I quickly learned that treating with over-the-counter antihistamines a few weeks before the height of the allergy season really helped. Claritin or Zyrtec once-a-day tablets have worked best for our family. I actually use store brands of these antihistamines and I try to rotate using the two different brands so that the effectiveness continues. We also use Flonase nasal spray during the worse part of allergy season.
With only a week before opening day of the Kentucky State Fair I am working to help our family stay healthy and fight the allergens and dust so common at livestock shows, It is a goal each year to make it through the fair without getting sick with what we stock show folks commonly call the "Louisville Crud".
This Spring I experienced the worse allergy season of my life. My eyes were red, swollen, and painful to the extent that I thought I had an eye infection. My optometrist quickly explained that I had allergies. He suggested using an OTC allergy eye drop, twice daily. I have found that Alaway by Bausch & Lomb works great to reduce my allergy woes.
My optometrist also gave me a wonderful tip to wash my eyes and eyebrows with Johnson's Baby Shampoo during a shower. That daily routine helped me survive Spring and I have passed that along to many friends. The shampoo truly is tear-free with no burning or stinging.
I love hanging laundry outside to dry and it was something that I often did until the kids developed their allergies. During a visit with our pediatrician, she asked if I dried laundry outside and explained how that routine brought the allergens into the house to the kids, especially with sheets and their clothes. Now I rarely hang laundry outside to dry and if I do I throw everything into the dryer to remove any allergens.
Also it is best to keep the windows closed during the heaviest allergy season or at least keep the windows closed in the bedrooms and family rooms to keep pollen and dust from those areas where we spend a lot of time.
All of this information is simple common sense, however I think we are all too busy to think about what allergens we may be exposing ourselves to each day.This post is not to be used as medical advice but simple information that can help make allergy season a little easier.
This may not be new information but hopefully it will help someone get through the Fall allergy season filled with ragweed and golden rod,
I did not get paid by anyone for mentioning the brand names in this post. I wanted to share what has worked for me and felt it was important to use the specific brands.
