Bangkok Allergies

[JimShorts]

Anyone else experiencing allergies currently? I have some light allergy symptoms, wondering if it is a flower or tree blossoming, or maybe from being inside too much and I need to clean my air conditioner filters. After 3 years living here, I do notice I get allergies once or twice a year for a couple weeks, but I always forget to note down what time of year it is. 

 

In general, anyone have allergies in Bangkok. If so what months is it most noticeable?

 

In general I find living here very good for my allergies. While living in the US, some cities it was really bad. 

[frequentatore]

My own experience:

. Dairy products, and too many sweets or bread. Reduce consumption of some products and you mind find the culprit. 

. Gases from drain pipes (any smell at home?).

[JimShorts]

Yes I cut dairy about 2 years ago. Certainly makes a difference. I don't eat much sugar. White bread/pasta also gets me sometimes and I try to only eat whole wheat which seems to be ok. 

 

No smell at home. Whatever is triggering it comes and goes. Could be dust build-up in the AC filters. But I think it is something blooming outside. 

[AlexRRR]

Im a chronic rinutis sufferer and im normally better in BKK than Melbourne, last 3 months period was at the xmas period in BKK and for me then it was the air quality once it lifted I was fine, took to wearing a mask out on the street....and running air con in the condo.....and thats the first time I can recall such bad air quality for such a long period there.

 

The condo I rent in BKK has a material couch, when I lay on it I often get to feeling unwell....you can imagine 20 years of it collecting dust and peoples bits and pieces and never cleaned...New furniture in your room? 

 

When I coming down with the flu or a bad cold that will change my tolerance to the air quality as well...

 

Doesn't sound like you have it bad but things to watch are your laundry detergent, keeping your home clean, a constant supply of fresh air, vapours from the polish on your floor boards if you have them same as with furniture....bought a new office chair recently had to leave it outside under my veranda for 2 weeks to get the gasses out of it.....

 

Might be a good idea you start noting when you get an attack and whats around you, my allergy slowly began to take a foothold over a period of years, its gradually got worse over time, fatigue became a factor and from there I became lazy sometimes...it changed my thinking as well....at one point when I moved in with my mum while building a new house I became depressed or what felt like depression doctor put me on anti depressant but all that did was make me feel even more lazy and fatigued...Turned out that I realised I had an allergy when I took a year off and lived there in BKK use to go to Starbucks a couple of times a week at T21 and wait for then TGF to meet me after her work near by, id often get there around 3 with iPad and just chill and browse for a few hours, often id feel like poo within 30 min...often...this went on for a number of months when one day I thought...this Is pures <deleted>.....feeling like <deleted> again I racked my mind....looking down I noticed.....carpet...Thais dont own vacuum cleaners they would be sweeping the carpet yet only then a new shopping centre of about a year old it already had enough dust in the carpet along with carpet vapours to put me off....then realised allergy, googled and I had all the symptoms....Once back in AU got tested and found out no cure....then it took a few years to work out how to minimise it, I lead a fairy normal life now but yes for a while it impacted heavily on me....Good luck.

 

 

[AgMech Cowboy]

Hi There @JimShorts, Yes, it's that time of year.  I have noticed the past few days, off and on, that my eyes start itching and maybe my nose is running an increased amount of 'snot'. My son was home last week-end and he had a severe allergy attack. He took a antihistamine and pseudoephederine, which seemed to clear him up after about 4 hours.  I take the antihistamine daily, but only take the pseudo when I'm really stuffed up.

[Aspaltso]

I find zyrtec helps.

 

[JimShorts]

@AgMech Cowboy Thank you for sharing! Makes me feel much better knowing it is seasonal allergies and not something else. Sorry to hear about you and your son. I have similar experience, sinuses get inflamed and nose is a little stuffed up. Generic Zyrtec helps. 

[JimShorts]

@AlexRRR Yes for me when I first stared to really notice then, about 20 years ago, it was gradual and a similar experience. Finally pinpointed bread and dairy as a major trigger and would cut them out in spring. I grew up in the NW of the USA around lots of mold, which is certainly another trigger for me, most likely from many years of over exposure. While living in NY my allergies were really bad in spring and even worse in fall, I got tested, it was from some trees and weeds in that area. It was like a brain fog, I could not think, could not focus, felt depressed.

 

In general dust, fumes, mold, all bother me. We have a cleaning lady so house is always clean. We use baking soda, vinegar and tea tree to clean everything with, no chemicals. No old furniture, its all newer and made from natural materials. I'm pretty strict on what I buy. Try to avoid buying plastic anything, cheap clothing, etc. If I do I soak it to remove the chemicals. Soak fruit and veggies too to remove chemicals. Only thing I don't have control over are the chemicals they used to build our apartment. Also with the humidity here we have had mold issues a few times. 

 

I run air purifiers 24/7 which I think helps. However I also run the AC in dehumidify most of the time 24/7 (this helps a lot against the mold issues), which makes the air a little too dry. I find if the humidity drops under 50% my sinuses get inflamed. 

 

Here in Bangkok I am very happy, it is much better then other places I have lived. Just hits me mildly a couple times a year for a couple weeks. 

 

Actually I have been here 3 years, the first year they were the worst. The second year I cut all dairy and meat and they got better. The third year I cut white grains for the most part and again they improved. So for me cutting meat, dairy and white grains has really helped.

[zaZa9]

Im not based in Bkk , Phuket actually , and every year at this time I notice how many skin blemishes I and even my Thai family get.

Wife had a pimple on the nose , now me too . Daughter has a rash , and usually I get some as well.

I put it down to the low quality of the water before the rains and have experienced the same in March and April year in and year out.

[alanrchase]

Heavy rain two weeks ago. Good chance that has caused various plants to bloom.

[Andyfez]

Me too. I've had slightly watery eyes for a few weeks.

It's got worse the last few days. Dry air etc.

I'm sure it's dust etc in the air, and air conditioners.

Interested to know if there's any particular plant growing.

Usually I get this now, and around June for rice growing.

[sawadee1947]

Cleaning your house maybe helps. 

Also Wear cotton made clothes. 

Change your clothes more than once weekly. 

And avoid MSG. 

There are dermatologists who will test you as well. 

[spidermike007]

Invest in the highest quality air filter you can afford. It is all about the size of the filter. Good air filters need massive sized filters. You are dealing with horrendous air quality, and that wears the lungs down over time. People can develop allergies to pollution, which wreaks havoc with the respiratory system. With the Corona going around, you need your lungs to be in very good shape. 

 

The Xiaomi pro is one of the better filters available, here for the money. And the replacement filters are under 1000 baht. 

[Captor]

7 hours ago, AlexRRR said:

Im a chronic rinutis sufferer and im normally better in BKK than Melbourne, last 3 months period was at the xmas period in BKK and for me then it was the air quality once it lifted I was fine, took to wearing a mask out on the street....and running air con in the condo.....and thats the first time I can recall such bad air quality for such a long period there.

 

The condo I rent in BKK has a material couch, when I lay on it I often get to feeling unwell....you can imagine 20 years of it collecting dust and peoples bits and pieces and never cleaned...New furniture in your room? 

 

When I coming down with the flu or a bad cold that will change my tolerance to the air quality as well...

 

Doesn't sound like you have it bad but things to watch are your laundry detergent, keeping your home clean, a constant supply of fresh air, vapours from the polish on your floor boards if you have them same as with furniture....bought a new office chair recently had to leave it outside under my veranda for 2 weeks to get the gasses out of it.....

 

Might be a good idea you start noting when you get an attack and whats around you, my allergy slowly began to take a foothold over a period of years, its gradually got worse over time, fatigue became a factor and from there I became lazy sometimes...it changed my thinking as well....at one point when I moved in with my mum while building a new house I became depressed or what felt like depression doctor put me on anti depressant but all that did was make me feel even more lazy and fatigued...Turned out that I realised I had an allergy when I took a year off and lived there in BKK use to go to Starbucks a couple of times a week at T21 and wait for then TGF to meet me after her work near by, id often get there around 3 with iPad and just chill and browse for a few hours, often id feel like poo within 30 min...often...this went on for a number of months when one day I thought...this Is pures <deleted>.....feeling like <deleted> again I racked my mind....looking down I noticed.....carpet...Thais dont own vacuum cleaners they would be sweeping the carpet yet only then a new shopping centre of about a year old it already had enough dust in the carpet along with carpet vapours to put me off....then realised allergy, googled and I had all the symptoms....Once back in AU got tested and found out no cure....then it took a few years to work out how to minimise it, I lead a fairy normal life now but yes for a while it impacted heavily on me....Good luck.

 

 

I have an allergy against wool. That can be found in couches or carpets among others.

[Captor]

50 minutes ago, sawadee1947 said:

Cleaning your house maybe helps. 

Also Wear cotton made clothes. 

Change your clothes more than once weekly. 

And avoid MSG. 

There are dermatologists who will test you as well. 

MSG? Explanation please...

[Captor]

47 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Invest in the highest quality air filter you can afford. It is all about the size of the filter. Good air filters need massive sized filters. You are dealing with horrendous air quality, and that wears the lungs down over time. People can develop allergies to pollution, which wreaks havoc with the respiratory system. With the Corona going around, you need your lungs to be in very good shape. 

 

The Xiaomi pro is one of the better filters available, here for the money. And the replacement filters are under 1000 baht. 

Have Xiaomi pro got real hepa filter now? They did not have that before which is of importance.

[spidermike007]

Yes. I have a high end PM 2.5 meter. When I close my windows my levels go from 0.33 to 0.01 in less than an hour. And that is impressive. It seems to be working well. It has hepa, and you can also get the charcoal insert. Plus, they sell bacterial filters too. And fluorocarbon filters. It is a good unit. 

[Captor]

Last time i checked about 1 year ago they did not have the REAL hepa. They only had an older outdated standard not approved in Europe or US. What PM meter do you have? Surely an outdated hepa helps bu it will not take away 99,97% which the current standard does. But it is good if the filters are cheap. The filters for my coway are very expensive. And as they say: Better with any air purifier than non at all.

[sawadee1947]

1 hour ago, Captor said:

MSG? Explanation please...

Monosodiumgluconat. It's a flavour enhencer and in almost all thai dishes unless you cook by yourself 

[Captor]

6 minutes ago, sawadee1947 said:

Monosodiumgluconat. It's a flavour enhencer and in almost all thai dishes unless you cook by yourself 

Oh, that, yes I know about that. Very unhealty for the body. We have that in Europe as well but it is very selldome used. Thanks for the explanation.

[xtrnuno41]

First time ever i was in Thailand in the beginning of year, february. End of feb in the province, i got itchy legs.

So something must start to bloom then and effects mostly my legs. It only itch, nothing further, but it itch !

Have been in Thailand on other months (never problems), but now first time end february.

However also mosquitoes are active and they gave me really big spots of allergy. They are really tiny bugs and fast, just saw just one and killed it instantly, too late. She was not bloody, so just started to inject and gave me allergy spot and it really itch like ...h...

Amazing as i have been bitten in town and those only left bite mark, no allergy.

Or the mosquito change with substances (due to season) or it is another kind of mosquito and gives me real big itchy allergy spots on my skin. I had still some DEET and put it on the spots, it worked.

However DEET is not sold anymore, too bad. It works as repellent for mosquitoes but also seems to work to neutralize the spots.

Was surprised, as i had allergy reactions when i was young and most passed away, only end may here my eyes were on fire, when bicycling through a park. 

Now in Thailand, end february, in the province, i seem to have again an allergy problem.

The spots look like this, happily not at asmuch together, when for instance you touch nettle.

[Sambotte]

Could be DUST MITES.

 

I have some allergie since ever but only sometimes. I thought it was pollen only.

Can be dust mite too. Those little spiders live everywhere, and you are allergic to their sh.. actually.

Not funny since it's very difficult to get rid of them. And to clean the sh. with a professionnal waccum.

 

You can check allergies levels (and where and when especially) with accuweather, look allergies, and then inddors/dust and dander.

[JimShorts]

Thanks guys for all the feedback. I am certainly experiencing seasonal allergies worse than usual this year. Take some homeopathic allergy medicine I got on iherb helps. 

[Thainess]

Allergies should be the least of your problems right now.

[JimShorts]

On 4/11/2020 at 7:42 PM, Thainess said:

Allergies should be the least of your problems right now.

Why is that? They are really bothersome this year.