• Wear a pollen mask when mowing grass or house cleaning (most drugstores sell them).

• Change the air filters monthly in heating and air conditioning systems, and/or install an air purifier. Keep windows and doors closed during heavy pollination seasons. Consider a HEPA filter in the bedroom.

• Rid the home of indoor plants and other sources of mildew. Don’t allow dander producing animals (i.e. cats, dogs, etc.) in the home.

• Change feather pillows, woolen blankets, and woolen clothing to cotton or synthetic materials.

• Enclose mattress, box springs and pillows in a dust cover barrier cloth. These are much improved and no longer resemble a plastic bag.

• Use antihistamines and decongestants as necessary and as tolerated. 

• Rinse the nasal cavity rid of allergens regularly with our hypertonic saline irrigations (see our recipe). Consider the regularly using a nasal steroid spray following each saline irrigation.

• Sleep with the head of the bed tilted upwards. A brick or two placed under bedposts at the head of the bed helps relieve nasal congestion (it may also help your reflux).

• Observe general good health practices; exercise daily, stop smoking, avoid other air pollutants, eat a balanced diet, and supplement diet with vitamins, especially C. Consider a humidifier in the winter as dry, indoor heat aggravates many allergic people, but beware of possible mold growth in the humidifier.

• Keep a diet diary (see our 2 week diet diary form) and bring it in to discuss with us. You may consider trying a hypoallergenic diet for several weeks to see how you feel. (These are much like the Atkin’s or South Beach diet) Most patients find it pretty amazing how much better they feel after they clean up their diet.

• With infants, try eliminating milk from the diet. Substitute rice based formula instead of soy, as soy can be as allergenic as cow’s milk.

• Breast-feeding your infant seems to offer immunologic protection against many allergies and infections.

• Get your annual flu shot.

• Keep the home closed up and the air conditioner on as much as possible.

• Keep the humidity rather low in the home, preferably between 40-50%.

• Try to minimize carpeting in your home.