Choosing a holiday gift you know they’ll love is hard enough, but buying a gift for someone with allergies can be especially challenging. As the holiday season gets into full swing, we thought it might be helpful to share some ideas for the people with allergies on your list. Here are our top 4 picks to help you get started. (Of course, we recommend doing your own research to find specific items to best fit their needs.)
Wellness gifts
As a functional allergist, Dr. Z focuses a lot on the importance of eating healthy foods, exercising, reducing stress, and getting a good night’s sleep to promote gut health and overall wellbeing for people with allergies. Here are a few wellness gift ideas to get your creative juices flowing:
- Gift card to a local fitness center, yoga studio, or massage therapy center
- Healthy goodies care package — make this as big or small as you like, with food, supplements, gadgets, or personal care items — just make sure it’s all allergen-free!
- Streaming music or audiobooks for reducing stress and promoting calm
- Dr. Z presents Restore Health, an effective and easy-to-follow healthy lifestyle program
Air purifier
Air purifiers can help with allergies and asthma by removing irritating particles, germs, and allergens from indoor air making it cleaner to breathe. When choosing an air purifier, it’s important to consider what air pollutants—dust, mold spores, pet dander, pollen, etc.—need to be filtered as well as the size of the room where it will be used.
There are many types of air purifiers available that use different types of filters and technology—high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA), activated carbon, ionizer to name a few—so it’s important to do some research before you buy. Here are a couple of places to help you get started:
Air Purifiers and COVID-19
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), portable air purifiers can reduce the potential for airborne transmission of COVID-19. Be sure to follow other best practices recommended by the CDC.
Allergy-free cookbook
For anyone who has food allergies, cooking at home where you can control the ingredients is important. A cookbook of allergy-friendly recipes can make a thoughtful gift. Start shopping with Cookbooks for Families with Food Allergies.
Hypo-allergenic bedding
According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, dust mites could be the number one cause of year-round allergy symptoms. Hypoallergenic bedding can help improve the quality of sleep. It’s made from both natural and manmade materials that are easy to clean and resistant to allergens, particularly dust mites. Here’s what to look for:
- Natural fiber sheets and pillowcases made from cotton, silk, bamboo, or Tencel® (wood fiber)
- Anti-microbial memory foam mattress pads and toppers resist mold and dust mites
- Down-alternative pillows and comforters replace down or feathers with anti-microbial materials
Wishing everyone a safe, healthy, and joyous holiday season. Remember, we’re here if you need us. Schedule a consultation with Dr. Z or any of our other dedicated team members at the office location of your choice.
