There are many new drugs available, and more coming out, designed to treat airway inflammation. Our best evidence shows that treating this inflammation may make a patient with asthma or allergies healthier in the long run. A patient with asthma may have fewer problems in the future if they take their properly prescribed medicine and keep their asthma well controlled. Periodic evaluation and breathing tests can help determine the right amount of medicine for each patient.
Allergen immunotherapy (allergy shots) can also help properly selected patients. Most properly selected patients can have a further improvement in their quality of life with allergen immunotherapy. Our goal for patients with asthma is that they are able to maintain a “normal lifestyle”, not dependant on “rescue medication” or emergency visits. With good compliance, most patients accomplish this. Allergy avoidance depends on what you are found to be allergic to by appropriate allergy testing. The need for avoidance will vary, based on what you are allergic to, and how sensitive you are. Allergen immunotherapy (allergy shots) can often decrease your sensitivity so you can tolerate certain allergens you might not otherwise be able to be around.
Helpful suggestions include:
Pollen
Keep your windows closed and use air conditioning if necessary, especially in the bedroom. If you are still having problems with seasonal allergies, avoid exercising outdoors in the early morning when pollen levels are higher. In this area, tree pollen is most important in the early spring, grass pollen in May and June, and weed pollen in late summer and fall. The “official start” of the ragweed season is August 15. It is said to continue until “the first frost”, although generally that is just because the weeds run out of pollen in October. Even though we speak of “rose fever”, flowering plants, such as roses, tend not to be a problem. Their pollen is carried by the “birds and the bees”. It is their less attractive cousins (grass, weeds and trees) that have to throw large amounts of pollen into the wind.
Dust Mite
Mite-proof encasements for your pillows and mattresses are available at department stores and through on-line allergy supply stores. They are a priority in decreasing dust mite exposure. Most people spend more hours of the day in the bedroom than any other single area. That is the most important area to keep clean of mites. Bedding should be washed weekly in hot water. If possible replace carpets with wood floors, tile or linoleum.
Pets
Keep pets out of the bedroom, and, if possible, out of the house. Continued exposure to an animal to which you are allergic can cause long term problems that may not resolve, even after the animal is gone. Bathing pets on a weekly basis can help reduce allergen in the house. Replace or thoroughly clean bedding and carpeting that has animal dander in it. If you can’t or won’t remove a pet, careful monitoring of your disease is especially important. Specific allergen immunotherapy may also be helpful.
Mold
Molds can be found almost everywhere. Indoor molds are in bathrooms, basements, kitchens, and almost any room in the house. Use an exhaust fan or open window to remove moisture after showers, and in the kitchen when cooking to remove water vapors, do not use carpet in these areas. Keep refrigerators and trashcans closed and clean. Avoid storing unnecessary items in basement/attic that can accumulate mold. Outdoors, avoid cutting grass or raking leaves. Wear a mask for outdoor work, if necessary, although this is usually just a problem with very dusty activities, such as raking leaves.
Allergy to Latex: What do We Really Know?
Natural Rubber Latex (NRL)
- NRL is a milky fluid obtained from the rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis.
- It was discovered in Brazil in the 17th century. It now mostly comes from Asia.
- Ammonia is often added as a preservative, and a variety of accelerators and antioxidants are added in processing.
- Latex has been in use in health care, since the 19th century.
- People are now becoming more “sensitized to latex” and having more problems with exposure.
You can be tested for Latex allergy at St Francis Sleep, Allergy and Lung Institute.