With warm temperatures on the rise, Patch asked Marina Boruk, MD of Downstate Long Island College Hospital to share her advice for how to combat allergies. This is Part 2 in a two-part series.
Many patients often ask me for tips to help them spend more time outdoors and in their gardens in spite of allergies. Here is what I tell them:
· Plan outdoor time for rainy, wet, cloudy and windless days, which usually have lower pollen counts
· Consider barrier skin creams to prevent unwanted reactions
· Wear a pollen mask while gardening (especially on high-pollen days)
· Wear gloves and long sleeved shirt to minimize local contact and reduce irritation to the skin of your hands and arms.
· Avoid touching your eyes and nose while gardening
· Keep grass cut short - 2 inches high
· Ask someone who does not have allergies to mow and weed the grass if you are allergic to mold
· Keep your garden free of flowering weeds
· Use gravel or plant groundcovers instead of mulch if you are allergic to mold
· Leave gardening tools, gloves and shoes outside your home
· Wash/shower/shampoo after spending time outdoors to reduce the amount of allergens being transferred into your home
· Keep high pollen-producing plants away from the doors of your home as well as bedroom windows
· Ask a local horticulturalist or a nursery expert to help you chose plants for your garden-masterpiece.
Marina Boruk, MD, is a Fellowship-trained rhinologist at Downstate Long Island College Hospital. Her clinical practice focuses on sinus disease and allergy assessment and management. For a referral to Dr. Boruk or another Downstate LICH physician, please call (888) 270-7869.
