A safe and happy July holiday season with asthma and allergies

This is the start of a big holiday weekend here in the United States. Happy July Fourth. And just yesterday was Canada Day. Happy Canada Day to our Canadian Friends. If you live in France, you’ll be celebrating Bastille Day on July 14. July seems to be full of holidays that include food and fireworks for many of us. But what if you suffer from asthma or allergies? Did you know that the smoke from fireworks can trigger an asthma attack in some people? It can and there are other things to watch out for too.

Fireworks: According to Health.com, although the reports of asthma attacks caused by fireworks aren’t excessive, it happens, so you should take precautions if you suffer from asthma and will be around any type of fireworks over the holidays. Make sure to have your inhalers with you and if the smoke is very bad, you may want to consider putting on a mask to keep the smoke from entering your airways. If your asthma is severe or you’ve experienced problems from the firework smoke in the past, consider watching firework displays indoors with the windows closed.

BBQ Grills: Another hazard for asthma sufferers due to the smoke that they cause. Keep a clear distance and keep your emergency inhalers handy.

Mosquitoes: Mosquitoes carry their own risks due to the fact that they can carry illness with them. But did you know that some people can suffer from anaphylaxis from a mosquito bite? See page 4 of this AAAAI newsletter for tips on how to protect yourself from mosquitoes this summer.

Chlorine: Ever been in a pool where the chlorine was so strong that even if you didn’t have asthma, you found it hard to breathe? For some with asthma, chlorine can be a trigger. Make sure to keep your rescue inhaler handy and take breaks from the pool to get some fresh air. And speaking of swimming....

Exercise: Exercise induced asthma is common. If you suffer from exercise induced asthma then you should use your inhaler before you begin any type of exercise or sports play. Always keep your rescue inhaler with you. For more tips and information see the WEGO Health Exercise Induced Asthma page.

Unknown ingredients for the food allergic: It’s picnic season and usually everyone brings a covered dish to share. If you have food allergies you know you need to read labels to check every ingredient in your food. Unless the person cooking for you is someone extremely familiar with your allergies, it’s best to skip foods made in someone else’s kitchen. Even if they swear there’s “no tree nuts” in the dish, are you 100% positive that there was no risk of cross contamination in their kitchen? Instead of taking a chance, bring your own food. Also be aware of cross contamination on BBQ grills. Unless the meat is cooked on our grill, we ask others to put foil down on their grill to cook our sons safe hot dogs or I cook them at home before we go and reheat in the microwave.

Always bring your inhalers, epinephrine and emergency information with you where ever you go. Never leave epinephrine in the car (it’s too hot) nor put it in the cooler (it’s too cold). Wear medical identification jewelry and let others around you know about your asthma or allergies.
And whatever holiday you celebrate, have a wonderful and safe time!!

What other summer holiday asthma and allergy triggers can you think of? What precautions do you take that weren’t mentioned above?

Tags: July, allergies, asthma, epinephrine, exercise induced asthma, food allergies, holidays, inhalers, rescue inhalers, summer

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Comment by Ellen S on July 6, 2010 at 5:57pm: Oh Janeen, bug spray and citronella cause problems for my family (our remedy is Avon Skin So Soft or plain or scented baby oil), as can walking into cold air conditioning. Of course, there is also the terrible draw of cold, creamy ice cream to those allergic to milk products - but in the midwest it seems impossible to celebrate July 4th without it! I'm also allergic to sunscreens and although it's not a true allergy, I break out in a rash from the sun due to my autoimmune issues (somewhat related to allergies). Never a good combo to have!

The last to mention (and I'll elaborate a bit since I couldn't find any comprehensive links to provide) is a summertime issue that also involves our pets - fleas and ticks can cause problems for the whole family during summer months. Ticks can cause Lyme disease, but it's also not uncommon for individuals to have allergic reactions to both ticks and fleas that can range from mild to life threatening. Keeping these critters at bay means thinking ahead and making sure pets and their bedding are protected throughout the year. In a pinch, dogs (not cats, and not collie related breeds) can be treated orally with ivermectin which kills these external (and even internal) parasites dead in hours. Original Dawn dishwashing liquid and baby shampoos kill external parasites on pets and are a good choice when the pet is either too young for chemicals, or chemically sensitive. Borax sprinkled onto carpet and upholstery then vacuumed up with a hepa filter kills critters in the house, and Sevin 5% (used for tomato and garden plants) dust is non-toxic enough for use even with puppies and can be sprinkled nearly everywhere.

A safe and happy July holiday season with asthma and allergies

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