Traveling with allergies? Do these 5 things to find relief
Planning to travel this spring season? If you suffer from allergies, make sure you do these 5 things so your allergies don't make you miserable
Video Transcript
DR. TANIA ELLIOTT: Hi, I'm Dr. Tania Elliott. Are you planning to travel this spring season? Do you have allergies? If so, here are the top five things you can do to make sure your allergies don't make you miserable when you're on vacation.
Number 1, medications. You never know if you're going to be overseas, whether or not the place has the medications that you typically take for your allergies. So make sure you pack with you all of your medicines, including antihistamines, which can really help if you're in a pinch and in the middle of having an allergy attack. And even if you don't have allergies, I always recommend just to bring some antihistamines with you just in case.
Next, if you suffer from skin allergies, bring your own pillow with you when you travel. That's because lots of people can actually react to ingredients that are in detergents. So bringing your own pillow can solve for this because that way, your face is lying on something that's been washed with your own detergents that you know you don't react to.
Next, the humidity level. So if you suffer from a dust mite allergy, which is the most common indoor allergy or a mold allergy, you may want to check with the hotel ahead of time and ask if they have a dehumidifier to put in your room. Now, the key humidity level that you want to be is less than 50%. So another thing you may want to do is bring with you a portable temperature or humidity gauge. They cost a couple of bucks, they're about this big, and it'll tell you what the temperature is as well as what the humidity level is wherever you're located.
Next, check out the conditions. You may want to have a pollen counter with you. Just download an app, or you can even get it through the weather channel. And that way, you know which days are going to be your high pollen count days and plan accordingly. Now, we want you to enjoy all of the physical activity and adventure on your vacation, but make sure you take your allergy medicines about 30 minutes to one hour before you venture outside.
Last, maybe you're still making a decision about where you want to travel. And there are pros and cons to maybe going to the beach or going to the mountainside. So for example, if you go to a place that's at a high altitude, dust mites and indoor mold can't exist. So if you suffer from dust mite or mold allergy, you may want to choose an adventurous mountainous vacation that's at a high altitude. Or if you're an asthma sufferer, you may want to choose to go for a seaside beach vacation, because studies have shown that the salt air can help to reduce inflammation in your nasal passages and your lungs. Enjoy your trip.
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