Comments on: Allergies

By: Lynne

Lynne — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 22:20:40 +0000

I was raised in Florida, traveled all over the US and been to Californai and Texas and now reside in Minnesota and have for 25 years. I have hay fever, am allergic to all the trees surrounding my home, the grasses, and, of course dust mites.

I agree with Amy, there in the home and unless you open the windows and leave the house and let it all freeze pipes and all, it won’t help being up here in the cold.

I was prescribed Singular, a pill that was for asthma patients but is now being given to people with allergies. It works differently then antihistamines in that it inhibits the reaction rather then inhibits the symptoms. It blocks a different type of histamine too. You have to take it once a day, but after two weeks, you dont’ need anything. Nasal sprays, antihistimines, nothing. Its as if you don’t have an allergy. Talk to your doctor about it or medicines like it. After affects? They warn maybe you could get a belly ache once in a while. I never did. Its fairly safe.

As to Minnesota? Its fall colors are more striking then a lot of states because it has Maple trees. People up here make their own maple syrup like in the old days. Its beautiful in the fall. There are falls, lakes and cliffs and Lake Superior. Its dark in the winter, and snowy and the full moon makes its lovely, but its soon over and you have the tulips and daffodils. The four seasons are wonderful!

I hope we all find a cure for the common allergy.

Lynne

By: Mrs. Garcia

Mrs. Garcia — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 18:52:36 +0000

I was reading the Little House series to my daughters and in the last two books it spoke about it being “only” -20 outside. I thought “I have never had it that cold anywhere I have lived!” and it seems so normal for Laura to be out in that kind of weather riding in the sleigh!

Burrrrrrr!

By: ruth

ruth — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 22:45:40 +0000

I grew up in Minnesota. You don’t know cold until you’ve spent a winter there. We moved to Syracuse, NY “for the warm winters.” I will say, at least there are spurts of sunlight in a Minnesota winter, even if the average temperature is -20. In Syracuse, the average winter temperature is +20 to +30, but the sun NEVER comes out. It can snow for 60 days in a row (and it has).

I still think you should seriously consider moving to Arizona. It is very dry there, and good for people with allergies. Plus, NO DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME! Well, you can’t grow strawberries. I don’t think you can even grow grass. But still–consider it (or New Mexico, but then you don’t get the DST perk).

By: Amy Scott

Amy Scott — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 18:29:53 +0000

Thanks for all the tips. With a possible move looming, we won’t replace our carpet in our current house with wood floors, but our next house will definitely be all wood. I prefer the wood anyway, just for cleanliness and the ambiance.

For now, I’m going to encase our mattresses and pillows and see how that helps. I’ll also wash our sheets in super hot water instead of warm. From what I’ve read, bedding is the biggest trigger.

In the meantime, I’ll hobble along with daily doses of loratadine, chlor-trimaton, and decogestants. (Yes, I still have a runny rose after all that.)

By: Mrs. Garcia

Mrs. Garcia — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 17:13:20 +0000

I live in Texas and I do love it here but the hot summers followed by cold but hardly any snow makes me long for the North again. I’m a homebody so I love being home for days at a time, even weeks if I have enough food to last that long. I’ll take a Missouri winter anytime over a Texas one. Also, my daughter didn’t have allergies in MO. We moved here many years ago and we still can’t find a good allergy medicine for her. She finally told me it’s not worth it to spend the money on medicine. She can live with not being able to breath out of one of her nostils. I would still by the medicines to try to help but finally realized that she does not care to take them anymore so I gave up. At least she is old enough to decide if she wants to suffer.

I bet you would love TX, for the most part. I, however, would never move to FL. My aunt says it is the most stuck up state she ever lived in. And she (before Florida) came from one of the most violent cities in America!

By: Amy Wilson

Amy Wilson — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 16:23:13 +0000

A freeze may kill dust mites, but it doesn’t ever get down to freezing temperatures in your house. That’s where the real problem is. I’m with Rick, yank out the carpets that harbor dust mites and put down hardwood. Wash bed pillows regularly and get rid of all the unnecessary throw pillows etc. Wash afghans and bedding regularly. Get rid of knick-knacks that collect dust and make dusting a chore. Where a mask while dusting. Get really good filters for your funace to collect airborne dust. These are all things my mom has to do because she is very allergic to dust mites. And guess what, she lives in Northern MO where it definately gets below freezing outside for extended periods. A move north won’t necessarily cure your allergies. That being said, I still think the four seasons are worth the cabin fever one gets here in the winter.

By: Nina

Nina — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 15:24:08 +0000

I have the same problem with allergies and dust mites. Zyrtec helps a lot, and I haven’t had problems in 5 years. I grew up in the Philippines, then moved to Los Angeles and now live in very cold Croatia. It’s a big adjustment, but I love the four seasons and simpler life.

By: John Ng

John Ng — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 13:31:27 +0000

Yes there is a way to deal with allergies and I must admit that I too, was once an unbeliever in any form of allergy symptom removal. There is a way to test for the allergies through applied kinesiology and there is a way to remove the allergies through a new technique called electro-acupuncture, which has no penetration of the skin. This technique has only been licenced for use over the last three years. It is a device that you put against the skin and various acupuncture points located throughout the body. Results are guaranteed and 80% of the clients have their allergies removed on the first treatment, permanently! I strongly encourage you to visit our website at http://www.nosugarplease.com for further information.

By: Amanda F

Amanda F — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 05:03:22 +0000

I vote for the cold. I have horrendous allergies and it is true, they settle down big time after the freeze. Plus I love the whole 4 season thing and the warmheartedness of the midwest

I have to pull some photos together, but where we live is lovely (not to mention cheap!)

Amanda

By: Another Heather

Another Heather — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 04:57:57 +0000

Oh, Martha! I’m so sorry you don’t like IL! I’ve been all over these 48 states and there isn’t one I’d like to live in better than this one. I have always thought there was a quiet, simple beauty here. But I must admit, there are a ton of allergens and it is cold (and sometimes miserable) in the winter. Sorry, Amy, you probably wouldn’t like it much either