Airborne Allergens

Airborne allergens such as pollen, pet dander, molds and dust mites are a major cause for illness and disabilities. With a staggering 45 million Americans alone suffering from allergies, it’s no wonder why it is a vital topic of discussion.

Airborne allergens are consistently floating in and around the atmosphere where we breathe daily. Most of them we cannot see with the naked eye, but we feel with the symptoms once they have been inhaled into our airways.

Allergies are thought to be inherited; in fact a child has a 50% more likely chance of having allergies if their parent has them as well. And that risk jumps up to 75% if both parents have allergies. But that is not always the case. Almost anything can trigger an allergic reaction and everyone’s allergic reaction is unique to them personally.

Allergic reactions are also more common in people who have certain medical conditions. These conditions include people who suffer from asthma, lung conditions, nasal polyps, those who get frequent infections of the nasal sinuses, ears, or respiratory tract and those who have sensitive skin.

It greatly depends on the sensitivity of the individual involved that determines the severity of the reaction. While some reactions may affect only one area, others can affect many areas and these vary from person to person. Whereas someone who only sneezes from inhalation of pollen, another person may sneeze, get watery eyes and congestion.

Common Airborne Allergens

The following are the most common airborne allergens that cause an allergic reaction.

Pollen: Pollen is produced by plants as a means of reproduction. It is a finely coarse powder that contains microgametophytes of seed plants, which is produced by the male plant of that species. Inside of its hard outer shell it contains gametes (sperm cells). Fertilization occurs once it reaches a female plant of the same species. Many trees, weeds and grasses are considered to be major sources for pollen allergies. Most pollen uses the wind as its form of transportation to reach its destination, while the more attractive plants depend on insects for reproduction to occur.

Mold Spores: In reality molds are a type of fungi. The seeds that are a part of their process of reproduction are called spores. These spores vary in color, size and shape. When inhaled, they can cause allergic rhinitis. Mold can grow on a variety of surfaces including wood, carpet, clothing, paper and food. They favor a dark and moist atmosphere, and can grow into a colony of millions of spores. More importantly, these spores are small enough that they can reach the lungs and cause major damage.

Dust Mites: Of all the causes of perennial allergic rhinitis (yearlong hay fever), the dust mite is the most common cause and can be found in most homes. They are microscopic members of the arachnida family that feed on the dead skin that we shed daily. They inhabit our carpet, our furniture and most importantly our bedding. A typical mattress can contain in upwards of tens of thousands through tens of millions of dust mites. In fact ten percent of the weight of a two year old pillow is considered to be dust mites and their droppings.

Animal Proteins: These airborne allergens come from our pet’s saliva, dander, and urine. The majority of people who have pet allergies are more sensitive to the animal’s dander and saliva, while those allergic to rabbits, hamsters, and guinea pigs are most sensitive to their urine. Those who are severely allergic to animals can have a reaction just from the dandruff left on clothes of an animal owner.

Symptoms

In the person with allergies, once an airborne allergen lands on the sensitive lining of the nose, a series of reactions occur. The body launches an attack because the immune system makes the mistake of identifying the airborne allergen as something that is harmful to the body. In those who do not have allergies, no such mistake is made.

Histamine, along with many other inflammatory chemicals are released. Tissues swell, excess mucus is produced and nasal congestion results. The body is trying to prevent more allergens from entering into the body.

Sneezing, coughing, watery eyes, and blowing your nose all occur in hopes of getting rid of the allergen that did enter into the body. Histamine affects nerve endings and produces the sensation of itchiness.

These symptoms persist as long as the problem allergen remains present. Avoidance strategies will make the symptoms go away. Drugs can also address the symptoms, however without avoidance, the body will still release histamine. It takes getting away from the exposure to have the allergic reaction to stop and for the inflammatory chemicals to fade and to be absorbed by the body.

Protecting Your Home from Airborne Allergens

While there are only so many steps we can take to eliminate your exposure to airborne allergens outside of your home, we can at least provide ourselves with a safe haven in our house. One of the best things we can do is to minimize the amount of these allergens that come into our home. Keep windows and doors closed as much as possible and shower every time you come in from being outside for an extended period of time.

Eradicating the source of the trigger is the best way to improve our allergy symptoms.

• Reduce humidity: Dust mites and mold can thrive in higher humidity environments which will put more airborne allergens into the air. An air conditioning system helps to achieve lower humidity.
• Use an air purifier: An air purifier with a HEPA filter will pull allergens out of the air before we have a chance to breathe them in.
• Reduce dust: Dust can be an irritant to those who have allergies.
  Non-allergic rhinitis occurs when non-allergenic particles cause nasal allergy symptoms.
• Capture allergens and eliminate them: Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter. This will ensure that you capture the allergens. Using a vacuum that does not have a HEPA filter will send the small allergen back into the environment through the vacuum's exhaust. This often makes the conditions worse because it will take extra time for all the particles to settle out of the air.

Airborne allergens can present very little trouble for you if you learn some simple avoidance strategies. It first begins by learning what you are allergic to. Be aware of the circumstances that symptoms occur.

Environmental controls can prevent the allergic reaction from occurring or reduce the severity of the reaction. They are cost effective, produce no side effects, and are much better for your body than taking drugs. It is the natural approach for dealing with airborne allergens.

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