Avoiding Triggers

You can't prevent allergies, but you can reduce your exposure to allergens, which will ease your symptoms. The following suggestions from the AAAAI can help you reduce your exposure and response to fall allergens:

• Wear a face mask while mowing or raking leaves. Better yet, have someone else do these chores for you.
• Cut back trees and brush that overhang your house and remove leaves, clippings, and compost from your yard.
• Repot plants outdoors.
• Shower and wash your hair after spending time outdoors.
• Delay outdoor activities until after midmorning, when pollen counts are highest. Also, try to avoid spending long periods of time outside on dry, windy days, when pollen is more likely to fill the air. You’re likely to have fewer symptoms on rainy, cloudy, and windless days.
• Avoid spending time outdoors in the afternoon if mold spores trigger your symptoms.
• Keep windows closed to prevent triggers from entering your home.
• Keep car windows closed and run the air conditioning while in the car. It’s often helpful to let the air conditioning run for a minute or two with the windows open after first turning it on, to eliminate any mold buildup in the system.