allergy Mistakes that Prevent Effective Treatment
Even if you have suffered from allergies for years, you may still be making a few allergy season mistakes that could compromise the effectiveness of your allergy treatment. Ensure the most relief possible by keeping an eye out for common mistakes and habits that aren't helping.
Bringing Outdoor Allergens In. Pollen can hitch a ride on your shoes as well as on your clothes, making its way into your home and causing even outdoor allergies to flare up inside. Take your shoes off at the door and leave them outside if you've been walking in grass or anywhere off pavement. After spending time in nature, you should also change your clothes, and even consider taking a shower. Washing pollen out of your hair later in the day can help you breathe easier at night.
Not Following Medication Schedules. Keep on top of your allergy treatments to keep you feeling as good as possible, so make sure you know when you're due for a dose. If you've switched medications, you may need to take it more often or less often; some are long-lasting, up to 24 hours, while others require a dose every 4-6 hours. Don't forget to take a dose before bed if you don't want to wake up with a stuffy head.
Eating the Wrong Food. Seasonal allergies can be impacted by what foods you eat, due to cross-reactivity between allergens such as pollens and certain foods. Know which foods are potentially cross-reactive with allergens so you can avoid them. If you experience a reaction such as itchy lips after eating a particular food, that's a good sign of a cross-reaction.
Not Seeing an Allergist. Over-the-counter medicines can be effective for treating allergies in many cases, but they are even more effective if you know exactly what you're allergic to. See an allergist such as Asthma and Allergy Clinic to help you to determine what is causing your symptoms. That way you can take the right type of allergy medication for your needs and avoid both wasting money and putting extra medication into your body that isn't doing you any good.
Not Protecting Your Eyes. Many allergy sufferers worry a lot about what they are breathing in, but forget that their eyes are open to everything in the air, including pollen. Wear sunglasses outside to protect your eyes. Don't rub them when they are itchy as it will just rub the allergens in; use tissues and eye rinses to alleviate itchiness. Anti-histamine eye drops are another effective way to clear eye irritation.
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