Allernet > Newsletter > Any Questions?

Air Conditioning/Air Purifiers and Allergy Relief

Dear Dr. Kagen,

I live in an old house. My allergic response to tree, grass, ragweed pollens and has been getting increasingly worse with each passing year. This year I am getting a great deal of relief from a combination of Claritin and Nasalcrom. I have air purifiers and window air conditioning units in several rooms including my bedroom.

Thinking that I could improve the air quality in my home, I got a quote for installing central air (with duct work required) and a top quality air purifier system in my home. The cost could be a high as $12,000.

Can I anticipate an improvement in air quality when I replace my window units with central air? Can I expect an improvement in air quality when I replace my room air purifiers? Window units and room air purifiers cover about 1/2 the rooms in my house.

Thanks a lot for your advice,

Bob T.

Thanks for asking, Bob, about allergy relief from air conditioning the house.

Central air conditioning is better than having each room in the house air conditioned using a window type unit. By having the entire house environment cleaned and dehumidified with central air, all of the indoor air will have a reduced allergen load.

In my allergy practice, I do not recommend that my patients purchase room air cleaners/purifiers as it has not been my experience that they have reduced my patients symptoms.

I hope this brief response helps in your decision which is in large part dependent upon economic reasons as well as your health.

Good luck.

Steve Kagen, M.D.
Allernet.com