Allergy Causes and Natural Allergy Remedies

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Achoo! Thirty-five million Americans suffer from allergies — often triggered by high seasonal pollen counts from spring through autumn. PHOTO: DWIGHT KUHN

Ever know a child who sustained a minor scrape and screamed bloody murder? Our immune systems similarly overreact to hay fever. When germs invade, the body’s defenses attack them. But with allergies, the immune system furiously attacks often harmless allergens, among them: pollen, pet dander, microscopic bugs and dust mites. Seasonal allergies such as hay fever are not medically serious, but they are uncomfortable or even maddening — just ask the nation’s 35 million allergy sufferers.

The first step to controlling allergies is to avoid your personal triggers. To identify yours, consult an allergist-immunologist for testing. Then, avoid your allergens like the plague they are, starting with these tips.

Pollen Allergies

Trees and grasses release pollen from early spring through midsummer. Weed pollens fly from late summer into autumn.

• Pollen counts are highest from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m., so schedule outdoor activities for later in the day.

• Wind spreads pollen. Try to stay indoors on windy days.

• Use air conditioning. It filters pollens (and mold spores), especially when set on “recirculate.” Service air conditioners and change filters regularly to assure good filtration.

• Consider investing in a high-efficiency particulate accumulating (HEPA) air filter. About the size of window fans, portable HEPA filters are available from medical supply stores and health catalogs.

• Schedule vacations to avoid high pollen counts at home. Consider a cruise far from trees, grasses and weeds.

Pet Dander

“Dander is not hair,” says University of Virginia immunologist Andrew Murphy, M.D. “Short-haired animals are as allergenic as long-hairs.” Dander is a class of proteins in pet saliva and urine, and on skin cells. Dander is easily airborne. Cats produce more than dogs, so they’re more allergenic. To avoid pet allergies:

• Goodbye, pets? If you find your pet a new home, it takes six months for dander to disappear. To hasten relief, have your home, especially your carpets, professionally cleaned.

• If you can’t bear to part with your pet, keep your bedroom pet-free.

• Bathe your pet weekly. Better yet, have someone else do it.

• Upholstered furniture and carpets collect dander. Eliminate them. If you can’t live without carpet, use short-pile rugs.

• Vacuum rugs and upholstery frequently. If you can’t find a non-allergy sufferer to do these tasks, wear a dust mask.

• Use vacuums and portable air cleaners that have HEPA filters.