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Prevention

By Mayo Clinic staff

There's no proven way to avoid getting hay fever in the first place. Doctors think reducing a child's exposure to allergy-causing substances, such as dust mites and animal dander, may help delay or prevent hay fever — but the evidence isn't clear yet.

If you have hay fever, the best thing you can do is to take steps to lessen your exposure to the allergens that cause your symptoms. Take allergy medications before you're exposed to allergens, as directed by your doctor.

Alternative medicine
References
  1. Allergic rhinitis (hay fever). American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. http://www.acaai.org/allergist/allergies/types/rhinitis/Pages/default.aspx. Accessed March 30, 2012.
  2. McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2012. 51st ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2012. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2356. Accessed April 1, 2012.
  3. Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2012:5 Books in 1. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2012. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?about=true&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05611-3..C2009-0-38601-8--TOP&isbn=978-0-323-05611-3&uniqId=291436269-101. Accessed March 31, 2012.
  4. Longo DL, et al. Harrison's Online. 18th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2012. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=9136197. Accessed April 1, 2012.
  5. Fact sheet: Allergic rhinitis (hay fever). American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery. http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/allergicRhinitis.cfm. Accessed March 30, 2012.
  6. Greiner AN, et al. Allergic rhinitis. The Lancet. 2011;378:2112.
  7. Allergies and hay fever. American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery. http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/allergiesHayFever.cfm. Accessed March 30, 2012.
  8. Rhinitis and sinusitis. Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=9&sub=18&cont=239. Accessed March 30, 2012.
  9. Montelukast sodium. Micromedex Healthcare Series. http://www.micromedex.com. Accessed April 2, 2012.
  10. Naegleria FAQs. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/faqs.html. Accessed Dec. 30, 2011.
  11. Man L. Complementary and alternative medicine for allergic rhinitis. Current Opinion in Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery. 2009;17:226.
  12. Allergic rhinitis (hayfever). Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed April 2, 2012.
  13. Li JT (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 3, 2012.
DS00174 July 17, 2012

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