Allergy Cures and Remedies

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WATCH WHAT YOU EAT

You can be allergic to what you eat. Skin rashes, swelling of the mouth and lips, and asthma are common reactions. Experts say eating certain foods can worsen or even trigger, allergy attacks in pollen-sensitive people – a phenomenon known as cross-reactivity. If you’re allergic to grass pollen, then the proteins in celery and potatoes can trigger the same allergic reaction. And if ragweed causes symptoms, you could make them worse by eating bananas, cantaloupe or watermelon. Further studies suggest eating apples or pears can worsen symptoms for people allergic to tree pollens like birch, alder and hazelnut. Further zeroing in on the exact allergy culprit isn’t always easy, however. Test yourself for food allergies through an “elimination diet”. First, narrow down the suspects. Likely prospects are wheat, milk, sugar, eggs, soy, yeast, corn, salt and the food additive MSG (monosodium glutamate). Eliminate the possibilities from your diet for four to seven days, then gradually reintroduce them, one food per day. If symptoms appear, you’ve found a problem food. Continue until you’ve gone through your whole list. Then try to avoid your allergic foods altogether. Check labels to make sure that they aren’t an ingredient in other foods. Use food substitutes like soy milk, a soy concoction available at most supermarkets and health food stores.

SWEEP AWAY DUST

No mere dirt, house dust is actually an amazing assortment of minute particles of bug fragments, mold spores, bits of plastic and a lot more. Dust is really a menace in the winter when your windows are closed and your furnace is fanning dust everywhere. Your best defense is a clean house. Wear a dust-filtering mask while you clean and open the windows for a while if it’s not too cold. Better yet, get someone else to clean for you.