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Dr. Cliff Bassett, an allergist with NYU/Long Island College Hospital, explains why this allergy season is so severe and what steps can be taken to relieve symptoms.
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Dr. Cliff Bassett, an allergist with NYU/Long Island College Hospital, explains why this allergy season is so severe and what steps can be taken to relieve symptoms.
By KIM CAROLLO, ABC News Medical Unit – The millions of people coughing, sneezing and sniffling their way through what some experts predict could be the worst allergy season in years may not know about some of the more unusual ways to lessen their symptoms.
Here are some ways you may not have considered to get allergy relief:
Use Special Filters in Heating and Air Cooling Systems
MERV ratings are used to determine how well a filter removes dust from the air as it passes through. The higher the MERV score, the better the filter is at preventing allergens from staying in the air.
“Install a MERV 12 disposable high efficiency media filter in the furnace and air-conditioning system,” says Dr. James Sublett, managing partner of Family Allergy and Asthma in Louisville, Ky. “Change the filter every three months. Leave the fan on to create whole house filtration.”
Check Vents
Sublett also recommends paying close attention to the direction of household vents.
“Use vent fans in bathrooms and when cooking to remove moisture,” he says.
Start Treatment Early
While allergy season is already underway, a good tip for the future is to get an early start on treatment.
“See an allergist for simple, fast, reliable allergy tests so you can get relief,” said Dr. Clifford Bassett, clinical assistant professor of medicine at NYU School of Medicine in N.Y. and medical director of Allergy and Asthma Care of N.Y. “Many medications will work better if you start them even before symptoms begin in many cases.”
Change Clothes Outside the Bedroom
“Change your clothing before entering your bedroom to reduce pollens from being brought into your bedroom,”says Bassett.
Monitor Moisture Indoors
There are more allergens in the air when it’s humid, so experts recommend maintaining a consistently low level of humidity in the home.
“Measure the indoor humidity and keep it below 50 percent,” says Sublett. “Do not use vaporizers or humidifiers. You may need a dehumidifier.”
Avoid Cross-Reactions
Bassett says about 35 percent of people with seasonal allergies also show a sensitivity to certain foods. For example, people allergic to grass pollens may also be allergic to melons, tomatoes or oranges. Those allergic to alder tree pollen may show some sensitivity to almonds, apples, cherries or certain other foods.
“However, it should be noted that reaction to one or more foods in any given category does not necessarily mean a person is allergic to all foods in that group,” Bassett says.
A Simple Test Can Guide You in the Right Direction
The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology sponsors a free self-test on its web site to help determine symptoms and point out where to find an allergist.
“The screening program is a way to get information to review with doctor and get on the road to recovery,” said Bassett.
For seasonal allergy sufferers, the last two weeks have been brutal with some of the highest pollen counts in years.
Foods that can aggravate or worsen your allergies are:
• apple
• pear
• cherry
• carrot
• parsley
• kiwi
• almond
• hazelnut (even in flavored coffees)
Data shows more than 35 million people in the United States suffer from allergies. Dr. Clifford Bassett recently appeared as a guest on the Dr Steve Show to explain ways to manage your allergies.
“Winter weather, early spring and most areas of the United States… a lot of precipitation, a lot of water priming the pump, priming those trees also global warming. There is more pollen as a result of carbon dioxide, greenhouse gases, that tells the plants to produce more pollen, the pollen itself may be more powerful, spelling misery for those allergy sufferers.” Dr. Bassett explains.
The Season for Allergies: MyFoxNY.com
MYFOXNY.COM – Allergy season is in full bloom, and the tell-tale signs are there: itchy and watery eyes and a runny nose. Dr. Clifford Bassett, an allergist from Long Island College Hospital, says you don’t have to suffer.
On Tuesday April 26th Dr. Clifford Bassett appeared as a guest on the Dr. Oz Show to discuss alternate allergy and asthma treatments. Many doctors claim alternative medicine practices are junk science and may even be dangerous. Should you be concerned? Dr. Oz explores all sides of this debate, adding his own perspective on alternative remedies. Click on image above to watch the video.
That’s right. Researchers have identified a possible link between your level of anxiety, mood and depression likelihood with whether seasonal allergies are present and/or well controlled. So another good reason to have a simple, allergy-fighting plan in place this pollen season.
Let’s start with what we already know. If you have uncontrolled allergies, whether you are a child, adolescent or adult it will affect the quality of your sleep, and can be associated with daytime drowsiness, reduced alertness and learning optimally in the classroom as well. Just remember the last time you had a cold. Ask yourself; did I sleep well or not, when my nasal and sinus passages were congested? Chance is you awoke feeling tired the next morning. Same story for those who do not have controlled allergy symptoms, such as nasal congestion, that can be associated with poorer quality sleep and subsequent daytime drowsiness, etc.
It appears that having springtime allergies can have an impact on mood. We already know from some recent studies that having suboptimal control of allergy symptoms can be associated with a negative effect on your love life, probably secondary to feeling less amorous, due to allergy symptoms affecting your appearance, such as puffiness of eyelids, runny, drippy nose, etc, especially during the height of the allergy season.
A study published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, found those seasonal pollen sufferers with sensitivity to ragweed pollen, had experienced “significant fatigue and mood changes” in a number of patients studied.
Like in many cases, your best defense, is a great offense, so be pro-active and work with an allergist to develop a simple “allergy action plan”, and follow some of these seasonal tips for effective control of your allergies.
• Stress less. Try yoga, meditation and daily exercise to get the endorphins (chemicals produced and responsible for an exercise induced feeling of wellbeing) going to promote a healthier lifestyle, and perhaps increase your chance of a better allergy control, when combined with appropriate OTC and prescription allergy care.
• Plan ahead, and follow the weather and pollen forecasts when you expect to spend time outdoors, particularly on sunny, warm and windy days, when pollen levels are highest. Go to www.aaaai.org/nab to find the daily pollen count in your area. Pollen counts are often lower by the beach or a body of water, such as a lake, river, etc.
• Wash wisely! That’s right use gentle eyelid irrigation and nasal saline sprays to wash and/or dilute pollens that have accumulated and cause itchy, red and watery eyes during the season. If you were outside during a high pollen day, consider shampooing your hair “nightly” and change our clothing before entering the bedroom to prevent “pollens” from being deposited onto your bedding. Hair gel and products can act like a “pollen magnet”, too.
Check out www.allergyandasthmarelief.org for more effective allergy tips to feel better, get happier and look your best during the allergy season!
It is estimated that at least one of every 100 people in the US may not have an adequate “sense of smell”. That’s right, its more common they you think. Maybe you don’t even realize you do not smell those lovely flowers, cooking aromas, etc. Remember it is necessary to have a proper sense of smell to enjoy the nuances of fine cuisine, flavors while eating. It was once thought that women had better “smell detection”, it appears that is not the case. Sorry, ladies!
Some of the most common causes of “smell dysfunction” that be around 2 million individuals include, allergies (naturally), sinus problems, injuries, structural abnormalities of the nose and sinuses, infection and prolonged exposure to harsh chemicals.
Smell Lingo
• Unable to smell, at all: anosmia
• Incorrect sense of smell, not as it should: dysosmia
• Less smell than normal: hyposmia
• Sensation of smell is “worse” they it is: parosmia
There are only a few places in the US where one can really get a very comprehensive evaluation of “smell and taste” problems. One can also find some practitioners that can provide a simple, quick in-office “sniff and smell” test to get you diagnosed.
Some of us can find a medication we are taking may interfere with your “sense of smell and/or taste” as well as certain chronic diseases such as diabetes and dementia. It also appears that in some cases difficulties with normal smell can improve, too.
The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders at www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/smelltaste may provide some additional info and tips for this condition.
Well the quick answer is maybe. It is estimated that up to one half of those who suffer with seasonal allergies to pesky tree, grass and weed pollens each year may succumb to “oral allergy syndrome”. That’s right! Due to a “cross-reaction” between proteins in fresh fruit, some vegetables, nuts (including hazelnut and almond which may be found in coffee beverages) and even spices, the immune system believes it may be under attack.
The verdict may be “oral allergy symptoms” such as tingling, itchiness of the lips, tongue, mouth and even throat after the ingestion of a various foods that trigger localized, largely mild, oral symptoms.
A partial list of spring time food triggers include:-apple
-pear
-carrot
-hazelnut
-almond
-cherry
-peach
-plum
-celery
-kiwi
The good news is that in many cases, when possible, simply peeling or cooking the fresh fruits can “knock out” the proteins responsible for these common and annoying symptoms that may also aggravate seasonal allergy symptoms. In many allergy sufferers this condition is chiefly manifested during the pollen season.
This illustrates the importance of getting allergist-directed care to properly manage your condition, especially as symptoms can be easily confused with a more serious, potentially life-threatening food allergies. Learn what your allergic triggers are before the “peak allergy pollen” season kicks in, each year.
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