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5 habits to adopt to limit allergies
You can’t live under a hood: it’s impossible to completely escape allergens, ”notes Christine Rolland, director of the Asthma and Allergies * association. On the other hand, we can act on the environment of the allergic person to reduce their risk of reactions. If your child has been diagnosed and is being followed up with an allergist, you will have to deal with his illness. This involves changes in habits (no more smoking cigarettes at the window once the little ones are in bed!) And above all, new reflexes to improve the quality of their environment. Over time, you will learn more about its allergic manifestations, in order to better protect it.
At home, we ventilate as much as possible
Tobacco smoke is one of the first aggravating factors of allergy. Suddenly, we no longer smoke in the house, so as not to further irritate the bronchial tubes of the little allergic. We also avoid scented candles, chemical or natural deodorants (incense, Armenian papers, etc.) and all aerosols which release volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Remember that indoor air can be five to ten times more polluted than outdoor air. Hence the need to ventilate very often. To clean, choose natural products, such as black soap and white vinegar. Molds are microscopic fungi whose spores, allergens, disperse in the air. They proliferate in damp rooms. To prevent them from growing, ventilate daily. Make sure that the air vents are not blocked and remove them regularly to run them under hot water. If mold has appeared, do a thorough cleaning with diluted bleach, ventilating, and never in the presence of the allergic person. Wash bath toys and banish green plants that increase humidity.
To help you drive out allergens, know that an indoor environmental medical advisor (CMEI) can also come to your home to make a diagnosis and give you practical advice. He intervenes at the doctor’s request. Its audit is free if the advisor is attached to a public structure (hospital, municipal hygiene service, etc.). **
In the room, we dust and wash!
If your toddler is allergic to dust mites, carpets and rugs should be removed. For the household, invest in a vacuum cleaner equipped with a HEPA 13 filter (which retains the majority of dust particles) or in a device that traps them in water. Clean the vacuum cleaner regularly, otherwise it will send more dust into the air than anything else! Air out every morning for a quarter of an hour, by undoing the bed. Same thing in the evening. Buy a dust mite cover and remove the feather pillows. Machine wash the fluff at 60 ° C. Finally, some children develop allergies to latex. The latter is present in balloons, certain pacifiers or toys. Pet skin dander can also be allergenic. If you have a pet, dog or cat, make sure that it does not enter the rooms and shampoo it regularly. Ditto for small companions such as dwarf rabbits, guinea pigs and other hamsters.
At school or nursery, we arrange
The Individualized Reception Project (PAI) allows your child to be welcomed at school or nursery without fear of a crisis. It will be drawn up at your request, with the attending physician, school medicine (or the nursery doctor) and the school director. As for food allergies, the IAP provides for example for a small asthmatic to take a bronchodilator or to benefit from schedule adjustments. Thanks to the emergency kit that you will put together with the attending physician, the school (or nursery) staff will be able to act quickly in the event of a crisis. Contrary to popular belief, children with asthma can play sports: it is even recommended. Because physical effort improves respiratory capacities. On the other hand, they must perform a warm-up longer than their comrades (about a quarter of an hour). And they will sometimes need to take a breath of the bronchodilator before exercise.
In the park, garden … in nature, we are vigilant
The weather is fine, the sun is shining, and if we go out? Yes, but there you go, your little one is precisely allergic to pollen. There are three major plant families with allergenic pollens: trees, grasses and herbaceous plants. Learn about pollination peaks. The website of the National Aerobiological Surveillance Network (RNSA), www.pollens.fr, sends its bulletin by email giving the pollen levels department by department. On your Smartphone, the “i-Pollen” application provides data in real time. After a walk in the countryside, we wash our hair so that pollens do not settle on the pillow. In the garden, do not mow the lawn in the presence of your child. Concerning the allergy to the bites of hymenoptera (wasps, hornets, bees), it is a vital emergency. When walking, it is forbidden to walk barefoot or to consume sugary drinks. Teach your little one not to make big gestures to chase away a wasp or a bee. And always carry an emergency kit with adrenaline on you. Finally, even if the weather is good, little allergic children should not go out during a peak in pollution, so as not to irritate their already sensitive bronchi.
On vacation, we anticipate and adapt
As much to announce: there is no ideal destination to avoid allergy. It all depends on your child. If he is allergic to dust mites, his symptoms will improve in mid-mountain resorts (above 1 m). The air is drier, cooler, and dust mites are less present. On the pollen side, in the mountains, the pollination periods are shorter, but unfortunately also intense! Other little ones will feel better by the sea. On the road to vacation, close the windows to prevent pollen from entering the cabin. If possible, equip your car with a pollen filter. Watch out for rental homes: If they haven’t been ventilated for a long time or are damp, your little one’s allergy may get worse. Pack a dust mite cover, just in case, and never part with your emergency kit.
What treatments for the youngest?
To improve the quality of life of children and reduce as much as possible the severity of their skin and respiratory reactions, the doctor has a whole panoply at his disposal.
Medicines to relieve. In the event of allergic rhinitis or conjunctivitis, urticaria, antihistamines or local corticosteroids in aerosols, nasal spray, drops, etc. In the form of a cream, corticosteroids calm eczema flare-ups. And as a spray in the throat, they participate in the basic treatment of asthma. But in the event of an asthma attack, a bronchodilator (Ventolin, etc.) is essential for immediate action.
Desensitization to heal. From 5 years old, this basic treatment is effective in curing allergies to pollen, dust mites and certain molds. The principle: administer increasing doses of the allergen so that the immune system ends up accepting them. This treatment is carried out at home, with a few drops placed under the child’s tongue. The only drawback: it lasts at least three years… CA