Have A Safe Holiday Season

Whether you’re the host or a guest, holiday gatherings can serve up allergy and asthma triggers. Thankfully, American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology and Amy L. Darter, MD offer the following tips to help you keep allergies and asthma in check this holiday season:
•    Give your host a heads up ahead of time – A few weeks or more before you drop in, let your relatives or friends know about your allergy and asthma triggers. If you’re hosting, ask your guests whether they have allergies or asthma. The following steps can help if accomplished at least a couple of weeks before the visit:
?    Stop all smoking in the house.
?    Change the furnace filter (replace with a high efficiency MERV 11 rated filter if possible).
?    Establish an “allergy-free zone” by keeping pets out of the bedroom where the person who has allergies or asthma will sleep.
?    Wash all bed linens and pillows in hot water.
?    Vacuum the house well before arrival of the guest with allergies or asthma, and not during the visit, as this stirs up allergens.
?    Place and run a HEPA air cleaner in the guest room a few days before arrival and continue through their visit. Learn more about controlling allergens in the home.
•    Prepare for healthy holiday travel – If you travel by plane, be sure to pack your allergy medicine, inhaler or other prescriptions in your carry-on to keep close at hand. If dust mites are your trigger, pack an allergen-proof cover for your pillow.
•    Kick allergens off the menu – Got a wheat allergy or dairy allergy? It might be hard to believe, but some turkeys (such as the self-basting variety) can contain soy, wheat and dairy. Choose a natural turkey instead – by law, it must be minimally processed and contain nothing more than turkey and water. The stuffing, green bean casserole and other Thanksgiving traditional dishes can contain allergens, too, so read food labels while cooking. If you attend a celebration somewhere other than home, alert your host to any food allergies and ask to bring a safe dish or two. Pack safe snacks for children with allergies.
•    Get a flu shot – Catching the flu can result in a severe flair up of asthma. Don’t risk it – get a flu shot early before you’re exposed to all of your relatives and their germs.
Contact Oklahoma Institute of Allergy & Asthma with any questions you may have about food allergies!