Words: Team THINKWELLNESS360
The first best thing is to keep allergens at bay.
- Wash bed-sheets, pillow covers and blankets regularly. A hot wash will ensure that dust mite eggs are destroyed as well as the mites
- Vacuum-clean your mattress, upholstery and soft furnishing, regularly; ensure that your house is kept well-ventilated, especially the bedroom/s. This reduces the build-up of humidity, which otherwise helps mites to flourish
- Boil-wash children’s soft toys. Or, bag them and put them in the freezer. Either action will kill dust mites
- You may find that your pets aggravate your condition through exposure to their hair, dander, saliva, or urine; remove pet hair and vacuum-clean the pet area regularly.
Modify Cleaning Techniques
- Dust with a dampened cloth, instead of a dry cloth. Dry dusting tends to propel dust containing mites and their allergens into the air.
It’s All In The Air
- Avoid exposure to common triggers in the environment, such as tobacco smoke, aerosol sprays and automobile exhaust; avoid exposure to extremely cold temperature as well as high humidity.
Consume With Care
- Read food labels carefully to avoid food substances you are allergic, or sensitive, to
- Many patients stop consuming a whole lot of foods once diagnosed with allergy — this may lead to nutritional deficiencies. Hence, stop eating only those ‘precise’ foods that you are specifically allergic to.
Allergy Tracker
- Try to identify your allergy-trigger, such as dust, food, cosmetics, emotional distress, or anxiety, or other likely factors. Keep a diary and report to your doctor during follow-up.
Beat Allergies Naturally
- The liver removes most of the toxins from the body; good liver health means less of allergies. Detoxify your liver by avoiding, or limiting, your alcohol and caffeine intake. Stop smoking
- Stress can worsen allergies. Hence, keep stress at bay with meditation, or yoga
- Vitamin C is a natural antihistamine and can keep allergies away. Regular intake of vitamin C supplement is one of the best ways to keep allergies under control. Quercetin is good; also effective for all types of allergies
- Take turmeric daily. It is a natural antihistamine — it can control allergies.
Treatment
Conventional medicine, often called allopathic medicine, is the system of medicine taught at most medical schools and most pharmaceutical and synthetic medicines are manufactured and marketed according to the principles of allopathic medicine. Allopathic medicine is also sometimes called orthodox medicine.
Most of us have grown up in a society in which allopathic medicine is the prevailing norm, so we sometimes forget that, Ayurveda, homeopathic, herbal and other natural medicines are commonly available — and, freely used even by conventional doctors to treat allergies among other disorders. While there are often heated debates about what system of medicine is ‘better’ than the other, most responsible doctors [whether they are allopathic, or not] recognise that both have a role to play in the allergic treatment programme.
Whatever your choice, always choose wisely. Research what is best for you. If you have a chronic, or life-threatening condition, don’t make changes without first discussing them with your doctor in order that your condition may be monitored. This is because well-informed and supportive medical practitioners will support patients who want to take responsibility for their own health.
