Top products from r/Allergies

Yeah it sucks.

If you have eye issues you can try Alaway (ketotifen fumarate) eye drops. These take about a week to improve symptoms.

Nasal steroids are now available over the counter (in the US) and work wonders for my sinuses during allergy season, they take maybe a couple days to improve symptoms. You can get Nasacort/Flonase in any allergy aisle, but I just picked up this Costco generic bulk pack on Amazon for super cheap.

Antihistamine pills make me so drowsy I can't really function, so I try not to take them. There are a few, mostly herbal, natural antihistamines and other items that help regulate histamine and allergic response, that I am looking into like quercetin, rutin, Vitamin C, and berberine to name a few. Those might be helpful to you. This article is more about histamine intolerance/mast cell disorders, but has some interesting info if you want to check it out.

Probably good. https://www.missionallergy.com/ is the most commonly-recommended. I also have their comforter.

I use Coway https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BTKAPUU/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - it's won some awards, seems good. You can get aftermarket filters which are pretty affordable. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076JJ42V7/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1

Make sure to clean your prefilter routinely. It'll tell you when to replace your other filters.

I have a small studio (around 350 sq ft); I run https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MXDRTKJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 continuously and it'll cost me about $20/month - I'm able to get to the upper 30% relative humidity. After I've done this for a few months I might relax it a bit and target 45% or something since 35-40% is pretty dry.

Sorry for the delay, LMK if you have any other questions.

I've been using this model since March 2014, and it has served me well and still runs great.

It's currently out of stock, but it looks like you can get the black model (which as far as I can tell is identical except for color) and it's in stock and actually several dollars cheaper for some reason.

I have severe asthma / allergies and it does the trick. I chose it after doing a whole lot of research on affordable HEPA air purifiers that don't emit ozone. This is pretty much the best you'll find it seems, and I doubt much has changed in the 2 years since I've bought it.

Be vary careful what model you end up buying because some models may be way cheaper but you won't be able to find filters for them anywhere because they're out of production. That's one of the many reasons I ended up going with the one I have. Availability of filters, affordability, reliability, and effectiveness. But if you throw affordability out of the window you can prob fine an even better one, but it's going to cost a whole lot more.

You don't need $400.00 for an air purifier. Buy a GermGuardian, they're $80 and spend the rest on new filters every 1-3mo.

Immunotherapy is going to be the best option for your girlfriend. It's also really good to start immunotherapy early if your child develops allergies. Daily antihistamines might be in your favor, Costco is a great place to buy antihistamines for a year and very cheap (sub $15).

All in all, no, you're not doing any disservice to your child by not letting them inhale cigarette second hand smoke or second hand weed. Purify the air if you know it exists. Chances are your child will have allergies if the mother does. It's just the way the world works. I've been exposed to mold, dander, pollen, trees, grass, and played in the dirt and was outside my entire childhood. I'm still allergic to everything. Germ theory makes sense for allergies, but does not always play out in practice. There's something deeper that has yet to be discovered, but for now, do your best to keep your child away from secondhand smoke and don't worry too much about air allergens. They're going to get plenty of allergen exposure at school, the playground, other parts of the house, and just about anywhere you go.

>in your personal opinion do you think meat would be a problem with this?

I don't think so. I note that the Sonnenburgs follow what I will characterize as a very plant-heavy "Paleo" diet with some meat and fish. The Sonnenburgs are part of a group of scientists who have been studying the Hadza people in Tanzania. Researchers have been studying the Hadza as proxies for our evolutionary ancestors. For more about this research, visit this Web site. The Hadza eat meat in the form of game animals they hunt. The huge difference is the amount of fiber the Hadza consume each day. The Sonnenburgs state that the Hadza typically consume 100 - 150 g of fiber per day. The average American typically consumes about 14 g of fiber per day. That's a huge difference.

In the interview I link to, the Sonnenburgs recommend consuming at least 30 - 40 g of fiber per day. They recommend getting this by eating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, whole-grains and legumes. What you want is to develop a very diverse gut microbiome by consuming a wide variety of fiber. Also, try to eliminate as much highly-processed food and sugary drinks as you can.

>What kind of plan do you think would work for me?

The Sonnenburgs give some diet recommendations in their book, The Good Gut. In my own life, I follow a vegan diet which is a "hybrid" between those recommended by Dr. Joel Fuhrman and Dr. John McDougall. I have calculated that I typically consume 60 - 70 g of fiber per day. I probably drink at least 48 oz of water per day to help process all that fiber.

I have been using Air Purifiers for the last 6 years or so (well when I was living on the east coast.....moved to a place with much cleaner air this fall and don't need the purifier anymore).

They really really work. Run one in the room you sleep in especially. Added bonus of great white noise.

This one works really well:

https://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-50250-S-True-HEPA-Purifier/dp/B00007E7RY/ref=sr_1_7?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1521118183&sr=1-7&keywords=honeywell+air+purifier&dpID=51QYt9jPAlL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

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

That's odd. I won't comment on the family situation, so I'll stick to some medical items:

1. Do you have an air purifier? Put it in your room. If you don't have one, go find a HEPA purifier: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_n_1?fst=as%3Aoff&rh=n%3A510192%2Ck%3Aair+purifier&keywords=air+purifier&ie=UTF8&qid=1479692287&rnid=2941120011
   
   
2. You're likely already taking an antihistamine, right? Make a quick call to your doctor and ask if it's fine to double up on it for the holidays knowing you'll be around known triggers.
   
   
3. Get a 3M N95 mask to prevent issues when you're not in your room: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002YKBV2/
   
   
4. Carry an Epipen or something similar. Use this to have the copay waived: https://www.epipen.com/copay-offer/
   
   
5. Take benadryl to help too. You might need it at night to get a restful night of sleep.
   
   
6. When you talk to your doctor, ask if there is anything else you should do to be well prepared.
   
   Generally speaking, to the extent that you can find activities for you and even the family to do outside of the home, the better for your condition. Do you have your own transportation? If it's really bad, and I only say this from a medical perspective, go back to school, and find a way to not have to live at home if the situation is going to continue.
   
   My hope, for you, is that the dogs are small and won't create too much of a problem. Sorry you're stuck in a hard situation.

> Who knows, I suppose I might be completely wrong - and honestly, I would be very happy if I was.


You are singing to the choir! I'd really suggest doing a food diary for at least a month. There's a symptom tracker app on iOS if you have an iThing. It lets you diary your food and your symptoms and it compares for you.

Also, have you seen an allergist or immunologist? You've done all the GI stuff so that's good.... but you seem to have some kind of immune system thing going on! Have you had allergy testing? You can get a skin test that's a full food panel. In my experience skin tests are more reliable than blood tests.

Also, I wholeheartedly recommend this book on food allergies, food intolerances, and chemical type intolerances/allergies.

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.

I’ve been allergic to smoke off and on throughout my life. What you’re describing definitely sounds like the same reaction I have. I’d highly recommend using a saline rinse such as this one that I use as it will wash away the particles your sinuses are reacting to. I’m not a medical professional, just someone who has severe allergies. Be sure to use distilled water and keep everything sanitary with non scented Dish Soap.

Sinus Rinse Complete Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RDZFZ0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_CS1.BbMYT967A

3M provides a HEPA mask which I've found to be great. A dust mask won't work, you need a HEPA.

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

Sounds like me. Maybe a dozen times a year my face just turns into a river. Days like that it's a struggle to remain functional. My routine is:

• Sudafed: 24-hour dose of actual pseudoephedrine (phenylephrine is worthless), can take an hour to start kicking in.
  
• Benadryl: one or two doses, can take 30 minutes to kick in, chew if in distress (be careful though, diphenhydramine can kick hard).
  
• Mucinex: if I'm also coughing up mucus, guaifenesin is ok.
  
• Aspirin: for the inevitable headache that accompanies sinus-rage.
  
• Vick's Vapoinhaler: when my nose is also sensitive and irritated, this thing can calm it down immediately and continuously, best part is no max dose per day so it's completely as-desired.
  
  (edit formatting)

I like olive oil soap. It's pretty common online and in health food stores.

"Kiss my face" is the brand I know off the top of my head, but there are a bunch of them.

For yard work and mowing the lawn, I wear one of these: 3M(TM) Half Facepiece Respirator Assembly 6291/07002(AAD), Medium, with 3M(TM) Particulate Filters 2091/07000(AAD), P100 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FTEDMM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_EfSyzbTQQKPSQ

Breaths pretty easily, gets uncomfortable after an hour or so. I'm still looking for something more appropriate for outdoor exercise.

Would you think something like this would work?

https://www.amazon.com/GermGuardian-AC4825-Cleaning-Sanitizer-Reduction/dp/B004VGIGVY/ref=sr_1_6_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1500320209&sr=8-6&keywords=ionizer

Is there any way to tell them that you are really worried about your allergies and can't dogsit? Tell them you can't afford the bill. It's sad when we don't feel comfortable telling family about our allergies. My sister keeps insisting on a big function at her 3-dog house, I have to explain over and over that I CAN'T.

I have allergic asthma as well. Terriers/schnauzers are the best type of dogs for me to be around (tolerable- My parents have a cairn terrier) Helps to get the dog allergen sprays (that you spray onto the dog) but ideally you shouldn't have it in your house. But if you do, a mask/or nose filters, latex gloves+bathe the dog in anti-allergen shampoo. Maybe your parents could pay for that? The dog shampoo listed below helped me last time I stayed at my parents. i doubt it would do much for a big black lab, but that terrier/scnauzer type dander is more manageable.

Nose Filters
https://www.amazon.com/WoodyKnows-Allergens-Pollution-Particles-Replacement/dp/B00SHELUP0

Allersearch Laboratories Pet+™: Anti-Allergen Pet Shampoo, 16 oz.
https://www.amazon.com/Allersearch-Laboratories-Pet-TM-Anti-Allergen/dp/B000BKA66C/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1480265950&sr=1-1&keywords=dog+allergen+shampoo

Spray
https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Miracle-Remover-Deodorizer-16-Ounce/dp/B0002ASL5E/ref=pd_sim_199_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0002ASL5E&pd_rd_r=KHGHA6DHDJRBCEY20YZF&pd_rd_w=NEyml&pd_rd_wg=rcpdy&psc=1&refRID=KHGHA6DHDJRBCEY20YZF

Get a 3M mask with filters and you can clean it fine.

Then invest in one of these (I own three and am allergic to dust):

http://www.amazon.com/Whirlpool-Whispure-Purifier-Cleaner-AP51030K/dp/B00440EKRG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451960659&sr=8-1&keywords=whirlpool+air

Of course you can bathe them yourself. And in-between water bathing/shampooing, you should simply brush to deshed. Doing this daily will help tremendously. Use a deshedding tool to do so, buying one based on the size of the dog (need a bigger brush for a bigger dog). If they have the kind of coat that gets all up in the air when you brush them, you might want to consider buying disposable dust masks as well.

Also, for frugality, I recommend buying allergy meds on Amazon also. I use this generic version of Zyrtec which has 365 tablets for $19. That's basically a whole year of supply of the drug. You could also try fluticasone (Flonase generic) as a nasal spray. As someone who has 3 cats but is allergic, these two drugs make my life livable.

Allergies gave me bronchitis a few years ago thanks to the postnasal drip (drainage) I experience while I was sleeping. I now rinse my sinuses 1-2 times daily with the sinus rinse I've shared. NOTE: that I use store-bought distilled water for it. Tap water can give you an infection. In a pinch, I'll boil water and wait for it to cool but it's not pleasant. Anyway, I haven't been sick since and I used to get sick all the time! It might be worth a shot for you too?

https://www.amazon.com/NeilMed-100-Sinus-Rinse-Complete/dp/B000RDZFZ0/ref=sr_1_3?gclid=CjwKCAjw67XpBRBqEiwA5RCocUqP-KVqA15Ip9mA8HYrUbaxXMhT9oWPRs4Rni_SmvtuP7h1E3QsBxoCphIQAvD_BwE&hvadid=323197998438&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9005928&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=b&hvrand=7082369518715186804&hvtargid=kwd-468041336806&hydadcr=25968_10973134&keywords=neilmed+nasal+rinse+kit&qid=1563321090&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Those kinds of tests are bogus.

The best way to figure out food sensitivities is:

First, get tested for celiac disease.

Then, do a hypoallergenic elimination diet, where you don't eat common food allergens or anything that you habitually eat, for at least a week. Followed by food challenges with the foods you eliminated, meaning that you try a single food (one plant species or one animal species) at a time, and wait at least a couple days to see what happens and wait for any reaction to clear up before trying the next food. The link has elimination diets of varying strictness.

Ideally the food challenges would be blind, so you don't know what you're eating, but that's difficult and not often done.

Check out Mast Cell Activation Disorder and a book by Dr. Lawrence Afrin:

https://www.amazon.com/Never-Bet-Against-Occam-Activation/dp/0997319615

I don't know if that is what you have, but it might be worth a look into this.

The one I use is OrthoMolecular. I was using a different supplement last year called AllerC which was similar, but when I went to the store to buy more this year, they were out. That's how I discovered DHist. This is one of the cheapest ways to order it but if you want to try it out they make them in bottles with 40 capsules or so. https://www.amazon.com/Ortho-Molecular-Product-Natural-D-Hist/dp/B0006ON6D8

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

I bought this
Air purifier
which says its CADR rated 100+ for medium size room. I think that should be more then enough for a small bedroom

I got this one and it gets the job done. You only need to replace the carbon filter every couple of months. It was slightly cheaper when I bought it a month ago, though.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00007E7RY

My recommendation for an air purifier (after a bunch of research) is the Coway: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BTKAPUU

I second the allergy testing, that could help narrow down the cause.

When you say you try to keep the air circulating, does that including opening the window? I ask because you could be letting early morning pollen in.

Another thing you can try: sleep on a different mattress / air bed / sleeping bag in the problem room. That would tell you if it's the air or the bed.

I did mine based on my symptoms and a blood based allergy test. I also used this book, which there's a newer version for that I'm not sure about. Also, be careful about food additives, some brands can have additives that are potential irritants and such.

I might buy both Netipot and Sinus Rinse. They both do the same thing, but with slightly different mechanisms. Some people prefer one and hate the other.