Allergies

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Allergies

Natural Relief for Itching and Sneezing

Hazel and Harriet are sisters. Hazel spends the day spring-cleaning and dusting her knickknacks. She takes her dog for a walk, enjoying the breezes that waft from the neighboring fields and woods. Then she comes home and curls up in bed with a pile of dusty mementos from college and her two cats, Pinky and Percy.

Meanwhile, Harriet is miserable. Getting within striking distance of a dusty quilt sends her into fits of wheezing and sneezing. Walking through the park leaves her eyes red and itchy. She misses her dog and two cats--they live with Hazel.

One thing that these sisters don't share is allergies. In women like Harriet, the immune system releases histamines and other irritating substances in response to perfectly normal (and otherwise harmless) airborne particles like dust, mold, tree pollen and animal dander (dandruff).

Typical allergy symptoms include sneezing, nasal itching and a dripping nose, along with congestion and red, swollen, itchy eyes.

What Women Doctors Do Dogs She Can Live With Kathy L. Lampl, M.D. She has two bouncing Yorkshire terriers running around her house, but that doesn't mean that Kathy L. Lampl, M.D., instructor in the Department of Medicine in the Clinical Immunology Division at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, lets her allergies get the better of her. "I'm probably the only allergist in the world with two dogs," jokes Dr. Lampl, who has allergies to dust mites and pet dander. But she says it's okay--she takes steps to make sure that she'll be sneeze-free. "I pulled up all the carpeting in the house, and now we only have hardwood floors. Our dogs no longer sleep in the bedroom--they sleep in the kitchen--and they're bathed at least monthly." To avoid dust mite exposure, Dr. Lampl encased her mattress and pillows in plastic, and she makes sure that her family's books and papers are kept in enclosed shelving instead of on night stands and dressers, since clutter invites troublesome buildup of dust.

Whether or not you'll develop an allergy is part genetics and part environment. A child with one allergic parent has about a 30 to 50 percent chance of getting allergies, while odds rise to approximately 60 to 80 percent if both parents have allergies. Also, exposure to a high level of allergens early on puts you at increased risk of developing allergic symptoms later.

GOOD RIDDANCE

The key to allergy relief, say women doctors, is managing your symptoms and avoiding common allergy triggers. Here are some basic strategies that can help women with allergies breathe easier. (For practical ways to manage asthma, which can be triggered by allergies, see page 27.)

Salt your nose. Over-the-counter saline nasal sprays are a safe way of loosening mucus, notes Carol Wiggins, M.D., clinical instructor of allergy and immunology at Emory University in Atlanta. "It's not a drug, so you can use it as often as you want." To make your own salty solution, take a half-teaspoon of salt dissolved in eight ounces of lukewarm water, put it in a bulb syringe and flush it into your nose while leaning forward over the sink so that it can drip out. Look for bulb syringes at your local drugstore.

Make a cool compress. For itchy, red, swollen eyes, "Take a clean washcloth, run it under cool water, put it over your eyes until it's warm and try again, if you need to," says Helen Hollingsworth, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and director of allergy and asthma services at Boston University Medical Center Hospital.

Seal your mattress. One of the big problems with dust is dust mites, teeny creatures that live on dust, skin flakes and other bits of microscopic household debris that collects in bedding, furniture and curtains, says Rebecca Gruchalla, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of internal medicine and chief of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. So zipping a plastic cover over your mattress is a good way of limiting dust mite exposure.

Press duct tape into service. Dr. Gruchalla also recommends putting duct tape on the mattress zipper, sealing off the escape route for dust mites.

Dry up. Molds and dust mites thrive in warm, humid conditions, says Dr. Wiggins. So to reduce mold and dust mite levels, keep a dehumidifier in your bedroom and one in your family room.

Clean the dehumidifier. Dehumidifiers should be cleaned out every week, says Dr. Wiggins. Otherwise, molds will proliferate.

When To See A Doctor If you find yourself sneezing, wheezing and coughing even though you take over-the-counter drugs and try to avoid known or suspected allergy triggers, it might be time to visit your doctor, says Carol Wiggins, M.D., clinical instructor of allergy and immunology at Emory University in Atlanta. The same goes if you can't figure out what you're allergic to. Your doctor may perform a skin-prick test to determine what's bugging you. Women with potentially serious allergies may benefit from prescription medications or allergy shots, in which a tiny portion of the substance that you're allergic to is injected into your system every week for about a year to help desensitize you against troublesome allergens that are impossible to avoid.

Use the exhaust fan. Whenever you take a shower, turn on the fan. A humid, unventilated bathroom makes mold worse, says Kathy L. Lampl, M.D., instructor in the Department of Medicine in the Clinical Immunology Division at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

Simplify. Getting rid of dust mite havens--especially in your bedroom--is a sneeze-free way of coping, notes Dr. Lampl. "Have a clutter-free room with no fabrics or banners on the wall. You shouldn't have carpeting, because vacuuming doesn't clear the dust mites out." Stuffed toys trap dust and should be removed. She also recommends frequent changing of sheets and regular washing of bed linens, pillows and bedspreads.