Spring Allergy Season
The leaves and flowers will be beautiful soon. Recess is important for everyone to participate in. It allows time for creativity and exercise. It helps the brain process the things the children have learned in school. It helps decrease stress. Help your children be prepared for the weather and mud.
If your child has a history of spring allergy symptoms, consider consulting with your child’s pediatrician to find out if allergy medications should start soon. Preventing an allergic response can help the symptoms from getting too uncomfortable.
Allergy and Asthma Network (www.aanma.org) has articles and pod casts. Go to the link and look around on this informative website..
If possible, it is helpful for children who have a significant allergy to pollen, to wash their hands, face, and even damp wipe their hair when they come in from recess or just playing outside. When at home, changing clothes when you come in after being outdoors, will remove some of the pollen and also keep it from floating in your home. Showering or bathing before bed is a good idea as well.
According to the Academy of Asthma and Allergies, saline nasal sprays and rinses can help during allergy season. Saline is a special formula of salt and water. The saline spray rinses the pollen from the mucous membranes (inside the nose) thereby decreasing the exposure of the body to allergens. You can buy saline sprays and rinsing containers at the pharmacy or many other stores. At home you can use the rinses that are in larger volume such as a “neti pot.” Please be aware that we can give eye drops or oral medicines or saline spray as needed for the allergies if we have the Medication Permission form found on the Health and Nursing website with a physician’s signature and a parent signature for consent. The medication must come in a pharmacy labeled package or original over-the-counter packaging. The State requires all medications to be brought in by an adult.
Asthma can be exacerbated at this time of year due to pollen and increased time outside as well as due to other irritants. The links below have very good resources. The Allergy and Asthma Network has an excellent magazine that is informative and easy to read. If you want to look at a copy, check with Margita or myself in the Health Office.
http://www.cdc.gov/asthma/children.htm
http://www.allergyasthmanetwork.org/education/allergies/common-allergens/pollen/
www.cdc.gov/healthcommunication/toolstemplates/entertainmented/tips/allergies.html
https://sites.google.com/a/abschools.org/health-nursing-services/?pli=1
NOTE: May is National Asthma and Allergy Awareness month
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Resilience is a key skill for children to learn.
Heather Makris, BSN RN NCSN
Luther Conant Elementary School Nurse
https://abschools.org/cms/one.aspx?pageId=6252188
(978)266-2550
(978)264-3329 fax