Ashe About Your Health: Keeping allergies at bay

About 50 million Americans suffer from some form of allergies, according to the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America. There are environmental allergies to things like dust, mold, pollen, cats and dogs, as well as allergic skin conditions such as eczema, allergic respiratory conditions, food and drug allergies and latex and insect allergies.

Allergies are overreactions of the immune system to different types of chemical or molecular triggers, which are referred to as allergens. No one knows exactly why they occur, though there is often both a genetic pre-disposition to them as well as the requirement for repeated exposure. There also seems to be a steady increase in the number of people with various types of allergic conditions in recent years.

By far, the most pervasive and typical form of allergies is one often referred to as hay fever. These can be seasonal or perennial and are more common in Los Angeles than in the Northeast or Midwest. Hay fever is generally a type of environmental allergy to dust, mold, mildew, trees, pollens and grasses.

Sometimes over-the-counter antihistamines are quite effective, with or without decongestants. You should choose carefully because the ones with a “D” in their name can make some people jittery, anxious and cause insomnia. Prescription nasal sprays, eye drops and certain medications that block other hormones involved in the allergic response also help a significant number of allergy sufferers.

By far one of the most effective ways to reduce allergy symptoms without the use of medications is to reduce your exposure to the things you’re allergic to. You can take some relatively simple measures to control your “allergy environment,” primarily the place where you sleep and the inside of your nose. There are allergy-sensitive mattress and pillow covers and cases you can buy online at most stores that sell bedding, which can greatly reduce exposure to dust and dust mites.

Vacuuming daily also helps too, especially if you have rugs or carpeting. Eliminate cloth drapes because they can collect allergens. Rinsing the nasal passages daily with a clean saline solution can make a huge difference by reducing the sheer number of allergens that accumulate in the nose and sinuses.

But before you go to all that trouble, you may want to consider actually finding out exactly what it is that you’re allergic to! There are simple allergy skin and blood tests that can be done to identify which foods, animals or environmental allergens you’re reacting to and ought to avoid. When all else fails, allergy immunotherapy, or allergy shots, are remarkably effective and relatively painless though they work slowly and gradually over many months. This trains your immune system to eventually stop overreacting to most environmental allergens.

Dr. David Baron is the executive director of the Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center.