How Allergies Can Affect You When Moving to a New Area

Regardless of whether you decide to move across town, another state or country, where you live, can greatly affect your health if you’re prone to allergies. Sometimes, even if you were unaware of allergies, moving to say an agricultural area, can trigger allergic reactions in someone who otherwise hadn’t suffered from any previously.

• Stress can play a role in allergy attacks, and let’s face it, moving can be very stressful. Yoga, meditation, or warm bath may sooth your nerves.
• Pollen, mold and grasses may be different from one location to another, however, the allergens that trigger a reaction, can follow you wherever you go.
• Moving to another region, might expose you to a new set of allergy triggers.
• New to the Lehigh Valley area? It is ranked 59 out of 100 on the Asthma and Allergy Foundation’s 2015 list of the most challenging places to live with spring allergies. LV is rated 19 out of 100 on a similar list about asthma.
• Look for mold in the bathroom, laundry room, kitchen and basement of your new home.
• When repainting use mold resistant paint for those rooms.
• Before moving in, hire a cleaning person, then keep your home clean to avoid indoor allergens.
• Use eco-friendly cleaning products, as harsh chemicals can irritate the nasal passages and aggravate symptoms.
• Choose HEPA filters for your vacuum cleaner to trap allergens.
• Avoid smoke from wood-burning fireplaces.
• Getting a new friend, adopt/buy an allergy friendly pet.
• Select wood floors over carpeting, especially if the previous tenants or homeowners had pets or smoke.
• For window treatments, wash existing curtains or better yet, opt for allergy-resistant window coverings.
• Caulking around windows erode, and even small cracks can let in a surprisingly large amount of dust, pollen, and mold spores. Inspect the caulking, look for any visible openings, then re-caulk.
• Boost your immunity, read our 15 helpful tips.

Allergy sufferer? Call Dr. Theodore H. Gaylor, ENT doctor today at 610-770-9797 to make an appointment.