Allergy Season is Upon Us!

We've left winter, and the accompanying flu season, for spring and allergies!  The Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) declares May to be National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month. It's peak season for asthma and allergy sufferers, and a perfect time to educate family, friends, co-workers, etc., about this malaise.

There is no safe place from allergies in America, and some cities are more problematic than others.  The "Allergy Capitals" is an annual research project to identify the "100 most challenging places to live with allergies".  This year, Louisville, KY landed in the #1 spot, a move up from fifth last year.  If you're curious to know where your city ranks, visit www.AllergyCapitals.com.  There's a list on this site of the top 100 most challenging places to live with allergies.

What to do if you are a sufferer?  http://www.webmd.com offers some suggestions:

1. Leave your shoes at the door. When you come home from the outside, taking your shoes off at the door lessens the amount of pollen you track into the house. Wipe down your dog's coat before he comes into the house, too, because pollen clings to fur.
2. Wash your hair before bed. If you're a morning shampoo person, consider switching to shampooing and showering before bed instead. That way, pollen that collected on your hair during the day won’t rub off on your pillow.
3. Close up the house. Open windows can be refreshing, but they let in pollen.
4. Use the ''recirculate" option in the car. Keep windows and sunroofs closed. Especially on high-pollen days, recirculate the air in your car instead of using the vent, which may let in pollen.
5. Service the filters in your furnace and air conditioner. Change them at the intervals recommended by the manufacturer, or more frequently if it seems to help.

While these tips won't cure you of allergy issues, they will help to mitigate the problem.  And every little bit helps!
Bringing useful news to educate our clients is one more way that Home Helpers has been making life easier for over a decade.  Call us today at 704-909-7958.  And as always, you can find us on our website,  Facebook and Google+!