Allergy relief: 20 simple secrets
From our friends at Health.com, here's your best defense - from least to most invasive, medically speaking. Try the first few and you may not need to hit the pharmacy at all.
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Tree pollens, grasses, and weeds
Police pollen
Click on the National Allergy Bureau website for a daily ranking of allergens, including seasonal tree pollens, grasses, weeds, and outdoor molds. Stay indoors when levels are high or very high for those that you're sensitive to.
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Wear a mask
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Wash your hair at night
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Soak up the calm
"Stress raises levels of the hormone cortisol," says Dr. Clifford Bassett, an allergist at New York University Medical Center, and that often leads to an amped-up allergic response.
A few minutes of meditation or a soak in the tub should help.
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Keep your nose clean
Try a saline sinus rinse, found at any drugstore.
If that doesn't do it, buy the nonprescription herbal nasal spray NasalCrom (cromolyn sodium), which helps prevent allergic reactions in your nose.
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Take an antihistamine
If those don't work, ask your doctor for a prescription antihistamine such as fexofenadine (Allegra, but also available as a generic) or levocetirizine dihydrochloride (Xyzal).
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Try the sprays
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Dust mites
Cool (and dry) it
Keeping your home temp in the mid to low 60s and the humidity between 40% and 45% should send them packing.
Buy a home hygrometer (about $30 on Amazon) to measure humidity levels.
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Use barriers
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Boil your bedding
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Outsource housekeeping
If you can't hire someone else to clean your house while you're away, invest in a vacuum cleaner with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, like the Eureka Boss SmartVac ($170) - and wear a trusty filter mask.
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Try acupuncture
"I've seen amazing results in my allergic patients," says Dr. Roberta Lee, vice chair of the Department of Integrative Medicine at the Beth Israel Medical Center, in New York City.
She thinks acupuncture may decrease stress hormones, which can reduce inflammation. A session usually costs $100 to $150; ask your insurance company if some or all of that is covered.
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Indoor mold
Bleach it
A 5% bleach solution and a rag or sponge can zap small mold problems.
If you've got a very large moldy area (more than 10 square feet), consider hiring a mold-cleanup crew. Find one at the Indoor Air Quality Association.
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Dry up rooms
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Get HEPA
If you don't have central air, try free-standing air cleaners in key rooms such as the bedroom.
Change the filters at least every three months and have your heating and air-conditioning units inspected (and cleaned, if necessary) every six.
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Pet dander
Ban him from the bedroom
Just keeping pets out (or better yet, away from your upstairs entirely) can help relieve your symptoms.
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Cut the rug
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Get him groomed
And a weekly bath (more often will dry his skin, making the dander problem worse) is a must.
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Get shot
You get one to two weekly shots to expose you to very small doses of the allergen, and the dose is gradually increased over about six months.
You'll need maintenance shots about once a month for three to five years.
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Could it be something else?
"Unlike your usual allergies, you don't have an itchy nose, eyes, or throat, and you don't respond to allergy medications," explains Dr. Bassett.
Try eliminating irritants like strong odors (think perfume or household cleaners). Saline nasal sprays and rinses often bring relief, but if they don't work, ask your doctor for a steroid nasal spray.
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