UNAIR NEWS – Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, people are increasingly afraid and reluctant to visit hospitals and other health facilities. Many patients with chronic diseases such as allergic rhinitis turn down their hospitalization, resulting in their health condition getting worse. In this regard, it is essential for people with allergic rhinitis to be able to do self-care at home to stimulate the immune system to suppress the growth of allergic cells.
dr. Rosa Falerina, Sp.THT-KL, Otorhinolaryngologist Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga (FK UNAIR), said that if allergic rhinitis is not appropriately treated, it will interfere with the cognitive aspects of sufferers. Consequently, they cannot carry out their activities either at work or in educational fields.
“If the degree of allergic rhinitis is moderate or severe, it can interfere with school or work. Therefore, rhinitis sufferers are often angry and upset because their illness is very disruptive to their daily activities,” explained the lecturer from Surabaya.
Furthermore, the lecturer known well as Rosa said that people with allergic rhinitis often experience colds in the morning or evening, especially when they are exposed to allergens such as dust and animal dander. In addition to colds, sufferers also experience itching in the eyes, ears, nose, and the palate.
“If the patient is sweeping the house, and then dust gets into his nose, he will immediately sneeze and catch a cold,” said the lecturer, who also suffered from allergic rhinitis when she was a child.
Furthermore, dr. Rosa said that treatments for allergic rhinitis could be done at home if the symptoms are not severe. The treatments include:
Rinsing your nose regularly
Patients are advised to rinse their noses with an appropriate nasal rinsing regimen regularly. The most commonly used is NaCl solution. The solution is applied two or three times a day in both nostrils. This nasal rinsing serves to clean and moisturize the nasal cavity to prevent infection in the respiratory tract.
“The method is applied in a sitting position. Then, we spray one time on the right nose and another on the left nose. Then, we wipe it gently with a tissue,” she said.
Avoiding allergens
Allergic rhinitis is caused by an abnormal immune system response to allergens. Therefore, sufferers need to know the cause of the allergy they are experiencing to avoid the source of the allergy.
“There are various allergens that can trigger an immune system reaction if inhaled, including dust and animal furs,” she said.
Eating nutritious food
According to dr. Rosa, healthy diet (often known as empat sehat lima sempurna) has an excellent composition to maintain the immune system. This nutrient content is vital for the body because it can cause cells to regenerate quickly to fight allergic cells.
“We can’t get rid of allergic cells in the body because it’s inherited from parents. What we can do is suppress the allergic cells by maintaining the body’s resistance,” she explained.
Consuming vitamin C
Symptoms of rhinitis such as runny nose and sneezing that are difficult to stop are often troublesome for sufferers. Consuming vitamin C can be useful for boosting the immune system. Moreover, vitamin C is also a natural antihistamine that can be used to treat allergies.
“Rhinitis can be overcome by taking vitamins, especially vitamin C, which is also a natural antihistamine,” she explained.
Doing exercise regularly
The immune system of patients with rhinitis is weaker than people who do not have allergies. Thus, one way to increase body immunity is doing light exercise regularly for 15-20 minutes.
“Exercise shouldn’t be exhausting either. You just need to spend 15-20 minutes. If you are exhausted, your immunity will be weaker,” she concluded.
Author: Adelya Salsabila Putri
Editor: Khefti Al Mawalia (YA/AP)
