Allergy Relief Expert

A winter allergy is rarely seen as most allergies are seen during the spring and fall months as the seasons change and mold counts are at their highest. However, a winter can be common in the indoor environment according to certain factors which may be occurring in the home.

Indoor Air Pollutants!

Indoor air pollution which can actually become worse during the summer months can be tied to the occurrence of winter allergies. It is more prevalent in parts of the US and other parts of the world which get the full range of hot summer weather and moderate winter weather.

Air Conditioning Mold

The reason for this is that during the summer months as households use air conditioning (AC), mold can grow and colonize in the AC coil box. If the mold remains wet and doesn’t grow too large, it normally will not cause allergic reaction to household members during the summer. However, as the heat is used as the weather turns cold, this mold will tend to dry over weeks and the dead spores can actually break loose and circulate throughout the home. The human body does not know the difference between a dead or live mold spore and can have an allergic reaction to either.

Winter Allergy Strategies

Here are a few tips you can use to minimize allergy reactions during the winter months:

• Have your HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) unit properly cleaned at the end of the cooling season to remove organic matter and mold spores from the surfaces.
• Use a HEPA (High Efficient Particle Air) vacuum cleaner and air purifier units which are 99.99% effective at removing mold spores and other dust particles from the indoor environment.
• Keep your sinuses rinsed with a sinus rinse product which will minimize sinus allergies, especially during the winter months.

About the author:
Stan K. Hall (Sick House Doctor) is a recognized specialist in Indoor Air Pollution as well as Health & Safety in the home. He has performed over 400 indoor environmental evaluations over the past 26 years and has helped hundreds of homeowners make their homes a haven. He is widely known as the originator of T.E.A.M., the scientifically proven approach to controlling and resolving indoor air pollution.

Saline Sinus Rinse/Flush

Why do I feel terrible every morning during fall and winter seasons?

Spring and summer, I feel great, but for sometime during the autumn and winter I get up almost every morning feeling like I got hit by a bus. I have extremely sore muscles, a mild headache,  sore throat and are very congested.  It almost feels like a hangover!  Could it be allergy related?

Best Answer:

There are actually a few things which can lead to autumn or winter allergies in the home.  To start with, most homes which have air conditioning will have some mold which has grown in the coil box during the summer season. This mold will dry out and can become airborne once the heating cycles start. Even though these dead mold spores may all be blown from the coil box after time, they are still present in the indoor environment causing allergy symptoms.  The only proven method to reduce mold particles from the indoor environment is to thoroughly clean all surfaces with a HEPA (High Efficient Particle Air) vacuum cleaner.

Secondly, there are many new pollens which are present in the outdoors during the autumn and winter months and unfortunately they do not loose their ability to create allergy symptoms even when freezing weather sets in. Each time we open our doors, outdoor pollen can enter the indoor environment and just like mold should be removed using a HEPA vacuum.

Thirdly, it is actually possible to become allergic to the cold weather, air conditioning or even ice cream. It is rare but it can cause the symptoms you are describing and should be diagnosed by an allergy specialist.

About the Author:

Carlton Jones, an allergy sufferer and part-time writer in New York, NY

Allergic to the Cold