Understanding Allergies -- Prevention
How Can I Prevent Allergies?
Respiratory allergies: To prevent respiratory allergies, consider buying a large and quiet high-efficiency (HEPA) air cleaner for your bedroom to help remove airborne allergens; use an air conditioner in your home and car during warm seasons to keep pollen out and reduce indoor humidity (which encourages the growth of molds, mites, and roaches); if you can't fix a water leak, alternative interventions include regularly cleaning damp areas with a diluted bleach solution to kill molds; always running the exhaust fans when showering and cooking; verifying that your clothes dryer is vented to the outside. If you have become sensitized to dogs or cats, try to find them a new home; otherwise try to keep them outside as much as possible (and certainly out of your bedroom).
Food allergies: If you have a true dairy allergy, instead of dairy products, try other options such as tofu-based foods to prevent food allergies. Always check food labels for additives that are known allergens, such as yellow food dye No. 5 (tartrazine), "natural" red dye (carmine), and gum arabic. When eliminating foods from your diet, be sure to find alternate sources of nutrients. For example, if you cannot eat dairy foods, choose other foods high in calcium or take calcium supplements.
Symptoms of an Allergic Reaction
Symptoms of an allergic reaction depend on the body part involved and the severity of the reaction. Some reactions affect many areas, others affect just one area. Reactions to the same allergen vary by individual. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include any, some, or many of the following: Skin - Redness, itching, swelling, blistering, weeping, crusting, rash, eruptions, or hives (itchy bumps or welts) Lungs - Wheezing, tightness, cough, or shortness of breath Head - Swelling of the...
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