Let’s talk about children first. There are some beliefs that changing a mother’s diet during pregnancy or while breast feeding will prevent allergies. Changing a child’s diet or formulas does not seem to prevent allergies. Family genetics play a role here.
If there is a family history of eczema, food intolerances, and allergies, you can manage the situation in several different ways. First, if the child is being breast fed continuing breast feeding until four months of age or more, this may help prevent cow milk allergy (atopic dermatitis) and the associated wheezing in early childhood. Make sure that you discuss infant feeding with your doctor. You will want to follow their advise for introduction of new foods as your baby gets older. Following the doctor’s recommendations may help prevent some allergies.
Another theory involving infant exposure to allergens is called the “hygiene hypothesis”. It has been observed that infants that live on farms and are exposed to allergens, especially the airborne type, like animal dander and dust mites tend to have fewer allergies because their environment is not as clean as others.
As with any other allergies that have developed, following the prescribed treatment and avoiding the things that cause the allergies is the best method to prevent allergy attacks.
Keeping an ongoing list of allergies or what triggers them will help you a lot. If you know what allergies, you have than you can try to avoid them. By avoiding things you know will trigger your allergies you’ll feel better.
Knowing the pollen pattern and when it is going to hit your area is one way to start treatment before the allergies hit you. You can get on the internet and search for allergies to find the sites that post all types of allergy and pollen information. Some will even send you e-mail and let you know 4 weeks before the allergy season is going to hit your town.