Posted by Nutrimom - Food Allergy Liason on March 27, 2015 · Leave a Comment
Picture this- after a cold and dreary winter, the sun is shining and you step outside to feel the sunshine warm your face. You take a deep breath and you inhale all of nature’s perfection around you. The birds are chirping, flowers are blooming and the grass is so green that you have to take your socks and shoes off to frolic. But alas, just eight hours later, you are hearing your child sneezing, coughing, wheezing and you have a momentary glimpse of what is to come over the next few weeks with the changing of the season. What began as a wonderful spring day has quickly turned into a possible scene from a zombie apocalypse movie.
Pollen, Your Invisible Enemy Very often, food allergies and environmental allergies like to be friends. Sometimes this is just coincidental but there are factors that link certain foods and pollen levels to an increase in allergic reactions. Worst yet, there are even specific foods that may exacerbate or even bring out new ways for an allergic reaction to kick into action. If you have not experienced or heard the terms “concomitant” or “synergistic foods”, welcome to yet another complicating twist within the food allergy journey. The good news- with some knowledge of what these terms mean and websites such as Pollen.com who will send you emails when the pollen begins to rise, you can put your proactive plan into action. Learning to be prepared means less zombie replays and less fearful parents.
Wait, There’s a Filter Where? We are told to change air filters inside of our homes to control the amount of dust being inhaled but did you know there are super secret, rarely discovered places to find them too? I’m exaggerating but filters are filters and the more you find what items have one, the better your air will be.
Some of the forgotten filters that you should replace include
- Inside the cab of your car– are you going Oh, the INSIDE, wow! Yeah, I did too.
- Your vacuum– If it’s not sucking up the dirt, chances are it’s pushing it back out.
- Air purifiers– This should be a given but I like to list everything.
- Water filters– Those refillable water pitchers are great but only if they are kept clean too.
- Your Fridge– Think about it- dirty water filter equals dirty water, mold…shall I even continue?
Sweet Dreams There’s also the question of traveling. With the nicer weather, we all begin to want to go somewhere after being stuck inside the house all winter. Then we wind up at places that are sometimes not the best for our new found allergies. For instance, your daughter forgets to bring her special pillow and blanket during the packing fiasco while trying to get out of the door in a timely manner. The next night, you are dealing with sheets, blankets, pillows and who knows what else in the hotel’s air systems. No parent wants to travel and have their children or anyone in their family feeling out of sorts when they are not in their own comfy beds. PureRoom.com offers people with allergies allergy-friendly options for their overnight stays as well as in-home items. This company ensures fresh air, bedding, odors, carpets and more.
Waiter, We’d Like a Booth Please If you are thinking about it now, debating on cancelling that upcoming trip- don’t. Allergies should never be something to prevent you- where there’s a will, there’s a way. There’s even help out there to ease your travels and get you back into the allergy comfort zone. Allergic Traveler offers a safer way to travel and dine out. Especially since traveling can be stressful enough, the added bonus of items like their international dietary alert cards help ease some of that stress. Avoiding Milk Protein is a website that lists multiple allergy-safe events. It’s great to visit relatives but it’s also good to go to some “safe” places where your child with food allergies can go and have just a few less worries and a few more treats.
Get outside, travel to those unseen places and do what you want to do, regardless of allergies. Take precautions but refuse to be forced into a limited lifestyle. Allergies can be complicated but they can also be easier than you think.
