We don't know about you, but this Spring has been brutal for those of us at Unplggd who suffer from pollen related allergies. When we say brutal we mean that the symptoms have been so intense that we fear leaving the bubble provided by our HEPA filters. Since we cannot live in a filtered bubble, we've roundup up various tech solutions to help alleviate the seasonal allergy related suffering.
As one of the writers that suffers heavily from allergies, I type this post with swollen eyes, a runny nose, congested chest, persistent cough, and in an almost perpetual sneezing state. Amazingly this is despite the cocktail of PX allergy medication which makes me fear for what life would be like without the meds. If you are also feeling this way take a gander at some of these tech related solutions and if you have your own to add, please do so in the comments. Any help to get through this dismal, horrible, wretched season called Spring is greatly appreciated.
1) Knowledge is Power: While this tip won't provide relief, by checking out the linked site, Pollen.com, you will know what is going on in the air outside and when it is a good idea not to venture outside your HEPA bubble or meet friends for a picnic in the park (the very idea is so risible). There are also several mobile app solutions that do this including Pollen.com's Allergy Alert, Zyrtec AllergyCast, and Omnaris AllergyManager which has the added boon of allowing user input to track symptoms.2) Replace the Filter in Your AC: We are so guilty of not replacing the air filter in our AC unit often enough and think this must be because we forget what a huge difference it makes. Depending on your allergy sensitivity you might want to replace the filter once every 15 days during peak allergy season. The process of replacing the filter, like most things one does during allergy season (like breathe, ha ha), will most likely cause your allergies to worsen so see if a non-allergy suffering friend or family member can do this for you.
3) A Powerful Air Filter: This one is pretty much a no-brainer, a good HEPA filter is going to make a huge difference in the air quality in your home and hence your quality of life. While there are a few aesthetically pleasing solutions out there (and for the record contrary to some of the comment the post was written by someone who suffers severely from allergies and the design angle on filter selection is because we are a design & technology focused site), but for a good selection of powerful compact(ish) hospital type grade filters check out the offerings from Austin Air and the selection from the Allergy Buyers Club and look for a CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) of a least 200-250 for a smallish space. This allergy suffering writer does not have a personal filter recommendation as all that she has tried have not delivered the promised relief.
4) Keep a Clean House: While the allergy sufferer should definitely NOT be the person vacuuming, a clean, frequently vacuumed space can help pick up the allergens that the air filter has missed. Not all vacs are created equal so make sure to use one with a very good filtration system.
We wish we had more tech solutions to offer for allergy sufferers as some of us literally feel your pain.
Do you know of a good air filter we should review? Know of a fantastic tech allergy relief solution? Please share in the comments!
(Lead Image: Flickr member Samuel Benoit licensed for use under Creative Commons)
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I feel your pain. The best air filter is a nose that works, and I encourage you to try jalaneti, which is nasal lavage. I was miserable and constantly ill with sinus and allergy problems for most of my adult life before I discovered jalaneti in 1999. I feel like it saved my life.
Please research this and give it serious consideration---search for jalaneti and nasal lavage. I prefer to use .9% saline solution, which is the same as the body's natural salinity, and I suggest you begin by doing a neti three times a day for two weeks, then twice a day for two weeks, then finally once a day for maintenance. This will let your sinus passages heal and shrink back to normal size.
You can buy a neti pot. I prefer a baby bottle. I cut a 6mm hole in the nipple, and drilled a 4 mm hole in the bottom so it would siphon. It won't break and the nipple is soft and pliable. And I use a LOT of saline solution each time---about 30 oz. total.
Good luck and best wishes for your improved health (and happiness).
take some onion with pineapple....or go with a doctor that knows homeopathy.
Don't take antihistamines pills regularly, just in very necessary cases.They're good,but after the effect you could have the same symptomps.
I suffer of allergies and the best solutions are good cleaning habits and natural or homeopathic solutions.
Take care!
honey. local honey. helps build up a little tolerance to pollens. won't cure your allergies, but will help alleviate them a bit.
I like the neti wash but I use neilmed, the black-tipped bottle religiously! Also, if you don't have anyone to clean or change filters buy a box of paper masks to wear while doing those chores. I like the soft ones that loop over the ears best. Cover pillows, the mattress, and box springs in washable allergy-proof covers. Make sure all bedding can be easily washed...no thick duvets....change to a quilt....wash all bedding on hot weekly! Local honey is a must! And if you can afford it, a rainbow Rex air vacuum. Good luck!
I had a cold this winter that seems to have turned into some kind of permanent sinus-based hay fever thing. This is despite having an Airfree air purifier next to my desk and one in my bedroom.
I'm just looking for some sympathy, that's all...
@Glastonbury Tor----You have my complete sympathy. I know how dragged down you are feeling. What sent me over the edge was an vacant lot next to my house. It went for almost a year without being cut down, and when it finally was mowed, my neighborhood looked like a bomb had gone off. Dirt and pollen everywhere.
I had a terrible sinus reaction, that turned into a bad earache, that turned into bronchitis, that turned in to pneumonia. I was sick from August until November (and almost insane from illness) when I discovered jalaneti. But when the new year rolled around, I was well and I can count on one hand the number of times I have been sick since then.
If you believe that washing your hands is a healthy thing to do, then please believe that washing out your nose is also healthy :-) It seems yucky to some people, but what's more yucky than having your head stopped up with gunk?
Here's my formula for neti water (saline solution)---after a while you won't need to follow the formula, but it's good for beginners. In one gallon of filtered water (or distilled water) carefully measure and add 6 level teaspoons of salt, and 1 level teaspoon of baking soda. That's a near as you can get (using kitchen tools) to a .9% solution. This the most comfortable and benign of saline mixes. Too salty and it burns, but not salty enough burns too. This is what Goldilocks uses, too.
The baking soda slightly alters the pH of the nasal mucosa, which then makes it a hostile surface to the rhino-viruses. So doing a neti at least once a day goes a long long way in preventing colds because the rhino virus can't latch on at the cellular level.
Please give it a try.