Some Allergens and How to Treat Them

It's spring now and my allergy is starting to bother me. That's why I always have my medicine with me. It's good that the allergy of one of my kids is not as worst as before. Allergies are hard on kids. And they can also be hard on busy parents. Missing school days mean time off from work, skpped social engagements and unwanted interruptions in the day to day schedule. As a parent, you know that when your kids don't sleep, neither do you. And when your child doesn't feel well, you feel helpless and vulnerable too.

Our immune system seeeks out harmful germs or viruses in our bodies and neutralizes them before they can make us sick. But sometimes, the immune system makes mistakes. It overreacts and neutralizes harmless substances called allergens, such as pollen or animal dander.

When the immune system detects allergens in the body, it releases chemicals called histamine. Histamine cause inflammation of the nose, eyes and skin (swelling and redness). The result is whole range of allergy symptoms, including runny nose and itchy eyes or skin. Common allergen are, * Pollen from trees, grasses or weeds, * Dust Mites, * Animal dander, * Moulds, and * cockroaches.

The first step in treating allergies is to avoid the allergens themselves. Unfortunately, creating an allergen-free environment is easier said than done. But it is possible to reduce the exposure to common allergens.

Here are some simple tips to help you fight back the allergies;

Dust Mites
* Keep sheets and blankets clean
* Wash stuffed animals often
8 Don't keep things under the bed.

Pets
* Keep the pet out of the bedroom
* If you have a dog, wash the dog often ( about 2x a week)

Pollen
* Keep windows closed during the day
* Keep indoors when there's a lot of pollen in the air ( usually between dawn and 10 am)

The second line of defense against allergens is medication. Effective medications are available to help remove allergy symptoms.