About Ruud Expertise I can answer all sorts of questions related to hayfever and the effects of different foods on the condition.
Experience I have suffered from various (pollen, mites, dander) allergies since the age of 7, but due to a change in diet, I've managed to suppress almost all of the symptoms.
allergies be gone wrote at 2007-05-17 18:31:33
I am allergic to animals too and I have had a dog and ferrets for the last few years.
If you can, try this: stay away from the house for at least 3 days (somewhere with relatives or in a rented place).
If it's a motel, be sure it's a clean, newly built motel preferably indoors and ask for non-smoking, non-animals room. I say "indoor" motel because people won't tend to march their dogs or cats by the front desk which they're forced to pass on the way to their room in an enclosed motel/hotel.
Also, get an upstairs room, people who travel with pets won't usually climb 2 or 3 flights of stairs for a motel stay. If someone had a cat up there (i.e. litterbox), you'll be able to smell it when you check in anyway.
The point is to stay in a place where no animals are or have ever been. At least then, you can nail down if it's mostly your animals causing your asthma or something else.
When I traveled, I always brought my air cleaner with me because motel rooms were so bad. They rarely get any fresh air flow into them and are not kept free of dust or have their carpets steamed. I would turn my air cleaner on its side (outgoing air aimed at my face) just so I could sleep!
New (expensive) motels are generally cleaner than that. Obviously, if you're in a place with no current or past trace of animal dander and your breathing gets better, at that point, you know it's the animals that are the main culprit in your home!
You don't have to get rid of them but you will have to BEND OVER BACKWARDS to safely share a living (breathing) space with critters. Hey, anything beats living on benadryl and asthma meds, right?
I'm in a 1000 Sq ft apt and my animals have "their own room". With 2500, yours surely can have their own space too. I am forced to let mine have run of the house (except the bedroom) for a few minutes a day because I can't let them run outside. Fortunately, I live in a warm climate and can keep my windows/screened-doors open pretty often. I pull outside air in (stick fans in the windows) because there is always a higher oxygen ratio outdoors than inside. Unless your air is just rife with pollen, you're always better with outdoor air coming in than a closed-up house. High ceilings might help too.
One thing about dander is that (like smoke), it gets in the ducts, on the walls and in the carpet. It's better to stick to the walls or floors (if you have hard floors) than it is to shoot out your vents from the ducts because you're not breathing or touching the floor and walls.
If you can afford duct cleaning, you will want to be out of the house the day of and for days afterwards.
Wash your pets outdoors (the dander will fly!) or let someone else do it at least once a week. There are mild or organic shampoos and conditioners that won't irritate their skin, the point is to keep the dander somewhat in check by rinsing it off of the animal often. Also, don't let the pets lick themselves (if at all possible) or pee in your house! Spray their fur with bitter apple or ask your vet what to do.
Saliva and urine also contain the allergens, incidentally!
Carpet is a dust trap, of course, and the dust hovers over it and gets kicked up even higher by air movement and walking on it. You are lucky to have hard floors, just mop regularly every week, preferably with windows open and/or aircleaners going.
I'm not made of money so I bought a multi-pack of air cleaners at Sam's a few years ago. I can't afford the HEPA replacements, so I go to the hardware store and get electrostatic cut-to-fit (they come with a plastic grid, cut-able frame.it takes some work).
I also have two ionizers. One stays in the bedroom, the other in the living room. If I can't keep the windows open, I run all air cleaners on High. Ionizers can actually be bad for your lungs if you're right next to one but they clear the air while you aren't in the room and the ozone from them dissipates quickly after turning them off.
Run ionizers during the day and turn off when you come home. You can turn ionizers on in other rooms (like the living room) when you go to bed since you're not in there.
What an ionizer does is to knock the allergens to the floor or make them stick to the walls. At least it's out of your breathing space, you can clean the surfaces later.
Also, don't let your pets on the furniture and definitely shut your bedroom door to keep them out of there.
Even if your animals aren't on the furniture, collects dust just like carpet does. Dust kicks up when you sit down.
Vinyl or leather (if wiped down) can help some, although a little dust can still fly out of the seams. If you can't afford to replace furniture or have someone fabric-steam it often (while you're not in there), you can use sheets or blankets (covers of some sort) that are taken off and washed at least once a week
Ruud is right about body PH. You want to get it towards neutral but slightly alkaline. Strangely enough, eating acidic (naturally acidic) fruits makes the body slightly alkaline.
Green tea definitely cannot hurt AND you need to drink 64 ounces of water per day spread out over the day (more if you weigh a lot or work out a lot). If you drink a lot of water, eat or drink a little salt or use a sport drink in between.
Don't be afraid of water (your body needs it to help dilute the effects of allergens that get in your body!) but educate yourself (do a search) about avoiding hyponatremia.
If you have edema, diabetes, heart condition or water retention problem, see your doctor.
Good luck!
kjpeachy wrote at 2009-06-01 05:38:12
Mike,
I have also suffered all my life with severe allergies. Severe enough to have had sinus surgery. I suggest trying a Netti Pot to cleanse your sinus'. It works wonders. I also take an over the counter decongestant to dry up my sinus' along with a Claritin daily. I also work out extensively and find that I need more water than most persons due to the physical activity. But it seems to help with my allergies. I find that a good acidophilus tablet helps to keep my stomach in balance with the post nasal drip. I hope this information helps you a bit. Good luck on your search for relief.
