Subscribe Text

Subscribe to Best Health at 51% OFF and you could win a $40,000 car!

Home > Get Healthy > Allergies > 7 surprising ways to overcome allergy triggers

7 surprising ways to overcome allergy triggers

Between pollen, dust mites and pet dander, allergy sufferers can take a beating when warm weather makes its appearance. These trigger-thwarting tips can help

By Liz Bruckner

Previous Slide 1 of 9 Next

Overcome your allergies

For almost one quarter of Canadians, the arrival of spring brings with it a major downer: allergies. Beyond the fact that they’re getting worse and affecting more people—reactions to common airborne triggers like ragweed and pollen have increased in the past few decades—because of pollution and global warming, the allergen season is getting longer, too. “The duration was defined in the past with hay fever starting in the spring, grass in the summer and ragweed in the fall,” says Dr. Paul Keith, allergist at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario and member of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. “Because the seasons have been starting earlier and lasting longer, this means more exposure and extended reactions for many people,” he says.

But the news isn’t all bad. Experts agree that doing some preventative legwork can go a long way toward keeping reactions minimized. With that in mind, here’s how to get a handle on your triggers before they send you sniffling and sneezing for the hills.

[View]

5 Comments

I realized the one about changing my clothes just last night. I wondered why my symptoms persisted. Don't recall what made me think of changing my shirt. Sure enough... Symptoms subsided.

Submitted by krraank on Mon, 2012-07-09 11:43am.

This is not a great idea for your pets. Can cause dry itching skin for your pets. Would not suggest more than once a month.

Submitted by Ellenita Bell on Mon, 2012-07-09 9:20am.

I've suffered with allergies for years until I became pregnant with my son. I was allergy free for four years. What changed in my body for me to become allergy free and why can't I have it back?

Submitted by Adelle on Mon, 2012-07-09 7:13am.

Tired of being told that we have to lock ourselves up inside, like a hardened criminal, just because we have the unfortunate luck of having allergies!

If people would stop burning backyard firepits, cities would treat for those darned weeds, and people would clean up their yards, their eavestroughs, stop planting trees like poplars and fuzz filled trees - WE MIGHT HAVE A CHANCE TO ENJOY SOME NICE SUMMER DAYS LIKE THE REST OF YOU TAKE FOR GRANTED.

Come on - we can put men on the moon, spend millions on pathetic and futile research products, like if men or women urinate longer, but all you can offer us is allergy medications that have high incidence of side-effects and make you too drowsy, or we have to hole up inside, with the windows closed and sweat to death - because most of us DO NOT have air-conditioning!

Can't you do better than that?

Submitted by Exactly my Thoughts on Mon, 2012-07-09 12:34am.

If people stay indoors to avoid allergies and and bites we would never be outdoors.I love outdoors and want a solution to allergies that will allow me to enjoy it.

Submitted by Jean on Mon, 2012-07-02 3:42pm.