Dr Vikas Maurya, Director & Head, Department of Pulmonology & Sleep Disorders Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh
This is the time when the season is changing. Winters are setting in and Diwali preparations are at their peak. Diwali cleaning is thought to be very auspicious. It helps in removing germs, fungus and other harmful substances from the house apart from visible dust and thereby improves the overall health of people.
On the other hand, some people are allergic to dust. Dust not only contains mites, but also contains bacteria and small insects as well. In these allergic people, when it get inhaled, it can cause inflammation in the nose as well as in the airways, causing sneezing, runny nose, blocked nose, irritation, watery eyes, and redness in eyes as well as acute bronchitis, asthma attacks, wheezing and shortness of breath.
It is important to adopt certain measures to combat dust allergy:
- Wear a mask while cleaning the house. This will prevent dust to go into respiratory tract and causing acute symptoms.
- Use wet wipes or cloths for dusting. This will prevent dust from spreading in the air and thus preventing getting inhaled and causing symptoms.
- Asthmatics and people who are sensitive to allergens should definitely avoid dusting and if absolutely necessary should take all preventive precautions and also take their medicines regularly.
- Keep indoors humidity-free as this will prevent an increase in dust mites
- Use high-efficiency filters in the air conditioning unit inside the house to filter out dust particles.
- Use mite-proof linens on your beds and pillows.
- Keep immunity strong by having a healthy diet with protein, vitamins and minerals. This will help in better fighting respiratory attacks.
- Regular exercise, yoga helps in improving respiratory health.
- Meeting doctor and taking help when required.
- Avoid burning crackers outside as this also increase dust spread and causes symptoms.
These measures when adopted helps in reducing or mitigating the effect of dust allergy on sensitive individuals and thus preventing acute symptoms and health deterioration.
