ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Sneezing, sniffing, coughing, and itching. Over 50 million Americans experience allergies, and if you feel like it’s lingering longer, it is!
Climate change may be to blame. When spring arrives early, pollen arrives with it. Combine that with coronavirus and a shift to indoor living, your allergies may be getting the best of you. It’s an earlier Spring season, dramatic changes in the weather and spending more time indoors.
“A lot of people are more indoors now cause of COVID, and that would mean more dust and mold and perhaps domesticated animals,” Suresh Raja, MD, an allergy and sinus doctor at Aspire Allergy & Sinus, told Ivanhoe.
While cleaning is at an all-time high, some chemicals in the products can actually make your allergies worse.
“The best thing to do is to try to be as least inflamed as you can by avoiding triggers,” Dr. Raja stated.
For pollen, avoid the outdoors at its peak, and keep doors and windows closed. After being outside, take a hot shower and change into some new clothes. Air out your clothes in a dryer instead of sun drying. Always take your shoes off at the door and recirculate the air in your house and car.
For dust, wash your bedding in hot water at least once a week. And for mold, reduce moisture in your bathroom and kitchen by using a Hepa air filter.
Dr. Raja did recommend talking to an allergist about over-the-counter medications that you can take like antihistamines and topical nasal steroid sprays. However, they should just be taken for a short term.
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/oct/14/spring-coming-earlier-in-us-scientists
https://www.aafa.org/allergy-facts/ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/allergies/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20351503
https://www.goodrx.com/blog/cleaning-products-allergies-worse-and-alternatives/
https://www.webmd.com/allergies/features/allergies-and-exercising-outside#1
https://www.cnet.com/how-to/do-you-wash-your-sheets-enough-probably-not/
Contributor(s) to this news report include: Addlyn Teague, Producer; Robert Walko, Videographer; Robert Walko, Editor. To receive a free weekly email on Smart Living from Ivanhoe, sign up at: http://www.ivanhoe.com/ftk