(Part 3) Best products from r/Allergies

Sounds like you're doing about all you can given your situation. Keeping your dirty laundry right under your bed means keeping all those allergens right under the place where you spend 8 hours each night, though. Maybe put them in a bag you can close up, like a trash bag, in the closet, or at least on the other side of the room from your bed?

My immunologist is always on patients about healthy gut flora and how much that impacts our immune systems. He recommends [Oligo 30](https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B4ZE4LK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
) but I know you're a student and might not have an extra $40 for that. He also recommends Phillips Colon Health and fermented foods like kefir and sauerkraut, and yogurt with live cultures.

Stainless or surgical steel, or titanium are the best thing for ear piercings that cause itching. Also, hooks or wires, anything not pressed up against the ear is better than a post.

I used to have to get wires, similar to [these] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BBQCWAS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_L6XYCbFV0470T) and would get cheap earrings that had dangling bits that I could break off to put on the wires to keep my ears from swelling and scabbing.

I haven't had any issues since I got the titanium or steel earrings, and they're in my ears constantly, and have been for about 10 years. I have 5 piercings in each ear as well.

I am allergic to cats and married to a cat lover. I also receive allergy shots.

Do your allergy shots include cat allergen? If not, they will not work for cat allergies since you won't be building an immunity to that particular allergen.

I have had absolutely no issues with our cat and I play with it and pet it every day.

One product that I believe is really helping my allergies is called Allerpet. We wipe our cat with this every week or so and I believe this alongside my shot treatment has been the reason for our success.

As a person with severe allergies myself, definitely get a bracelet. They have some nice ones on the first website I linked down below and it could definitely save your life one day. Also if you have to carry around an EpiPen I suggest getting some of these keychains (second website) to put on whatever you use to carry it in in the event that someone needs to find it and use it on you.

https://www.americanmedical-id.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Pack-Epipen-Inside-Keychain-Allergy/dp/B07PY1FHM1/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=epipen+keychain&qid=1566374305&s=gateway&sprefix=epipen+k&sr=8-1

You'll get the usual advice of flonase or something similar, zyrtec or something similar, and, yes, I've heard some give very positive feedback re installing a whole house HEPA system. I would also urge you to give this a try. I've used it for about a year now and there's no doubt it has helped. Good luck to you.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RWFFHY/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_3?pf_rd_p=1944687462&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B006ZOC2B0&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1BVQ4HDYTR8RAWV982WT

Yeah totally can be! I have a few kinds of mosquitoes that make worse bites for me than most. That does sound like an allergic reaction. Basically, all humans have what is called a histamine reaction to mosquito bites (foreign organic material tends to get an immune response) but a lot of allergies (this is why they do skin-based allergy tests) are histamine reactions. That kind of swelling and redness that you mentioned sounds a lot like it.

If you want a solid after-bite fix, this stuff called sting stop (metal toothpaste tube looking thing that says “sssssting stop” on it) is magic against most bug bites and has really helped me deal with mosquito bites.

Here’s a link, hopefully it works — I haven’t really put links in replies before, and I’m on mobile:

https://www.amazon.com/Boericke-Tafel-SssstingStop-Health-Beauty/dp/B0036GT4HU/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?adgrpid=56080920236&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI28-gmMKV4wIVSbXACh3eUQfyEAAYASAAEgLoh_D_BwE&hvadid=274719903077&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9032596&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=b&hvrand=14274556536349841062&hvtargid=kwd-300230144349&hydadcr=7853_9886193&keywords=ssssting+stop&qid=1562045837&s=gateway&sr=8-5

Given that it happens at night, it might likely be dust mites. A $30 investment in allergen barriers might do the trick. I use dust mite and other allergen proof mattress and pillow covers. You can find these at any normal store like Walmart, target, Amazon, etc. They also help with spills and such, but the benefit here is also protection from dust mites.

Here is one I use: https://www.amazon.com/AllerEase-Waterproof-Zippered-Mattress-Protector/dp/B00MZNCKL2/

As far as I know mine is safe! It’s 100% vegan and free of most items.


100% Vegan Repair Shampoo - Very... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0768RDQCB?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Live in California and when there are fires, we can get hammered by smoke, so I've invested in several AeraMax 300 units around the house. They have an "auto" mode or manual speed 1-4. Even on the highest speed it's not that loud. I can't speak to dust allergies specifically but it's a dual-stage HEPA filter and done a good job keeping the dust (And smoke and other particulates) down in the house.

With any filter you buy, make sure you change the filters regularly. They'll get less efficient and push less air through as they get dirty.

I believe ADS spray works better if there's any sensitivity / asthma to chemical or bleach fumes: ADMS has bleach and several other ingredients in it (see https://www.amazon.com/ADMS-Anti-Allergen-Spray-32-oz/product-reviews/B0010DLYR4/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_viewopt_kywd?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=helpful&pageNumber=1&filterByKeyword=ingredients), ADS spray just has tannic acid.

Also, regarding dusting: an alternative to microfiber is using a damp towel to wipe rather than putting the dust back into the air where you'll just breathe it. After wiping with the damp towel, rinse the dust off in the sink and down the drain rather than throwing it in the indoor trash (if it's paper) or in the laundry bin (if it's cloth). If you trash it or put it in the laundry bin, those dust mites are still there, and even happier than before since now they've got all that dust to eat.

It's your family and your health. I'd be honest.

Also, you might find this "personal" book about food allergies helpful. She also talks about talking to family members.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0017D16PW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Better cheaper option. Also multiple sizes so you can use thicker filters which work better.

Never heard of it but with my allergies back in full swing with the fall weeds starting up and after reading the double blind study, I'm going to order some from Amazon and give it a shot.

Looks promising. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15619563

EDIT: I just ordered this one if anyones interested. The one reviewer said it is standardized extract, which from what I looked up means it's measured and consistent parts in every capsule. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001F0R02K/ref=ox_ya_os_product

I've used https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I13WJJS, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R6FZVXI/, and https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007Q2KGJA when grooming my dogs.

They provide some degree of relief (fur, slobber, and larger particles stay out of your nose & mouth) but aren't a total solution. There's no airtight seal, and they're not rated to catch everything. They're easy enough to breathe through, but air tends to leak out the top and fog up glasses. There are options with much better filtration (e.g. this one claims HEPA filtration) but I haven't tried them myself.

I use these and the stronger ones. I have them in each type depending on how breathable i need or where I'm going to be. They work really well!

Try a hospital-grade, enzymatic fogger.

It's like a bug bomb, but it cleans the air.

Set off one in your car, in the trunk. Let it sit like that over the weekend, in the sun.

http://www.kleenair.net/product-information/
"Mold spores are tough.
Unlike plant fibers, which are cellulose, mold spores have a tough outer shell of the same material in the shells of crabs, lobsters and shrimp. Caustic cleaners and the enzymes in ordinary cleaning products and mold stain removers can’t easily break down this tough outer shell. Kleen Air M-5 does."


Here's the one I use on living quarters in the oilfield. This stuff is about to change your life! Here's the one I bought.

Big D Odor Control Fogger http://www.amazon.com/Big-Odor-Control-Fogger-Aerosol/dp/B004EHZ63G


You're about to make that mold and cigarette tar your bitch! Happy hunting!

Clif's Builder's Bars don't have peanuts for the most part. (Avoid the "Peanut Butter" flavor.) The only downside to those, and pretty much all Clif products is they seem to have a fairly high sugar content. They are easy to find in a lot of stores. Target and Walmart sell them in boxes of 6 for around $10-$12 I think.

Another one to look at is Balance Bar Bare. Fairly high protein, no peanuts in the Sweet n' Salty Almond flavor. Hard to find in stores, but you can buy them on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Balance-Bar-Nutrition-Energy-Chocolate/dp/B000R8Y920

Thanks. I know I won't be able to eliminate the source of the problem, but could the allergy symptoms be managed with an air purifier like this? A lot of the reviewers say it eliminates both mustiness and allergy symptoms.

I've used these Luna ones & they've worked well for me. For the mattress I'd recommend a zippered-one that completely covers it, as opposed to an elastic one that sites on top/sides.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002AQNS74/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_OO-KybFSAYST4

This spray helped a lot with my son’s allergies.