It’s that time of year again—time to take stock of your life and find the perfect New Year’s resolution to make 2024 your best year yet. More than 50 million people in the United States have an allergic reaction each year. If sneezing, hives and coughing have been your constant companions for years past, taking steps to manage your allergies may be the perfect New Year’s resolution.
Let’s look at three steps towards fewer allergy symptoms in the new year.
1. Schedule an Allergy Test
Identifying the allergens you react to is the first step in managing your symptoms. Two common types of allergy tests include:
- Skin prick test. A skin prick test is the most common type of allergy test. Your allergy specialist will place a small drop of an allergen on your skin and prick the skin underneath the drop. After 15 minutes, any redness or swelling is measured to determine sensitivity.
- Blood test. A blood test measures how much of an allergen-specific antibody called immunoglobulin E is in your blood. The more allergen-specific immunoglobulin E, the more likely you are to be allergic to the substance. Blood tests are an excellent option if the allergy is severe enough that the skin test will cause a serious reaction.
2. Clean Allergens Out of Your Life
Once you have identified your allergens, you can begin to put a plan in place to avoid them. While you may not be able to completely rid pollen, pet dander or dust mites from your life, there are ways you can minimize your exposure to them, including:
- Clean your home regularly. Pollen, dust mites and dander can build up in your home faster than expected. Vacuuming, sweeping and mopping regularly can help you reduce the accumulation of allergens in your home and prevent unnecessary allergic reactions.
- Shower when you get home. Although walking through Brittlebank Park is a great way to spend an afternoon, it may also leave you covered in pollen. Showering after a trip to the park can help prevent that pollen from spreading through your home.
3. Seek Treatment
The new year is the perfect time to begin allergy treatment. In addition to practicing allergy avoidance, allergy immunotherapy is an excellent option to reduce your sensitivity to allergens. Immunotherapy works by introducing small doses of an allergen via shots, increasing the dosage over time to build up a tolerance.
By scheduling an appointment for an allergy test, cleaning allergens out of your life and beginning immunotherapy treatments, you can take control of allergy management in the new year.