How To Prepare Your Teen for College... And Allergies

So the time has finally come and your teen is ready to leave the nest for college. They are no longer babies, they are new adults.

Along with all the excitement comes great responsibility.  Your teen is now going to be responsible for making many everyday decisions that we take for granted.  They will now be responsible for advocating for themselves when it comes to their education and even their healthcare.  It is best to sort out all details  before they start the school year rather than during an emergency. Help your child determine how your health insurance works and who your providers might be. Teach them to navigate the system and where and when to seek out urgent health care.  

A teen who lives with allergies needs to be aware of the triggers and make sure that those around them are aware as well.  This means discussing allergies or asthma with roommates, friends, or a residency advisor to help them avoid triggers and know how to help if an allergic reaction or asthma flare up occurs.

Keeping a clean room has many benefits!  Although the trendy decor when it comes to dorm rooms is laundry sporadically placed on the floor along with day-old pizza on the desk, it's time to get rid of that trend. Out with the old and in with the new, keeping a clean room can prevent allergens like dust and mold from growing. Using products such as sheet covers and air filters can help keep allergens away. As previously stated in Dr. Bielory’s Humidifiers and Indoor Allergies blog, humidifiers are a great, easy way for mold and dust mites to grow in the home. So your teen might also want to ask if they will have direct access to replaceable filtration to prevent the growth of dust and mold. Some schools will only provide this to students with a medical need. Keeping windows closed will prevent pollen from entering the dorm room. See, keeping a clean room has its benefits!

In addition to the basic acetaminophen, ibuprofen, bandaids, and antibiotic cream, you should make sure your teen has their allergy relief medications as well.  Being proactive with your preparation will allow your teen to be reactive quickly when a need arises.  A natural decongestant such as Sinusol® Breathe Easy, is a great first line defense to keep handy when seasonal allergies arise.  In addition, flu season also overlaps college semesters and with many roommates and closed quarters events viral infections are common. One can also consider Sinusol® Antiviral to be part of a complete first aid kit that should be considered and prepared to be sent with your teen. Make sure that epinephrine autoinjectors for treatment of anaphylaxis and appropriate updated inhaler prescriptions have been filled.

It doesn’t matter what kind of food your child’s college offers, but it's important is that it's safe to eat. Your child should let their school know of any food allergies and receive an accommodation.  As well as notifying their school of specific food allergies, your child should be aware of ingredients used in every meal. For this, they should speak to the food handler.

Prepare your teen with the necessary skills to know how to ask for what they need and how and when to seek help.

Additional Points:

For the actual pollen count one can download the free AccuPollen® mobile app based upon participants in the PollenUnderGround® 

New treatments recently released are Sinusol™ holistic nasal lavage/spray that has various essential oils herbal components that Dr. Bielory has developed a refreshing spray mist that is used as a nasal lavage that contains menthol, eucalyptus, cinnamon, spearmint (www.DrBRx.com) and one can email info@DrBRx.com for more information. Use Blog20 for 20% off 3 or more items.