According to a nationwide survey, 54.6 percent of Americans experience allergic reactions. Although not all allergies are caused by pollen, ‘tis the season for people who are generally healthy for the rest of the year to experience the runny nose, itchy eyes, and sneezing that occurs in response to airborne allergens. Luckily there are iOS apps that track these and other types of allergens to keep users safe during this trying time.
My Pollen Forecast
As the name suggests, My Pollen Forecast tracks and projects the pollen count in one’s area. Current conditions and two-day forecasts are available for residents of the UK and the contiguous United States. These are the only countries supported by the app, but more may eventually be added.
In addition to pollen counts, My Pollen Forecast tracks its users’ allergy symptoms. Users are encouraged to maintain a symptoms diary so that the app can discover which types of pollen are most harmful. Thus, My Pollen Forecast is equal parts pollen tracker and health monitor. It can be purchased for free from the iTunes store and used on recent iPhone and iPad models.
You can learn more about My Pollen Forecast here.
Sensio Air
Sensio Air performs the same functions as My Pollen Forecast but with an added bonus. This app monitors allergy symptoms, outdoor allergens, and indoor allergens. In regards outdoor allergens, Sensio Air tracks not just pollen but smog and air pollutants. Data on pollen and air pollution are available for 320 major cities throughout the world. As for indoor allergens, the app monitors everything from mold to pet dander to dust to dust mites.
If you’re surprised by the last of these allergens, you shouldn’t be. Common household pests like mites, bed bugs, cockroaches, and rodents can cause dangerous allergic reactions. These reactions are often worse for people with asthma. The Sensio Air app will thus inform users about these allergy/asthma triggers and, by using complex algorithms, determine which of these may be responsible for their symptoms.
As long as a user keeps the app updated about their health, Sensio Air will combine the data from indoor and outdoor air quality with the user’s data to produce solutions for sneezing, shortness of breath, fever, runny nose, and other common reactions. The app even provides info on allergy medications. Of course, Sensio Air shouldn’t be a substitute for a doctor, but it can help with diagnosis all the same. Like My Pollen Forecast, the app is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices that are installed with iOS version 10 or later.
You can learn more about Sensio Air here.
AllergyEats
More fuss has been made about food allergens in recent years than most other allergens, and for good reason. Diet is ground zero for many allergic reactions – allergic reactions that some sufferers can’t even identify as allergic reactions or aren’t defined as allergic reactions. Thus, it may be more sensitive to call this generalized reaction to inflammatory foods “sensitivity.”
Food sensitivity is prevalent among the general populace and yet very few restaurants operate with sensitive patrons in mind. This is why Paul Antico created AllergyEats, an app that identifies the best restaurants for people with food allergies and intolerances. AllergyEats has over 850,000 restaurants in its database, all of which reside in the United States.
After dining at one of these restaurants, a person can rate and review it on the app. The allergy-friendliest restaurants get a high score while the allergy-ambivalent restaurants are buried. Anyone with a food allergy and an iOS 10 Apple device can use this app to cultivate a perfect dining experience.
You can learn more about the AllergyEats app here.
The Bottom Line
Allergy season is fast approaching. This is no doubt a terrifying thought to some people, but there are apps to ease their transition into this season of sniffles. My Pollen Forecast tracks pollen, Sensio Air tracks outdoor and indoor allergens, and AllergyEats tracks allergy-friendly restaurants so that the worst allergy symptoms can be prevented.
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Jacqueline Cowell
Working as a motoring writer gave Jacqueline Cowell the chance to put her past experience as a mechanic to good use, once she became a mother and decided to stay at home with her two young children. She now puts together pieces for a range of different motoring websites, but in her free time restores classic vehicles with her husband. She is also a regular contributor to Apple Tech Talk.
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