Iโm sharing this based on my personal experience and research, but Iโm not a medical professional. This post is for informational purposes only and isn’t medical advice. You can find my full medical disclaimer
at the bottom of this page.
I donโt know about you, but Iโve been living with allergy related health issues for a long time now. Long enough that I have developed a sort of damage control for the times when I canโt avoid an overload of allergen exposure. (Which for me happens easily, on a nearly daily basis.) Basically I have learned that while I canโt avoid life and allergy exposure, I can find ways to partially mitigate the exposure so that the duration of symptoms is shorter and the time for recovery is reduced and often at least a little bit easier.
Wherever we go, whatever we do, we are exposed to a variety of things. A literal ecosystem of potential triggers lay before us, no matter our destination. In any given environment there are millions of microscopic particles just waiting to attach themselves to us in one way or another. We blink, and the particles stick to the moisture in our eyes and can cake to our eyelashes. We inhale and the particles not only stick to our lips and nose but also enter up into the sinus passages, into our mouths and travel down through our airways, potentially causing flare ups and allergic reactions. The particles stick to our hair and our skin. They attach themselves to our clothes and our shoes. This is why we can walk into a movie theater smelling like ourselves, yet several hours later run into a friend at the grocery store and they ask us why we smell like popcorn. All of those microscopic particles from the movie theaters have stuck themselves to us and are now trying to follow us home.
Today I am going to share with you my personal Head to Toe: Post Allergen Exposure Regime. This is all of my best tips for removing these โstickyโ ecosystems before they can do any more damage. The goal is to rinse, wash off, wash out or rinse out as many of these microscopic particles as possible.
- Eye Rinse- Use saline eye drops to โrinseโ the particles out of your eyes. Personally I use Systane brand, but pretty much any brand of saline eye drops should help.
- Nasal Rinse- There are a couple of different styles out there for this, but I am partial to the squeeze bottle nasal rinse that is NeilMed brand. Itโs important to note that you are supposed to use either distilled or sterile water in the nasal rinses. Tap water can chlorine, minerals, and microbes among other things that can cause other health issues. You probably donโt want to trade one health issue for another. The nasal rinse wonโt be able to rinse out all of the allergens or particles that youโve inhaled, but it will help flush out a much of the ones in your immediate nasal passages.
- Mouth Cleansing- Iโd say brush your teeth, but this goes beyond a standard tooth brushing. Iโm talking about taking your toothbrush and scrubbing your mouth, your teeth, your gums, your tongue and the roof of your mouth. Just be careful to not go too far back towards your throat or you could trigger the gag reflex. Then rinse your toothbrush out really good to remove as much of the particles from the toothbrush as you reasonably can. I usually end up having to rinse it longer due to the excess of mucus that it creates up after a big exposure.
- Facial โPrewashโ- This one is a little bit newer for me. I of course always wash my face during my allergen cleaning shower, but I found out recently that if I do a light โprewashโ of my face with a little soap on my fingers when I first get in the shower and then wait a couple of minutes to do a more thorough face washing, I end up with less of a histamine rash afterwards.
- Allergen Cleansing Shower- The rest of the shower. After the facial Prewash, I shampoo my hair first and then just wash everything. All the way down to the bottom of the feet. Including the face. Use a fragrance free gentle cleansing soap for best results. (I use Dove fragrance free bar soap.) The reason I separate the face into Prewash and wash is because I found that if I only wash my face gently with my fingers, I started getting acne, but if I donโt Prewash my face with my fingers before I use a cloth or scrubber then I get a terrible rash. Which my research indicates that it is likely a histamine rash.
- Follow-up by putting on fresh, clean, non contaminated by allergens, clothes.
(It might not look like a huge difference in the pictures because the phone filters out some of the red, but it really does reduce the amount of rash that appears post showering.)
And that ladies and gentlemen, is my Head to Toe: Post Allergen Exposure Regime. This routine has reduced my overload symptoms many times over. It doesnโt stop allergic reactions completely, by any means, unfortunately. But I know for myself at least, it makes the reaction much more tolerable and reduces the overall recovery time.
Glossary of Terms
The Triggers & The Particles
- Potential Triggers: The vast ecosystem of environmental biologicals (pollen, dander, mold) and chemical irritants (perfumes, wood ash, smoke) that have the potential to fill your “Allergy Bucket.
- Microscopic Particles: The invisible “Atmospheric Hitchhikers” that are small enough to be inhaled or blinked into the eyes, yet heavy enough to stick to hair, skin, and clothing.
- Overload of Allergen Exposure: A “Breach Event” where the volume of environmental particles exceeds your systemโs ability to remain “Silent,” leading to an overflow of the immune bucket.
The Physical Protocol
- Pre-Wash: The initial stage of decontamination. Using soap and fingers to gently lift and rinse away the “bulk” of the irritants from the face and hands before using a cloth or scrubber, preventing you from accidentally rubbing the “Location Fingerprint” deeper into your pores.
- Allergen Cleansing Shower: A strategic, top-to-bottom decontamination ritual designed to evict foreign ecosystems from the hair and skin.
- Nasal Rinse: The act of flushing the sinus cavities with a saline solution to physically remove trapped particulates from the “Front Gate” of the airway.
- Distilled Water: The only safe, sterile water source for a nasal rinse; free of the minerals and microbes found in tap water that could further irritate a “leaky” Epithelial Barrier.
The Oral Decon
- Oral Decon (Mouth Reset): The process of scrubbing the soft tissuesโthe palate, tongue, and gumsโto remove the “Inhaled Signature” of the day.
- Gag Reflex (Posterior Sensitivity): A common physical hurdle during a deep oral scrub. In a Type 2 system (Type 2 Inflammation), this reflex can be heightened when the back of the mouth is inflamed or overloaded with “Spatial Static.”
The Reaction & The Recovery
- Overload Symptoms: The “Riot” signalsโincluding nausea, brain fog, and fatigueโthat indicate your systemic bucket has overflowed.
- Histamine Rash: A visible “flare” on the skin caused by the release of inflammatory chemicals; the bodyโs way of sounding the alarm that the barrier has been breached.
- Duration of Symptoms: The “Lag Time” between the Full System Flush and the return to Systemic Silence. This is the period your body needs to process the internal “drops” even after the external “suit” has been removed.
Medical Disclaimer
The information provided on MelSeeley.com is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, allergy (such as latex or environmental sensitivities), or health regimen. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
Reliance on any information provided by this blog is solely at your own risk.
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