Allergies And Cigarette Smoke

Posted at April 4, 2012 // Health Involved

Cigarette smoke Allergies

If you struggle with allergies, you know how unbearable your symptoms can often feel! Itchy, water eyes, a chronically runny nose, that feeling of not being able to breathe – allergies are no joke. They can significantly impede our ability to enjoy what it is that we’re doing.

If you have tried everything possible to help your allergies and it is still not working, you might want to talk to your doctor about allergy shots. Although there is no cure for allergies, allergy shots have made a huge difference in the lives of many allergy sufferers out there. See if there are shots available for your type of allergies.

Make sure your allergies are not trigger by a pet. Do you have any cats around the house? Sometimes cats can make people have allergic reactions, and they don’t even know it. Consider staying away from any cats for a couple of days to see if you notice a difference in your allergies. You might have to stay away from the cat from now on.

Use high-quality, anti-allergen filters in your home heating and cooling system. These filters, which are usually pleated to maximize surface area, remove even the smallest particles of pollen, dander, and other irritants from the air. Because these filters clog more easily than standard filters, you must remember to change them more frequently.

Cigarette Smoke

Treat an “allergic” reaction effectively by, understanding what it really is. Paper dust, perfume, paint fumes, cigarette smoke, newsprint and Kleenex produce annoying symptoms in a lot of people. This is because they are irritants, though, not allergens. Simply avoiding them, or taking an extended break from them may be enough to allow your body to get over the sensitivity to the irritant.

Few things are more irritating to the eyes and nose than exposure to cigarette smoke (first- or second-hand). However, many people mistake this irritation caused by smoke for an allergen and take allergy medications to counter the effects. Because smoke is not a true allergen, these treatments will not have any effect on the symptoms.

Understand the fundamental differences between irritants and allergens. Exposure to an allergen provokes a physical reaction in your body in response to an unnatural protein. Irritants include things like paper dust, chemical fumes, perfume and cigarette smoke. These substances are irksome, but they do not carry an actual health risk, most of the time.

You do not have a choice about having allergies, but you DO have a choice as to how you manage your symptoms. Many people have found relief from various methods of dealing with their allergies, often in conjunction with each other. Resolve to take action against your symptoms today!