by Jason Samanski
Reducing Exposure to Environmental Triggers for Sinusitis, Allergies and Asthma is one of the most important steps you can take to personally manage your sinus-related condition.
1.) Pulsatile Sinus Irrigation: It is virtually impossible to avoid all exposure to the multitude of substances in your daily life that exacerbate your allergy, asthma and sinusitis. The first and most important step is taking personal responsibility to manage your own symptoms. Pulsatile Irrigation delivers a gentle pulsating stream of a buffered saline solution that helps not only to remove unwanted substances triggering allergic reactions; it also gently restores the functioning of your cilia by cleaning out the thick mucous biofilm that prevents your cilia from fighting infection. If your physician has already prescribed a nasal steroid or you are using an Over-The-Counter mast cell stabilizer such as NasalCrom; more medicine will come into contact with nasal mucosa by irrigating first. This amazing device takes less than a minute to help you experience immediate natural relief and manage your aggravating, sometimes painful symptoms by helping to reduce or prevent future attacks.
2.) Indoor Environmental Management: Although you are unable to control the transitional elements of spring, summer, fall and winter; you have the ability to manage your exposure to allergenic substances inside your household. Allergenic Air Filters that screen out microscopic particles (stirred up by normal walking patterns inside your household) may be professionally installed by a trained HVAC Technician as an additional component to your heating and cooling system.
For many, a more practical approach is to purchase disposable air filters designed to filter out pollens, animal dander, insect waste, mold and fungus allergens. Your local home improvement store often carries a variety of disposable air filters that target the removal of allergenic particles.
Keeping windows closed during peak allergy seasons and vacuuming your household regularly will help reduce your exposure to many of the triggers that aggravate your sinuses. However, there is one uninvited visitor that thrives in parts of the country where the indoor relative humidity is often greater than 50%. Dust mites are microscopic, crab-like creatures that invisibly dwell in your carpet, upholstered furniture, drapery, pillows, mattresses and bedding by the billions.
Many individuals are highly allergic to the molted skin and waste products of these uninvited guests feeding off your dead skin cells and their own waste products. Replacing carpet with hardwood or tile floors, draperies with wood, metal or plastic blinds, upholstered furniture with wood or leather furniture and utilizing mattress and pillow case coverings, creates a less favorable condition for these creatures to cohabitate with you.
3.) Outdoor Environmental Management: Enjoying outdoor recreational activities and maintenance responsibilities around the yard can be an aggravating experience for many allergy sufferers and dangerous for those managing allergic asthma. The reproduction cycle of trees, grasses and weeds produce pollens disbursed locally and often widely distributed into your locality by the jet stream.
Rainy seasons often support the growth of mold and fungus. Grass cutting and shrub trimming release allergens into the air. An allergy filtration mask may help reduce your exposure and help prevent attacks. For many, these masks are unattractive, hot and cumbersome to wear. I learned about a company distributing a nasal filter that I personally tested when cutting my lawn. This particular brand of nasal filters is very effective and let you breathe without obstruction. The filters fit into your nose similar to putting an ear noise reduction filter into your ear. You can learn about this less obtrusive disposable nasal filter: http://www.breathepurenaf.com. Also, do not forget to irrigate your nose after being outdoors when pollen is widespread!
4.) Seek Qualified Expertise: If you are unable to manage your symptoms after receiving treatment from a Primary Care Physician; seek out a Board Certified Allergist or Ear Nose and Throat physician to help you. Most Allergists and ENT physicians will help you evaluate your need for pharmacotherapy and/or surgical options. Moreover, you may discern you are a candidate for immunotherapy injections; a process that often requires a two- to four-year commitment to help your body become desensitized to many of the substances you body is allergic too.