Allergy Awareness Week – more than ten top tips!
Sharing their lived experience of keeping well, the students and volunteers at the Nottingham Recovery College have co-produced a list of handy hints to help you or someone you know manage their allergies.
Allergy Awareness Week is 29 April – 3 May! This year the focus is air pollution, however we thought we would use this opportunity to provide you with a few hints and tips from our blog co-production group has found to help you manage some common allergies.
The following hints are some things you can try in your daily life or use to support someone you know who has an allergy. However, you should always consult your GP or pharmacist for any medication information regarding allergies.
The best way to prevent an allergic reaction is to avoid the substance that you're allergic to, although this isn't always possible. Here are some ideas for you to try:
House dust mites
- Use allergen proof covers on mattresses, duvets and pillows.
- Wash bedding fortnightly at a temperature of at least 60?
- Regularly wipe surfaces with a damp, clean cloth
Food allergies
- Keep a symptoms diary – this is considered to be the best approach to be certain that you are having a reaction to particular foods and you can share it with your nurse or doctor
- Read the packaging - allergens will be in bold on the ingredients label, or will say that it contains an allergen
- Ask restaurant/café staff what foods on the menu are suitable for you
- There is an app called Spoon Guru that could help you find food suitable for you at the supermarket by scanning barcodes on your smartphone
Insect bites or stings
- Don’t wear strong perfume
- Wear shoes outdoors
- Apply insect repellent to exposed skin
Hayfever
- Keep a symptoms diary – it may be helpful to work out which type of pollen affects you the most and also to monitor your symptoms
- Monitor pollen forecasts daily – check the weather report or use an app on your smartphone. The UK Met Office app is free
- Go to the seaside
- Change clothing when you go from outdoors to inside
- Use a mask when you garden
- Keep windows closed on high pollen days
Air pollution
- Check the daily air quality index
- Reduce strenuous outdoor activity on higher pollution days – see advice linked to the levels of pollution here (but you can still go out!)
Pets
- Wash pet bedding regularly
- Keep pets out of the bedroom
- Do not allow pets to sleep on soft furnishings
- Wash hands after touching a pet
Have you found this blog post helpful? We would love to hear from you on our Facebook page or via our Twitter. Alternatively, please email our blog co-production team on nottingham.recovery.college@nottshc.nhs.uk.
