{"id":1540,"date":"2021-01-29T17:01:44","date_gmt":"2021-01-29T23:01:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foothillsentahc.com\/?p=1540"},"modified":"2021-01-29T17:01:46","modified_gmt":"2021-01-29T23:01:46","slug":"are-you-taking-steps-to-combat-this-indoor-allergen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foothillsentahc.com\/are-you-taking-steps-to-combat-this-indoor-allergen\/","title":{"rendered":"Are You Taking Steps to Combat This Indoor Allergen?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>While allergies are often associated with springtime, for many, they are a year-round nuisance. Unfortunately, the pandemic has resulted in most of us spending more time in our homes than ever before, and in the winter months with the windows closed up and the air conditioning off, more than 20 million Americans with a dust mite allergy are now especially susceptible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Are Dust Mites?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/foothillsentahc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/duster-pan-dust-mites-allergies.jpg\" alt=\"A dust brush and dust pan on a wall.\" class=\"wp-image-1542\" width=\"228\" height=\"342\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Dust mites are close genetic relatives of ticks and spiders, though they\u2019re nearly impossible to see without a microscope. They feed on the <a href=\"https:\/\/acaai.org\/allergies\/types\/dust-allergy\">organic matter within dust<\/a>, such as skin cells, cockroach waste, mold spores, pollen and animal dander, and they absorb water from the humidity in the atmosphere. Dust mites thrive in warm, humid environments and tend to reside in household items like bedding, upholstered furniture, drapes and carpet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Causes a Dust Mite Allergy?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>An <a href=\"https:\/\/foothillsentahc.com\/allergy-sinus\/allergy\/allergy-symptoms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">allergic reaction<\/a> is the result of your immune system mistaking a harmless substance (allergen) for something dangerous. In order to fight off the intruder, antibodies called Immunoglobulin E (IgE) are produced, triggering your cells to release histamine. Histamine increases mucus production and causes swelling and itching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not actually the dust mites themselves that trigger symptoms, but the proteins within their feces and decaying bodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Are the Symptoms of a Dust Mite Allergy?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The symptoms of a dust mite allergy are similar to that of hay fever and include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Sneezing<\/li><li>Runny or stuffy nose<\/li><li>Itchy, watery eyes<\/li><li>Itchy ear, nose and throat<\/li><li>Postnasal drip<\/li><li>Cough<\/li><li>Facial pain and pressure<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Exposure to dust mites can also trigger asthma symptoms in some such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Trouble breathing<\/li><li>Tightness in chest<\/li><li>Wheezing or whistling when breathing<\/li><li>Trouble sleeping due to cough<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Prevent Symptoms by Reducing Exposure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It may not be possible to eliminate dust mites from your home, but there are strategies for reducing your exposure. We recommend:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Using allergen-proof bed covers<\/li><li>Washing bedding weekly in hot water<\/li><li>Removing and washing clothes and shoes immediately after returning from <a href=\"https:\/\/apm.activecommunities.com\/mabparksrec\/facility_search?facility_id=66\">Sandy Springs Park<\/a> or a trail near you<\/li><li>Keeping humidity under 50%<\/li><li>Vacuuming, dusting and cleaning regularly<\/li><li>Eliminating clutter<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For <a href=\"https:\/\/foothillsentahc.com\/allergy-sinus\/allergy\/allergy-testing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">more information on dust mite allergies<\/a> or to schedule an appointment with an allergist, call the experts at Foothills ENT &amp; Allergy &amp; Hearing Center.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While allergies are often associated with springtime, for many, they are a year-round nuisance. Unfortunately, the pandemic has resulted in most of us spending more time in our homes than ever before, and in the winter months with the windows closed up and the air conditioning off, more than 20 million Americans with a dust&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1542,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"While allergies are often associated with springtime, for many, they are a year-round nuisance.","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":"","locid":"","rating":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foothillsentahc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1540"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foothillsentahc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foothillsentahc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foothillsentahc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foothillsentahc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1540"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foothillsentahc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1540\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foothillsentahc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foothillsentahc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foothillsentahc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foothillsentahc.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}