Spring is Coming… Are You Ready for Allergy Season?

Winter has its fair share of seasonal illnesses. The flu, stomach bugs, and the common cold often plague each household at least once during the season. Fortunately, the end of flu and cold season is near! Unfortunately, that means allergy season is coming up quick. Many adults and children suffer from allergies each spring. In fact, a 2014 National Health Interview Survey found that 8.4% of children in the U.S. suffered from hay fever, 10% had respiratory allergies, another 5.4% from food allergies, and a total of 11.6% suffered from skin allergies. While allergies are one of the ongoing seasonal illnesses, this article is going to discuss a few ways you can help your family get prepared to face allergy season.

Do your spring cleaning
After being cooped up in your house all winter, it's time to give it a thorough cleaning. While pollen is a major contributor to seasonal allergies, dust and other debris in the air in your home can worsen symptoms. It's important to remember that dust collects on everything -- so vacuum and wash carpets, curtains and furniture. Additionally, it's important to change your air filters on a regular basis. Clean air filters will ensure the air quality in your home is as high as possible.

Keep the windows closed
While it may be tempting to fling open the windows at the first sign of warm weather, this is only going to worsen allergy symptoms. The slight breeze you'll be enjoying from an open window will also bring pollen into your home. So to make sure your family has a safe place to hide away from the pollen, keep the windows closed as often as possible. Furthermore, investing in an air purifier may help keep allergens out of your home too. Dust, pollen, and pet dander can all be easily removed from your home with the help of a quality air purifier.

Visit a family health doctor
Before allergy season gets into full swing, consider taking your kids to a doctor. Childrens injuries, illnesses, and allergies should all be addressed by a doctor to determine the severity. While allergies are one of the most common seasonal illnesses, severe allergies can lead to breathing problems and other conditions. Because of this, any children with allergies should be seen by a doctor.

All of the sneezing, coughing, and itchy eyes associated with allergies can make a person absolutely miserable. Even though there's no magic cure for allergies, there is plenty you can do to ensure your family is ready to tackle allergy season. Hopefully, some of these tips will help you and your family experience less severe reactions this season.