Types of Rhinitis:
There are three types of allergy rhinitis. Seasonal rhinitis generally occurs at certain times of the year, primarily in the spring and fall, when pollens (potent allergens) are at their peak. The timing of the allergy season depends on where you live, the climate and the season. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean that moving will necessarily improve things. If you're prone to allergies, you'll probably just become allergic to something else in your new environment. In other words you can develop other allergies when you move. The second type of allergy rhinitiis is perenial rhinitis. This unfortunate type of allergy causes problems year round. This type generally comprises allergies to dust mite, pet dander, mold, cockroach droppings, house items, cleaning items and maybe cosmetics and some kinds of food. These allergens don't necessarily depend on any specific season. The last type of allergy rhinitis is occupational rhinitis. This one you can blame on your work. It's a sensitivity to something at work, be it plants in the lobby, the air circulation system, certain chemicals, the fibers in the carpet, but hopefully not your boss (just kidding). If your symptoms only occur at work and not on your weekends or vacations - this is probably your kind of allergy.

Prevention depends on what type of allergy you have and what allergens bother you. When you know this, you can begin your preventative measures. Prevention is about avoiding your allergens while treatment is what to do when you can't avoid being around certain allergens. These two processes can overlap, especially when taking medications. Other things to consider, our allergies and particularly asthma can also become worse if we are overweight or are emotionally stressed-out. Additionally, up to 90 percent of people with asthma can have symptoms when they exercise. This doesn't mean to stop exercising, but it's important to take precautions before, during and after exercising to be sure you do not have an asthma attack. It just makes good sense for all of us to work to keep our minds and bodies as healthy as possible to cope with our allergies, asthma and frankly - all the other 'stuff' that bombards us daily.

There is by no means an exhaustive 'prevention list' - otherwise all of us would be totally aware of and hopefully 'stay away from all our allergens' - and none of us would have any allergic reactions. We all know it is impossible to 'live in a bubble' away from all our allergens. The following are merely suggestions that you may or may not be able to incorporate in your daily life - to avoid allergens that cause your body to react.

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Pollen:

The worst culprit for our outdoor allergies is from pollen - which can be described as the male cell of plants. This could come from weeds, grasses, trees, and flowers. The pollen which causes allergic rhinitis or asthma is microscopic in size, is very dry and capable of being carried by air currents as far as 50 miles from its origin. One thing to note, plants furnishing extreme amounts of pollen aren't necessarily colorful nor particularly fragrant because they do not depend on attracting insects to propagate.  

• Do activities when pollens are at their lowest. Pollens are at their worst in the afternoon during the spring and in the morning during the fall.
• Don't hang your laundry outside. We all love that outdoor scent, but laundry is a pollen magnet. You then carry it with you when you wear your clothes, sleep on your sheets, and use your towels.
• Keep your doors and windows closed in your house and car, and your air conditioner on to keep the pollen out.

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Pets:

What about Rover the dog or Fluffy the cat? Don't blame the hair on your pet - for your allergy. You're really allergic to proteins secreted by the oil glands in the animal's skin, as well as proteins in their saliva, which sticks to the fur when the animal licks itself. Still another source of allergy-causing proteins is the animal's urine. When the substance carrying the proteins dries, they're free to float into the air. These are some outside preventative measures you can consider:

• Wash your hands every time you touch your pet.
• Allergies to animals can take 2 years or more to develop and may not decrease until 6 months or more after ending contact with the animal. Carpet and furniture are a reservoir for pet allergens. Allergens can also stay in household air for months after the animal has been removed. Cats may be more likely than dogs to cause allergic reactions because they lick themselves more, may be held more, and spend more time in the house, close to people.
• Wash your pet regularly (although there's little evidence that bathing works for cats). Use a specially formulated pet shampoo that removes dander and saliva. Using 'people shampoo' tends to dry their skin, making the problem worse.
• As said before, you are allergic to the proteins present in the dander and saliva of your pet, not the hair. There is no relationship between the pet's hair length and the allergen production. Cat allergen is particularly sticky and is carried on clothing and other items. It should be remembered that although you might remove a pet or any animal from some area, the allergen 'proteins' can continue to bother you until the area is thoroughly cleaned. Unfortunately it can take as long as 20 weeks for cat allergen in carpets to decrease to levels found in homes without a cat.
• Have someone else do your pet grooming. Pets should be brushed regularly, but not in the house and not by you. Have your non-allergic spouse or friend also clean the litter box.

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Gardening and Outside Activities:

Here are some more ideas of how to avoid and prevent our allergy triggers from causing allergic reactions, when we're outside.

• *  Mass spraying for insects or fertilizing can precipitate asthma or other symptoms in chemically-sensitive people.
• Irritants such as chemicals can worsen airborne allergy symptoms, and you should avoid them as much as possible. If you have pollen allergy, avoid unnecessary exposure to irritants such as insect sprays, tobacco smoke, air pollution, and fresh tar or paint during periods of high pollen levels.
• Wash up after being outside. Shower, wash your hair and change your clothes - especially before bed. If not, you'll breathe pollen all night and be prepared to sneeze a lot. Don't leave your outside clothes in your bedroom's hamper, or you'll continue to breathe the pollens.
• Don't leave piles of leaves or yard waste near your house. The dampness breeds mold spores. Also be sure to clear out all the rot in spring from the previous winter's crumpled flower remains, rotted leaves, broken branches, fallen pine cones, etc. Rain and warmer weather can turn all that organic waste into a haven for mold and mildew.
• Consider using gravel, other rocks or black plastic mulch instead of weed and leaf mulch - to cut down on the number of mold spores you come in contact with when you are gardening.
• Wear a face/dust mask when you rake leaves or mow your lawn - to save a lot of suffering from inhaling mold spores. Avoid exposure to soil, compost piles, sandboxes, hay, fertilizers and barns. Prune or cut trees and eliminate vines to prevent shading of the home and promoting mold.
• Correct drainage problems near the house as pooled water greatly increases mold formation. Avoid camping or walking in the woods where mold growth on rotted logs and other vegetation is high.
• If you enjoy gardening, consider having only female type plants that while they are messier to care for - produce more seeds, flowers and fruit because they are receivers rather than generators of pollen. Cleaner trees like ash, willow, mulberry, juniper and maple would not produce a single grain of pollen but unfortunately without pollination, you can forget about having any fruit from your trees. Another alternative is to stick with plants that have both the male and female parts on the same plant (like apple trees and roses). These pollens don't have to travel far since both sexes are right there. One last thought is to emphasize flowers not bushes. The pollen in flowers don't cause as many allergies due to their larger size. It's the microscopic pollens from many bushes and trees that are the problem for allergy sufferers.  Get help from your plant nursery on which plants to use in your garden.
• Keep on eye on the weather. If it's windy and dry, stay inside. You're better off gardening on still, even sultry days, when there's less airborne pollen. The best days are ones that are misty or with a little drizzle to keep down the dust and pollen. Also it makes good sense anyway - but avoid being outside during thunderstorms since studies have found that airborne fungal spores nearly double during thunderstorms, significantly aggravating asthma.
   

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Skin and Insect Allergies:

Skin allergies aren't generally life-threatening but can cause embarrassment for the sufferer. Unfortunately when you have any skin condition, everyone can see you have a definite problem. Very often the first signs of an allergy or asthma isn't sneezing or coughing but a skin rash called atopic dermatitis, (a type of eczema). This is a fancy word defined as a skin reaction to something you eat or inhale to which your body is allergic.

• Hives is an immediate allergy skin condition that is a specific type of rash that is often very itchy. And the more you itch, the body releases additional histamines which can lead to more hives - a vicious circle. They are characteristic of small bumps or look something like the flat raised welt caused by a mosquito bite. They can get wider as an allergic reaction progresses. Hives are unusual because they can be caused by allergens, physical pressure, heat or cold exposure, and excessive sweating. They can also be caused by infections, and other physical problems or diseases. (In these rare cases, hives are rarely the only symptom). Treatment for hives is usually with antihistamines and corticosteroids that are used to block the immune activity in stubborn hives. It should be noted that if you are experiencing recurring hives and you don't know why, you should see your health care provider.
• A form of a delayed allergy eczema is contact eczema (a localized reaction that can cause redness, burning, swelling and itching where the skin came into contact with an allergen.) It may cause fluid-filled blisters or bumps and may weep clear fluid. Common allergen types include poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, various chemicals, cobalt (in jewelry, zippers and metal snaps), neomycin (in antibiotic skin ointment), cosmetics, hair products, solvents, and latex. It usually takes a day or two after exposure to develop. It is not the result of an instant immune system response, as occurs with hives. After an exposure, immune cells called "T-cells" take a day or two to collect at the area of exposed skin and produce chemicals that trigger the rash. If you develop a contact dermatitis rash, think of the possible triggers you may have been exposed to in the past two or three days, not just on the day that the rash appeared. Once you have identified an allergy that causes contact dermatitis on your skin, your best strategy is to limit symptoms by avoiding a repeated exposure.
• Treatment for contact dermatitis can require a topical corticosteroid ointment or (if a large area of skin is affected) oral prednisone. Other anti-inflammatory treatments are available, and may be prescribed by your doctor. Antihistamines may be useful for reducing itching, but they have not been proven to cause improvement in a contact dermatitis rash.
• Another form of eczema is atopic dermatitis, mentioned at the top of this section. This eczema is blamed on allergy and is characterized by constant itching and scratching, which can lead to redness, swelling, cracking, "weeping" of clear fluid, and finally, crusting and scaling of the skin. There is no single test to diagnose atopic dermatitis and even allergy tests aren't always accurate because people with eczema generally have skin sensitivities to a variety of substances. However, the person with eczema might have other symptoms that suggest allergy, such as allergic rhinitis. Food allergies can play an important role in this condition. To find out if your eczema stems from food allergies, try eliminating one of the seven most common food allergens - eggs, milk, peanuts, wheat, tree nuts, soybeans, and seafood - one at a time and see if your skin improves.
• Eczema has been treated with corticosteroid creams and ointments that help by keeping the immune response that causes it - in check. Side effects of steroids have their own problems, including thinning of the skin, dilated blood vessels and infection. In recent years, two new nonsteroidal drugs known as topical immunomodulators have come on the market. They are tacrolimus (Protopic) ointment and pimecrolimus (Elidel) cream. It's thought these applications block the immune cells from creating the chemical messages that lead to eczema. Other immune-suppressing drugs may be prescribed by your doctor and he/she may also recommend antibiotics to prevent infection if your skin is in bad shape from all the scratching, along with first-generation antihistamines to reduce itching at night and help you sleep.
• There are other things you can personally do to reduce the incidence and severity of your rashes. They are: 1. treat your skin kindly. Avoid using hot water and harsh soaps when bathing. Many mild soaps are available and affordable, such as Dove, Oil of Olay and Cetaphil. After your bath, gently pat your skin with a soft towel and apply a non-scented cream or lotion to seal in moisture. Having dry, cracked skin can permit allergy triggers to get below the skin surface, which can stimulate your immune system to cause an eczema rash. 2. Avoid anything that can dry the skin too harshly, such as sudden or extreme changes in temperature and exercise that cause sweating. 3. Dress in light, loose layers. Natural fibers such as cotton are most gentle on the skin. Wash new clothes before wearing them so they're softer and cut out any labels that may further irritate your skin. 4. Avoid perfumes and dyes in laundry detergents, soaps, and body creams, scratchy fabrics and exposure to chemicals and smoke. 5. Reduce stress in your life. If you can't do this, at least moderate how you react to it. Stress, while not a cause of atopic dermatitis as once thought, can definitely make it worse. 6. Stay cool. Maintain a cool temperature in your home and office. Use a humidifier during the winter to help keep your skin from becoming too dry. 7. If you think you are allergic or sensitive to latex, you must try to avoid any products that contain natural rubber latex, or NRL. Read labels carefully, ask questions, and if you're in doubt - don't touch it. If you need to be examined by health care professionals, tell them about your allergy so they don't use latex gloves and masks.
   

Concluding:

We can somewhat control our inside environment and what we come in contact with.  That of course is not the case with outside.  If we could do that, at the very least - a bunch of 'talk-shows' would be calling to book us on their shows.  It's just a matter of knowing what we are allergic to and staying away from those allergens, or either immunizing ourselves or effectively treating our symptoms with the best medications  - if we can't avoid our allergens.  Keeping up with our daily allergy medications before we come in contact with our allergens, can also prevent many unpleasant allergic reactions.  (Please see the Treatment section for this site.)
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