Certain allergies come along with the fall and winter. You need to be prepared to know what you are in for and how to deal with it. There are easy ways to treat allergies that plague you during the fall and winter.
Fall Allergies
Two common fall allergies are ragweed and mold. One plant has the potential to produce grains by the billions each fall season. If you live in the Midwest, South or North you’ve likely encountered these allergens in the wind that sweeps around you.
Pollen from ragweed generally lasts until about halfway through the fall season. However, if you are in the South, you probably know that ragweed can last well into the winter.
Mold growing outdoors is also a common problem for people with allergies. It has a long life, as mold begins growing in the spring and doesn’t stop until the temperature drops. You will find it in compost and soil. It may even be in the piles of leaves that will no doubt end up on your lawn during the fall.
Testing For Fall Allergies
Kathyrn Edwards, an expert allergist in New Jersey, writes that testing for sensitivity to pollen is referred to as prick testing. This is when a doctor adds a drop of a particular allergen onto your skin. They then use a device made of plastic to make a small puncture in the skin or scratch the surface. You will develop a reaction on the skin if an allergy is present.
Similar testing is done to determine if you are allergic to mold. According to the Mayo Clinic, your doctor will take the type of mold found where you live and apply a diluted sample of it directly to your skin. A small puncture is used to make an incision. A hive will form on your skin if you do have an allergy to mold.
Avoiding Allergens
The American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology advises you to avoid exposure to mold by wearing a mask while you are working in your yard. After you have finished the work, immediately shower. Take the extra step of rinsing your nose using a saline solution. This will eliminate any mold spores you may have come in contact with. It also decreases the likelihood that you will experience symptoms of hay fever.
You are also advised to use dehumidifiers in certain rooms of your house, such as the basement and the bathroom. This is especially important if you suffer from allergy-related asthma. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America advises that an asthma attack caused by an allergy to mold can occur right after exposure, or it can be delayed.
When you are outside, it is best to avoid the plants where pollen is most likely to be. According to the Cleveland Clinic, they include weeds, grass, and hardwood trees. This is why ragweed is so bad to be around if you are allergic to pollen. Many of the grasses we are exposed to also carry pollen. Some of them include salt, Kentucky blue, and timothy grass, among others. Examples of hardwood trees that carry pollen include oak, elm, and maple trees.
Winter Allergies
Two of the most common winter allergies are fireplace smoke and wool. Burning a fire using your fireplace wood can trigger your winter allergies. You can avoid this by ensuring proper ventilation in any room where you have a fireplace. Even then, you are better off sitting as far away from your fireplace as you can. If you have asthma, this is especially concerning to you.
When it comes to wool, Health 24 advises you to avoid exposing yourself to it if you have skin allergies. In extreme cases, you may even develop a condition called contact dermatitis. Your allergic reaction can range anywhere from mild to major symptoms such as blisters on your skin.
Avoiding Winter Allergies Indoors
You will want to make your home a safe place for the winter. There are plenty of steps that you can take to keep allergens to a minimum inside the house. The National Jewish Health organization has some excellent recommendations for accomplishing this.
Keeping mold out of your house can be as simple as wiping any surface as soon as it comes in contact with water. The kitchen and bathroom are the two rooms where it is most important to wipe up liquid. Otherwise, you will find that the mold in your house simply keeps growing.
The better the insulation in your home is the less likely you are to suffer an allergic reaction to mold. This is because there will be less condensation in your home, which means less standing water.
Conclusion
Whether you suffer from allergies in the fall, winter, or both, they can easily be treated. Knowing what to do and when to do it is the main step in getting through allergy season unharmed.