Your Checkup: What You Wish Your Doctor Explained

How to Manage Allergies: Trigger Avoidance

• Ed Delesky, MD and Nicole Aruffo, RN • Season 1 • Episode 56

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Allergic rhinitis affects 20% of people with substantial impact on quality of life, causing symptoms like nasal inflammation, itchy eyes, and post-nasal drip.

• Allergic rhinitis is a nasal reaction to airborne particles causing a histamine response
• Symptoms include itchy nose, watery eyes, sneezing, nasal congestion, and sinus pressure
• Allergens fall into four categories: pollens, insects, animal dander, and molds
• Allergies can be seasonal (specific times of year) or perennial (year-round)
• Trigger avoidance is the first line of defense before medication
• For dust mites, use allergen-impermeable covers and wash bedding weekly in hot water
• Pet allergies are challenging—consider HEPA filters and increased cleaning if removal isn't possible
• Changing pillowcases daily during high symptom periods can significantly reduce exposure
• Controlling humidity below 50% helps with dust mites and mold allergens
• For outdoor allergens, stay inside during peak times and shower before bed

Join us next week for an in-depth conversation about medication options for managing allergic rhinitis.


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Production and Content: Edward Delesky, MD & Nicole Aruffo, RN
Artwork: Olivia Pawlowski

Ed Delesky, MD:

Welcome to your checkup. We are the patient education podcast, where we bring conversations from the doctor's office to your ears. On this podcast, we try to bring medicine closer to its patients. I'm Ed Delesky, a family medicine resident in the Philadelphia area.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

And I'm Nicola Aruffo. I'm a nurse.

Ed Delesky, MD:

And we are so excited you were able to join us here again today. So you all right. I've been waiting several days now because usually I'm the one who has the list of things to talk about. But I mean, you told me days ago you're like oh, I'm so excited for this thing that I have to talk about in our little pre-show run.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

Yeah, so it's the I want to talk about. I haven't talked about this with you because I want to know if this one has happened to you yet. And two, if you like, think the same way that I do, okay, and I'm a little nervous right now.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

So we recently found ourselves with a wedding date. We're planning things, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, whatever. So what I'm about to say, I noticed it kind of, you know, in the past just kind of generally surrounding conversations of, like other friends or family getting married, planning a wedding, and then during those times I always kind of thought it was a little bit of a weird thing to say to someone, maybe if someone put like annoying with a splash of like uncalled for or rude like into one word, it might be that okay and then it happened to me at work the other day oh

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

and I can confirm. It is a strange thing to say to someone who just told you like their wedding date or like that they're planning a wedding or whatever. And it's when you tell someone, especially when you tell someone very vague details like this is our date or this is the venue, or anything that, like you know, leads someone to believe that you're planning a wedding, and it's when that person just like immediately goes right into being like don't, don't like care what anyone thinks about anything or what anyone says, don't listen to what anyone says, it's your day and like, like, don't listen to anyone's opinions, it doesn't matter what anyone says or thinks, and I'm like okay, I like didn't tell you anything.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

Crazy, this is a stranger this is like a practical stranger saying this um, I mean, it was like someone I work with, oh okay but yeah and like not someone who's like coming to the wedding yeah but I just always think that it's so strange, like right, it's not like.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

I told a good friend, hey, we're having fire breathing dragons at cocktail hour yeah and that friend is like, it's okay, like you do you girl, it doesn't matter, it's your day, like, do whatever it was like so out of context well, yeah, I feel like that's always how it is when someone just kind of goes right into like that, that whole like narrative, and it's not even so much a target on the person who is saying that, who I guess has like nothing else better to say to you, but it's more just like as a society, like how did we get here and are we OK? And I know, we know that the answer is already no. No, we are very much unwell as a society that the answer is already no. No, we are very much unwell as a society. But like, why?

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

I mean, I've been to a lot of weddings and we've talked about, you know, things that we like about certain weddings or maybe don't like, but any sort of like negative thought. I've never gone to the person to tell them that Do you know what I mean? Like I've never gone up to someone to be like, hey, your cocktail hour sucked. I'm going to have a better one at my wedding. You go to the wedding.

Ed Delesky, MD:

Yeah.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

You bring a gift, you drink, you eat, you dance, you shut up and you leave.

Ed Delesky, MD:

Sure.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

You know like what? Who is telling?

Ed Delesky, MD:

or like saying like negative, bad things with were these people, so it's almost sounds like I might be understanding this in two different ways. This person was saying like don't listen to the haters when they talk about your wedding, or I guess, or in several layers of decision making. Make sure you're focusing on your decisions and what's important to you in the process. Which is it closer to? Which of the two?

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

I don't know. It's like the same general general tune that I've heard before, and then I'm like now hearing about myself and my wedding.

Ed Delesky, MD:

No, I've only heard it. So you ask the question has this happened to me? So you asked the question has this happened to me? It's happened to me, but like, and someone like very close in my life who's like suggested to like reframe that message and just make sure that, like being someone who thinks a lot about other people all the time, to like really focus on centering like what we want on that day. There's like two different things here. Like someone who, like comes at you is like oh yeah, the whole wedding planning thing is so negative, also, not for nothing. Like we're pretty efficient at it.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

We are efficient and like there's. Only there are two groups of people who should have opinions about it.

Ed Delesky, MD:

The one is the couple getting married and then, if there's a second group, who are paying for any part of the wedding, sure then like yeah, fine, it's your money, you get an opinion, oh yeah well, I think you know, in terms of wedding planning and if we're like that's something that's going on in someone's life, it is the easiest low-hanging fruit for small talk possible, but they chose like a negative connotation on it yeah, which, going back to my point, like why are we, as a like, do you know what I'm saying?

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

I guess like, why is it automatically like someone who you have kind of like a peripheral relationship with someone tells you they're planning a wedding and you're immediately like don't listen to what anyone says, like as if everyone's already like gossiping or like talking badly about it?

Ed Delesky, MD:

it's just so weird. They're projecting, they're talking about their own lived experience and trying to convey that why?

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

is it? Does it seem like everyone's lived experience is so awful? Well, honestly, it's been fine yeah, no, it's been.

Ed Delesky, MD:

It's. It has been fine. I think we've been working really well together on this thing. We work well under pressure. Clearly also, the internet's made it so much easier to accomplish tasks than like ever before, like meeting with people. Like you can meet, with plan to meet four different people on one day, but like no, when I go to work and I'm like in the back and I'm like ask next time you're in clinic.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

I guess that's when you're mostly with everyone yeah because I, like everyone in your class, is like engaged or like getting married recently asked them if they think it's weird but I feel like people always do that or even if it's like someone close to you who like whatever it's like they're so excited for you, and then it's like, oh, don't, don't listen to what anyone says, like what?

Ed Delesky, MD:

well, I think it's a hard thing. I wasn't just because like that's. No, I am, as a person, right. You're much better at that than, like certainly me and probably a lot of people. Where it's tough, that's a tough thing to do, and what is to like take that advice and like only listen to what you want and what oh yeah, I think it's because I keep getting served this content of like.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

I keep getting served this content of like what some might call an attitude problem of a girl who is the firstborn child, only daughter and only granddaughter, and that's me. God, help my parents and you. But like I don't know, maybe I just don't care about anyone's opinion and that's just because birth order so it's first born, only daughter, only granddaughter.

Ed Delesky, MD:

Yeah, okay, I'm even like looking through this and I'm like I would say my experience at work has been like neutral, positive platitudes. I mean I think a lot of people like had been asking and were celebrating that there was a plan, and I also like I don't know, I keep to myself a decent amount. So people were like I did ask one question. I was like how do you determine from one DJ to another? And someone gave me some advice. And then I came back the next day and I was like, yeah, we chose this DJ. And they were like, what? You picked a DJ already. I'm like, yeah, we don't mess around around here.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

Yeah, we got stuff done.

Ed Delesky, MD:

Work well under pressure. That's usually why we record these episodes the day before they go out. What are we going to talk about today, Nick?

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

Today we're having a seasonal episode and we're talking about allergies.

Ed Delesky, MD:

And this is I mean near and dear to your heart.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

Yeah, I'm an allergic girly, very atopic person.

Ed Delesky, MD:

Yeah, it really bothers you. I think your primary was even impressed with how much it bothers you, and I think we're just a hair before the season is starting. So perhaps with this episode our very thoughtful, intelligent audience will be a little more prepared for what may come coming in the rest of spring.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

I mean, there's like really nothing you can do, but that's not true.

Ed Delesky, MD:

We're going to arm you with several tools today to be able to help navigate your allergic rhinitis, and so that's what exactly. What we're talking about today is allergic rhinitis, sometimes otherwise called hay fever. It affects literally so many people. It is approximately 20% of people of all ages.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

Honestly, that feels low.

Ed Delesky, MD:

And it might feel low. That is one in five people, people, and so, while it's common, the quality on life I mean you as an example, and I'm thinking of my friend Austin the quality of life impact is substantial. And so today we're going to discuss what allergic rhinitis is, its causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and then we are going to dive in on the two arms of treatment options, trigger, avoidance and what medications you can use. So, Nikki, why don't you tell us a little bit, since this is your coup d'etat what is allergic rhinitis?

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

So rhinitis means inflammation of the nasal passages and there are. You know you can have like rhinitis with a cold, um, but allergic rhinitis, allergic rhinitis specifically, is a nasal reaction to an allergen, which are small airborne particles that you breathe in, and then you have a histamine reaction and your face and respiratory system kind of freak out for a couple of weeks. Yeah, that's for lack of a better explanation, totally.

Ed Delesky, MD:

Sometimes those triggers can actually transmit all the way down to the lungs which can be a part of an asthma exacerbation, if you will and sometimes they can also travel to the eyes and give something called allergic conjunctivitis.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

Oh my God, the itchy eyes are like the worst thing ever.

Ed Delesky, MD:

Tell us more.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

Tell you more. Yeah, I mean. It feels like you want to scratch your eyeballs out of your head.

Ed Delesky, MD:

How do you, how do you even get by?

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

Well, you itch your eyes and then it makes it worse and then you're like all right, let's grow up, Stop touching my eyes. I mean, they're like eye drops and stuff. They don't work.

Ed Delesky, MD:

Great. So there are triggers, like you were mentioning. There are allergens and they're broken up into four major categories for allergic rhinitis. There are pollens, insects, animal allergens and molds. Pollens are really broken down into different categories that are more common in the spring and summer and they're things like from trees and grass fall, maybe ragweed, tumbleweed. Insects. There are house dust mites, which we're going to break down what those are, how you can go ahead and try to mitigate any response that your body has to them. Cockroaches and ladybugs, specifically asian ladybugs also. There are animal allergens allergens a little proteins from their skin, fur feathers can do it saliva of cats and dogs, rodents, birds and ferrets, and then topping it off, like we mentioned earlier, with molds which can be really tricky to actually treat.

Ed Delesky, MD:

I had someone ask me about this in clinic, but oftentimes we think about these as seasonal, which are most often pollen related and perennial, or year round, which most often caused by dust mites, the animal dander, cockroaches and molds, and so the timing can help identify the triggers more specifically, and I mean truthfully. It's like so much easier to be able to say like yeah, it happens in the spring every year, I have no problems in the winter and boom, this is seasonal, this is probably from pollen, but if it's someone who's like, oh, I have this runny nose, I have all these symptoms that we're going to talk about next, but it's happening all year round. That makes the conversation a little bit trickier, and so, based on what we've had written here in our research, but also personal experience, what sort of symptoms are we talking about?

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

okay, we have lots of symptoms. We got the nose, the itchy nose, watery, runny nose, sneezing, block nasal passages, a lot of like like sinus pressure and like your face, like your face and like not your head so much, yeah, like your face is like pounding yeah because they're just like, feels like it's there's just junk in your face. You know, you don't know I don't um. So you have your nose, your eyes itchy, red, gritty, feeling eyes. It's like your eyelids are like made of sandpaper kind of oh my god um throat and ears um.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

Sore throat, hoarse voice, congestion, itchy throat, itchy ears, ears popping um. This can also all affect your sleep, because your nose and your like face are kind of just clogged up with mucus and then that can like affect your sleep if you're like snoring or kind of like can't get comfortable. Oh my God. Laying down to sleep.

Ed Delesky, MD:

And that post nasal drip. Did you already describe that, did I? Do you get that a lot? You get this like goopy sensation down the back of your throat. I feel like sometimes that can also lead to some throat irritation itself, do you?

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

get that a lot. You get this like goopy sensation down the back of your throat. I feel like sometimes that can also lead to some throat irritation itself. Yeah. And then I've noticed too, like with kids, but like more specifically, if like they have it, or even if they just have kind of like a dry, itchy throat, like they'll have a cough.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

Mm, hmm of like a dry, itchy throat, like they'll have a cough, and then, like I've heard parents say before and be like, oh, like so and so has this cough, and like they're not sick. And I've like taken them to the doctor and like they're not sick, I don't know what it is, and I'm like, okay, well, like it's april right probably allergies yeah, probably some rhinitis in there yeah that really.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

That's like one of the big right and, like you know, like a four year old can't describe what post nasal drip is. They're just like have this cough. Oh my gosh.

Ed Delesky, MD:

Yeah, no, and I had this at one point in my life. I still, like, sometimes get it, so I can align with you in this, but, very sincerely, do not get allergies nearly as badly as you or ever. And so this leaves us with, like you feel all of these things. How do you capture this diagnosis and when do you seek help? I mean, usually it's just an interview. It's an interview, it's a physical exam, like a lot of other things, but a part of that conversation that you can come armed with to your doctor is already reflecting on the allergens that you could possibly be experiencing. So, keeping an eye out for these things that are bothering you might be able to help you, because I mean, truthfully, if I'm talking to someone, letting them tell me what bothers them is the answer, because now, after this, we're going to talk about avoiding triggers some of the most common ones but if you can't find what it is, you might find yourself getting skin testing with a dermatologist or an allergist, or you might find yourself getting blood tests, which will look at a whole bunch of different things, but oftentimes those can be cost-intensive, where maybe insurance won't cover it as you hoped, and so you might be paying a lot of money for these tests when, in truth, you might've been able to just reflect on what's in your environment that's giving you all these symptoms.

Ed Delesky, MD:

So once someone's triggers have been identified, the next step for allergic rhinitis is I mean, truthfully, this is not rocket science, but it is to reduce exposure. But this is actually where it might get a little bit more complicated, like, how do you actually accomplish that? So in the next portion of our episode we're going to talk about that. Triggers can be present at work. They can be present at home, but most people spend most of their time at home, and so recognizing that we look at what areas in the home can be bothersome. So the bedroom is very important because people spend a significant amount of time in there. You think, like when you're sleeping, you're spending a ton of time sleeping in your day I mean, some estimates would say a third of your day sleeping and so it really is important to be able to recognize what these allergens are and how to change your home to be able to do that.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

All right, let's talk about dust mites first. How are we trying to avoid that?

Ed Delesky, MD:

Yeah, so dust mites are microscopic insects you literally only see them under a microscope and they live in bedding, sofas, carpets, other woven materials, and they eat organic matter like human shed and animal skin, and they absorb humidity, and that is how they get along and live. And so to protect yourself from these, we use a couple different things. One of them is barrier protection, and this wouldn't be like encased pillows, mattresses or encasing mattresses or box springs, comforters, with mite impermeable barriers. So this is something you can even look at if you're purchasing something, is it impermeable to mites? For a children's bed, you really should only be using a tight-fitting commercial cover intended for this specific purpose. You should not be using homemade plastic sheeting, because that might hurt your child and suffocate them, but tightly woven fabrics with a pore size of six microns or less actually are effective. And then anything two and above still lets air through. Two microns and above still lets air through, so it's still breathable, in a way. Another thing is washing your bedding. The suggestion here is to wash your sheets and blankets weekly in warm water with detergent and dry them in an electric dryer on the hot setting.

Ed Delesky, MD:

When you vacuum and you're dusting, it's important to think about using a high-efficiency particulate air filter or a HEPA filter. Now, I don't think it's slam dunk in the literature that these are like foolproof at helping, but it might help, and so it's something to consider. And make sure you're dusting regularly and really try to minimize soft furnishings. Reducing clutter and keeping other furniture where people spend most of their time clean will be really helpful. Honestly, sometimes you have to minimize even stuffed toys in children's bedrooms and one of the most common things that you'll see throughout all of our thoughts here are that humidity control is, and remains, very important. Thoughts here are that humidity control is, and remains, very important. So dehumidifiers may be helpful, keeping the humidity in the air less than 50%, but humidifiers themselves may worsen the problem, because dust mites don't like dry air. And then, lastly, avoid sleeping on upholstered furniture. Don't sleep on the couch the best you can. So that was dust mites. Nikki, can you take us through a little bit more about our beloved pets, animal dander and animal allergens?

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

I can Um. So animal dander is the dead skin that is shed off of animals. Any breed of a dog or cat has this, and you can be allergic to. Cats are, or. The primary allergen in cats is actually found in their saliva skin glands, and in cats it's not really like their fur. A lot of it is their saliva skin glands, urinary tracts, meaning that those creepy, skinless cats are not necessarily like an anti-allergy situation.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

Um, and then they're that we neither and then there are also like rodents, birds, ferrets, but we're gonna talk about our pets. Yeah, um, this is probably one of my top five fears in life that we have a child that's allergic to ollie oh my god because we'll have to get rid of the kid. Where's the closest orphanage? Because that's where you're going, sorry.

Ed Delesky, MD:

That was funny. I like that.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

No, but really though.

Ed Delesky, MD:

Oh no, I hear you yeah.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

And this happened to a girl I used to work with Her daughter. Her daughter has like severe allergies to like a lot of things.

Ed Delesky, MD:

Yeah.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

And when was their dog? And they had to. Well then, like another nurse I used to work with who, like she was close with, took the dog and he's like living his best life. So it was a good, like it turned out good, but like that's still so sad that's so sad, you and your atopicness.

Ed Delesky, MD:

I really hope that this doesn't get passed on.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

It is very does run in families, though, so I know well, I got all my dermatological issues from our one and only Mary, so thanks for that. Appreciate it. Um, so unfortunately, the most effective option if the allergen is your pet is removing the pet from the home, and that really sucks. Removing the pet from the home, and that really sucks, and yeah, that's all I have to say about that. Um, but maybe you'll have like a really nice friend or I feel like, when I hear about this happening, someone has like a really close, like family member, like family friend that takes the dog or the cat and all as well yeah, maybe, like Karthik, would take the kid.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

Yeah, karthik, I think would be a great dad and I think Pri would be a great mom.

Ed Delesky, MD:

So, like I feel fine about it. Yeah, so what can happen is post removal cleaning, Like once you do suggest that the animal might move to a different home. This, like I don't, this just now, like with I just couldn't even imagine now we're sad yeah, now I'm sad, um, but just to say it out loud, it can take months for the allergen levels of the animal to drop from the house, and so, like it may take that long for symptoms to improve.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

I mean it can take that long, for like I feel like allergens are kind of just like, whether it's like an animal or pollen or whatever, like it's kind of like glitter and it like gets everywhere and like doesn't fully go away very quickly.

Ed Delesky, MD:

That's an awesome analogy, and so if removal isn't possible, which we would recognize that it's like probably not possible in a lot of situations.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

It's okay, normalize getting rid of your kid, yeah.

Ed Delesky, MD:

Maybe you could use a HEPA filter once again. Increase the frequency of cleaning, wash your pet regularly this seems kind of bogus, but it's a thought is to confine the pet to rooms where the allergic individual spends the least amount of time. I don't know, I can't see that happening with our buddy here, but there's that, and then there's no like effectiveness to this. That is possible, but you might think about using air filters as well. Tough situation. Really don't want to spend much more time talking about it because I'm getting more sad as we spend time on this segment yeah, we have to go cuddle ollie shall we move on?

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

I know actually we shouldn't be sad because we're not getting rid of ollie exactly.

Ed Delesky, MD:

So I'll take this next one, because I just will. The next section is about insects, which is a recognizable thing that unfortunately people have to deal with in certain environments. We're talking about cockroaches, Asian ladybugs and other rodents. So, for cockroaches specifically, their droppings contain their allergens. So for cockroaches, specifically, their droppings contain their allergens, and control involves multiple baited traps or poisons. Really getting rid of garbage and food waste as soon as possible, washing dishes and utensils immediately, quickly removing cockroach debris when you find it. Eliminating standing water can be helpful, keeping the humidity low very common theme throughout this episode and you really probably need to call a professional for infestations.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

Yeah, I mean cockroaches are. They're also big with the asthma girlies.

Ed Delesky, MD:

Absolutely, and we'll do one of those episodes.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

And boys, you know.

Ed Delesky, MD:

Yeah, as my girlies and boys. Asian ladybugs can be a seasonal allergen that can affect people with like indoor respiratory symptoms actually, and so treating the exterior of the house with some chemicals before the cold weather arrives can prevent swarming inside. And then there are rodents. There are mice and rats it's the protein in their urine that are actually allergenic, and so control here involves some sort of combination of pest control methods and pesticides. Keeping food and trash in covered containers and cleaning food scraps and sealing cracks in walls, doors and floors can be helpful. So those are insects and other sort of vermin.

Ed Delesky, MD:

What about molds, nick? So then there's mold. Mold spores thrive in damp environments. Reducing humidity can be, once again, very helpful here. Truthfully, you need to remove the mold source, and so whatever it is that's moldy, get rid of it. You have to clean moldy surfaces. You have to regularly disinfect indoor garbage pails, clean surfaces with a visible mold, like tiles and sinks, every four weeks with dilute bleach solution and what that basically looks like is one ounce of bleach in a quart of water and then address any moisture issues if you have a like leaky plumbing, correct drainage issues and removing bathroom carpeting exposed to steam all very common things that you can reflect on in your house, if this is something that's going on I thought bleach didn't get rid of mold.

Ed Delesky, MD:

I thought it like actually made it worse I feel like I remember learning that in like chemistry or something really I mean yeah, I mean, uh, you know, in addition to our research here, a little on the go, is that like it might be helpful on hard, non-porous surfaces, but it might not be a routine solution for things like drywall and wood. So maybe we'll take some, take some thoughts there. Reach out to us in our fan mail if you know anything more about getting rid of mold or maybe there's a mold company out there listening and you want to sponsor us so we can stop working, please?

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

Just kidding.

Ed Delesky, MD:

But what about your love, pollen and outdoor allergens? What?

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

can you do Stay inside and don't leave for like two months.

Ed Delesky, MD:

Yeah, that's basically it. Stay indoors when possible, especially during peak symptom times.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

Air conditioners can help yeah, much to eddie's chagrin, we do not open the windows in the spring and we do turn on our air conditioning early, and that sucks for you and you just have to live with it.

Ed Delesky, MD:

He doesn't like when the pico bill's high, but he doesn't like when I'm miserable more so you gotta take your, take your lumps here picking shoes, um, you know, if people are doing outdoor maintenance, you might consider wearing a mask, um, doing like grass cutting.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

Or if you shower before going to bed to remove allergens from your hair and skin you should showering before bed and like washing your hair more often helps which I know sucks to wash your hair every day. Or at least like rinse it out if you can. And your pillowcases honestly, everything always goes back to your pillowcases, because I think I said this in the acne episode. Also buy a pack of pillowcases on Amazon and honestly switch them out every day.

Ed Delesky, MD:

Wow.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

I feel like it's not realistic to like do a load of laundry for like a pillowcase but I switched them out because whatever is like on your skin or on your, in your hair, if you like didn't wash your hair that night. You're now laying on it and your face is all in it all night long, and now it's on your pillowcase and it stays on your pillowcase and then you go to bed the next day. Maybe you did just take a shower and wash your hair, but now there's all this pollen because, like, like I said, it's like glitter, right, it's everywhere and it never all goes away and it's just always there. So now you're laying on this pillowcase that, like, has pollen on it, and then you wake up and feel like crap because you've been sleeping in pollen for eight hours.

Nicole Aruffo, RN:

Ollie agrees too. Yeah, also, having a dog doesn't help if you're allergic to pollen, because, like they're outside and then they have pollen and then they bring it in your house and they get glitter everywhere and that's how that works. But yeah, pillowcases is a big thing and I think you'll actually see a difference.

Ed Delesky, MD:

That's awesome. Thank you for that. Oh, you're welcome, and something that we realized when we were recording this episode is that there is a lot of content about allergic rhinitis and how to take care of it at home, and so we're going to take a pause here, as we talked about trigger avoidance, and then invite you back next week to continue the conversation about a really in-depth conversation about how we use medications to help manage allergic rhinitis. So see you, then, and, moreover, we want to thank you for coming back to another episode of your Checkup. Hopefully you were able to learn something for yourself, a loved one or an allergic neighbor. Please check out our website, find us on Instagram, send us an email yourcheckuppod at gmailcom and, most importantly, stay healthy, my friends, until next time. I'm Ed Dolesky. I'm Nicole Ruffo. Thank you and goodbye Bye.

Ed Delesky, MD:

This information may provide a brief overview of diagnosis, treatment and medications. It's not exhaustive and is a tool to help you understand potential options about your health. It doesn't cover all details about conditions, treatments or medications for a specific person. This is not medical advice or an attempt to substitute medical advice. You should contact a healthcare provider for personalized guidance based on your unique circumstances. We explicitly disclaim any liability relating to the information given or its use. This content doesn't endorse any treatments or medications for a specific patient. Always talk to your healthcare provider for complete information tailored to you. In short, I'm not your doctor, I am not your nurse, and make sure you go get your own checkup with your own personal doctor.

People on this episode

Contributor

Nicole Aruffo, RN

Host
Contributor

Dr. Edward Matthew Delesky, MD

Producer