Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
Some of the tasks that you can perform during your annual spring cleaning may actually improve your family's health. The following ten spring cleaning activities will help make you, and your home, healthier and safer:
Thoroughly dust your home and clean or replace air conditioning and heating filters; clean all ducts and vents to decrease your exposure to pollens and other airborne allergens. For more, please read the Indoor Allergens and Allergy Treatment Begins At Home articles.Organize your medicine cabinet, discarding expired medications and old prescription medications no longer in use. Your pharmacist can advise you about the best way to dispose of old medications, since tossing them into the garbage may be dangerous. Many pharmacies and clinics offer a medication take-back service for free. The U.S. FDA also has issued guidelines about the safe disposal of drugs. You'll reduce your chances of becoming victim of a medication error and gain some storage space. Check the garage and basement for old cans of paint, thinners, oils, solvents, stains, and other forms of "toxic" trash. Call your city or county sanitation department to find the location of the hazardous waste drop-off center, and get rid of anything you're not going to use. Likewise, check under the sink and around the house for old, potentially toxic cleaning products and dispose of these. Have your chimney professionally cleaned. You'll reduce the chances of carbon monoxide exposure from your chimney when it's fire season again. Clean all mold and mildew from bathrooms and other damp areas with non-toxic cleaning products. Mold is a fungus which can trigger allergic reactions in susceptible people. For more, please read the Mold Questions, Answers, and Facts and Mold Patrol for Mold Control articles.Check your rugs to be sure that rugs on bare floors have non-skid mats. Older mats that have become dusty may need to be washed or replaced to provide effective protection from falls. Outfit your bathrooms with non-skid bath mats.Inspect outdoor playground equipment and be sure that it remains sturdy and in good repair. Pay particular attention to guardrails, protruding bolts, and other potential sources of injury. Change the batteries in your smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector. For more, please read the How to Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning article.Collect old batteries throughout the house for disposal in a battery recycling or hazardous waste center. REFERENCE:National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. "Home & Recreational Safety." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 30 Aug. 2011.
Last Editorial Review: 3/22/2012
Knoxville Leads List for a Third Straight Year; 8 Out of 10 Top Spots Are in the South
By Cari Nierenberg
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD
March 20, 2012 -- The third time is said to be the charm. But it's doubtful the allergy sufferers in Knoxville find it charming that for a third consecutive year their East Tennessee city has earned the No. 1 spot on the list of the worst places to live with spring allergies.
Knoxville natives have had plenty to sneeze at each spring. In 2009, Tennessee's third largest city placed second in this annual ranking of the 100 "most challenging places to live in the U.S. with spring allergies." And in 2008, the "Marble City" took the sixth spot in this listing, which is done twice a year -- in spring and fall -- by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
Several factors are considered when ranking each of the 100 largest metro areas, including pollen scores, number of allergy medicines used per patient, and the number of board-certified allergists per patient.
To top the list, Knoxville had "worse than average" pollen counts as well as utilization rates for allergy medications. But it received an "average" score on its number of allergy specialists available to treat patients with allergy-related symptoms, from runny noses and frequent sneezing to watery eyes and sinus congestion.
Here are the worst 10 cities for spring allergies:
Knoxville, Tenn.McAllen, TexasLouisville, Ky.Jackson, Miss.Wichita, Kan.Oklahoma City, Okla.Chattanooga, Tenn.Memphis, Tenn.San Antonio, TexasDayton, OhioFor a complete listing of the top 100 allergy cities for spring, visit allergycapitals.com.
The news that Knoxville has topped the list of most challenging places to live with spring allergies for a third time comes as no surprise to Allan Rosenbaum, MD, an ear, nose, and throat specialist in Knoxville who also treats allergy patients. "A lot has to do with the blessings of east Tennessee," he says.
"It's a beautiful place to live," explains Rosenbaum, "and few places in the U.S. have the variety of plant life." A great variety of trees are blooming right now in Knoxville, including its oaks, hickories, and some maples, he says.
And although spring begins today in terms of the calendar, the daffodils and tulips are already in full bloom. "It's very colorful," says Rosenbaum, and that also means an office filled with seasonal allergy patients, who are in sooner than usual from spring's early arrival in these parts.
It's not just the blooming trees and flowers that contribute to Knoxville's high pollen counts. The city is surrounded by mountains, located between the Smokies and the Cumberland Plateau, and it's also in the Tennessee Valley. That location causes pollen to get trapped in the region, where it can tickle the noses of Knoxville natives.
Rosenbaum says he is seeing more people coming in earlier for their allergy symptoms than last spring. He's also seen an increase in the number of people with seasonal allergies in middle age, who are dealing with hay fever for the first time in their lives.
For those with mild symptoms, he recommends a saline nasal rinse to reduce the pollen load and an over-the-counter allergy product. People with more severe symptoms should see their doctor for prescription medications.
SOURCES: Allan Rosenbaum, MD, ear, nose, and throat specialist, Knoxville, Tenn. News release, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.©2012 WebMD, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
SATURDAY, March 10 (HealthDay News) -- Letting pollen drift in through open windows and using the wrong air filter can contribute to allergy flare-ups in spring, experts say.
Some 35 million Americans suffer from sneezing, sniffling, stuffiness and itchy eyes due to spring allergies, according to experts from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).
"People with spring allergies often don't realize how many things can aggravate their allergy symptoms, so they just muddle along and hope for an early end to the season," said Dr. Myron Zitt, former ACAAI president, in a college news release. "But there's no reason to suffer. A few simple adjustments in habits and treatment can make springtime much more enjoyable."
Allergists recommend allergy-sufferers keep their house and car windows closed so pollen can't drift in from outdoors. They also recommend making sure to use the right air filter. Inexpensive central-furnace or air-conditioning filters and ionic electrostatic room cleaners aren't helpful, the allergists said. Ionic electrostatic air filters release ions that can irritate allergies. And whole-house filtration systems can only be effective if the filters are changed regularly.
The experts also note that some people with seasonal allergies, particularly to grass or birch trees, may also suffer from allergies to closely related fruits, vegetables and nuts. About one in five people with grass allergies and as many as 70 percent of people with birch allergies have these cross-reactions, known as pollen food allergy syndrome.
People with allergies to birch or alder trees may experience tingling, itching and swelling around the mouth when they eat celery, cherries or apples. People with grass allergies sometimes find tomatoes, potatoes or peaches problematic.
Although often not serious, reactions to these foods can be life- threatening in a small percentage of people. A life-threatening allergic reaction is called anaphylactic shock, and high-risk people should carry a portable epinephrine pen.
Allergists also encourage people to take their medicine even before their symptoms flare, and to see an allergist who can suggest the best course of treatment.
-- Mary Elizabeth Dallas 
Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, news release, Feb. 24, 2012