How Can Your Home’s Water Quality Affect Allergy SymptomsSpring is often the worst season of the year for allergies.  That’s because plants and flowers are in full bloom, and many common allergens  like pollen and ragweed are released into the air outside. Springtime allergies  are bad enough on their own, but there are certain water quality  issues that can make your symptoms even worse. Today we’re going to talk about  how your home’s water quality can affect your seasonal allergies and why installing  a water treatment system can help alleviate your symptoms!

Drinking water can  help improve allergy symptoms

Dehydration slows  down the body’s natural healing process, which can make allergy symptoms  worse and last for a longer period of time. As a result, drinking a lot of  water is a great way to minimize the effects that allergens have on your body. Unfortunately,  as you’ll see below, some common water contaminants can worsen the effects of  allergies. This leads to a catch-22: drinking lots of water can improve allergy  symptoms, but contaminants in that water can make those symptoms worse.

Water quality issues  that can worsen allergy symptoms

  • Chlorine.  Chlorine is found in most public water supplies, because it is the disinfectant  that is most commonly used by water treatment plants around the country. The  problem with chlorine when it comes to allergy symptoms is that exposure to  chlorine leads to many of the same symptoms as those caused by seasonal  allergies: breathing problems, dry skin and itchy eyes, just to name a few. As  a result, exposure to chlorine in tap water, especially in  the shower, can make allergy symptoms even worse.
  • Hard  water. One of the biggest effects that hard water  has on your body is that it dries out your skin. This can cause severe irritation  problems for people who suffer from allergies, because dry skin tends to  amplify allergy symptoms like itchy eyes, sore noses and sore throats.
  • Chemicals.  Many of the chemicals  that commonly show up in tap water affect your immune system and your body’s  ability to heal itself. If your home’s water contains any of these chemicals,  your allergy symptoms can get more severe and last longer than usual.

Install a water  treatment system to help alleviate allergy symptoms at home

By installing a water treatment system in your home, you can  avoid the catch-22 that we described above. You can get all of the  allergy-reducing benefits of drinking lots of water without worrying about being  exposed to the contaminants that we listed above. No matter what type of system  you install, we suggest that you choose a whole-house system so that you have  clean water for showering and at every tap in your home.

If you have any questions about the effects water quality  can have on allergy symptoms, or if you’d like a water system serviced or  installed in your home, contact North Carolina Water Consultants, your water softener and water filtration  system dealer in North and South Carolina. We provide service all over the  Carolinas, including towns like Charlotte, Davidson and Mooresville, NC.

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