Tips for Utah Spring Allergy Symptoms that Bother You

Have you been suffering with allergy symptoms and wanting to learn to deal with Utah spring allergies? Allergy symptoms can get in the way of your day to day life. Are there medications or other ways to get rid of your issues? Here are some suggestions to help get you relief from common allergens in Utah.

Make sure you take off and wash the clothing you’ve worn while outside for more than a few minutes when you get home. Then you’re going to want to take a shower so that you can get the extra pollen and allergens off of your body. The allergens on your body and on your clothing can start to pile up in your home and not be easy to deal with. When you keep it cleaner and have a change of clothing on hand to wear when you get off of work or home after being outside, you reduce the amount of allergens in your home.

Stay inside when you’re dealing with a dry or windy day if possible. The best time to spend a day outside is to go out after it rains since that’s when most allergens are gone. If you have severe allergies, consider hiring someone to do your yard work or have someone in your family do it. If you do have someone at home that is going to do it, have them change their clothes when they get inside. Remember that shoes and socks are also going to track in allergens as well. Clean your carpets on a regular basis to get rid of what people track in on the floor.

Allergy Relief Ideas

* Neti Pots – These work by rinsing out your nasal cavity solution made of saline. It can get rid of pollen and other allergens while loosening your mucus. You can buy a kit that has a pre-made mixture, you can use warm water and salt. Make sure you use only water that is distilled or boiled to avoid issues like bacteria getting into your system.

* Saline Spray – There are pre-made nasal sprays that kind of work like a Neti pot, but they can be a little more simple to work with. They tend to be more precise and gentle too.

* HEPA Filters – HEPA stands for high-efficiency particulate air and the filters that are made with this technology help to trap problem allergens and various other irritants in the air. You should consider replacing your vacuum filter with a HEPA filter to help reduce allergens in your carpet and home.

* OTC And Prescription Medications – They make medications you can buy at the store, and if those don’t work you can get them from the doctor. Keep in mind that some of these have side effects like the ability to make you tired, so be sure you are aware of what to expect so you don’t have to go to work or drive if it will make you too tired.

These tips for Utah spring allergy symptoms should help improve your allergy symptoms. It can be very difficult to get through the day and your nights with these issues being present. Thankfully, there are many remedies you can choose from and use to your advantage. If you find that these tips aren’t getting you the results you need then consider making an appointment with Dr. Nadim Bikhazi – Utah ENT Specialist to get relief and answers for allergy symptoms and treatments in Utah.

Swimmer’s Ear – Facts You Need to Know

Make it a priority to see a professional the moment you begin to experience swimmer’s ear symptoms.

Also known as acute otitis externa, swimmer’s ear is a painful condition which increases during the summer months because kids spend a lot of their time in the pool. It is important to know that this is an outer ear infection that mainly affects children. It is paramount to identify the difference between inner ear and outer ear infections. Outer ear infection mainly affects those who swim often; occurring mostly a few days after swimming in a pool.  Because this infection involves the outer ear, one may get it after showering, bathing or even living/visiting a moist environment.

NOTE: Swimming is not the only thing that can cause this infection. Swimmer’s ear is caused by trapped water in the ear canal. When this happens, bacteria begin to multiply within the ear, which causes the infection and irritation.

What Is Swimmer’s Ear?

A person will experience irritation, pain and feel uncomfortable. The symptoms will begin after water gets trapped in the ear, causing bacteria to increase as well as fungi growth. Because the infection mainly affects swimmers, its name was derived from this.

This condition mainly affects teenagers and kids and can also affect those with excess earwax or eczema; which is a disease that makes the skin itch.

As soon as swimmer’s ear symptoms and signs are experienced, visit Dr. Nadim Bikhazi immediately. The doctor will be able to prescribe medication or provide procedures that will reduce pain as well as reduce any long-term symptoms that may affect a patient’s hearing or the spread of the infection and bacteria.

Other factors that may contribute to acute otitis externa are:

• Excessive cleaning of the ear canal using cotton swabs or anything else
• Coming into contact with excessive bacteria that may be present in polluted water or hot tubs
• Several chemicals such as hair dye or hair sprays (one can avoid this from happening by placing cotton balls in the ears when using such products).
• An ear canal skin cut
• Exostoses or bony overgrowths in the ear canal
• A very narrow or hairy ear canal
• Hearing aids or headphones/earphones that are inserted into the ear
• Sweating
• Damaged ear canal skin when trying to remove excessive wax
• Skin conditions such as seborrhea or eczema

The Signs and Symptoms of Swimmer’s Ear

The good thing about the infection is that its signs and symptoms are obvious.

They are:

• Pain: pain is the first symptom, which is going to be intense when the ear is touched. A professional will test this by tugging on the tragus; the little tag sticking out in front of the ear opening.
• Itching: a person will begin to feel irritation inside the ear, and then itching will start. The itch may seem uncontrollable, it is advisable to avoid sticking anything the ear to attempt to alleviate the itching.
• Watery discharge: the ear may ooze a watery substance. In most cases, it will be watery or a yellowish color. However, pus is present, then seek medical attention immediately. At times, the watery substance could be smelly.
• Hearing Distortion: one could experience muffled hearing because the inflammation caused by the infection could actually cause a blockage in the ear canal.

How To Prevent Acute Otitis Externa

There are several ways one could follow to prevent swimmer’s ear. Some of these techniques are:

• Make sure ears are dry by making sure water is drained from the ear by tilting the head on both sides after any water activity such as showering, taking a bath or swimming.
• Use over the counter ear drops that contain acetic acid or alcohol. These ear drops will help prevent infections from occurring.
• Avoid putting objects in the ear trying to clean them; including cotton-tipped swabs

Swimmer’s Ear Treatments

Because otitis externa is an infection that is located in a delicate and tender part of the ear, it is advisable to have a doctor treat it. However, before seeing the doctor, you could consider placing a warm or heating pad against the infected ear and use over the counter ibuprofen or acetaminophen to relieve the pain until you see the doctor.

Dr. Nadim Bikhazi is a Utah ENT Specialist serving the Salt Lake and Weber metro areas.