Annually, allergies and asthma strike one out of every four Americans, causing untold suffering, sneezing and wheezing, as well as $6 billion in doctor visits and medication.

However, putting the right air treatment and cleaning strategies in place throughout your home can create a healthier living environment and help avoid allergy suffering.

Allergies and asthma affect six times more Americans than cancer, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. As the fifth leading chronic disease, allergies, along with asthma, strike one out of every four Americans.

"There are many pro-active measures you can take to prevent or treat allergies and asthma," said Peggy Fleming, Olympic figure skating champion and HealthSaver spokesperson, "especially during spring, the main allergy season."

Pollen, mold, dust and other allergens cause allergies in some people and not others because the immune system of allergy sufferers identifies these substances as harmful. The immune system's defense results in symptoms such as congestion, sneezing and watery eyes.

"To take control of your allergies, prevent exposure to irritants in your home and be sure to follow the advice of your physician," said Brad Eggleston, vice president of HealthSaver. An active approach is the best approach in the fight against allergies.

Researchers have found that more than 50 percent of the current asthma cases in the country can be attributed to allergies, with approximately 30 percent of those cases attributed to cat allergy.

"It has long been debated whether people who develop asthma have a genetic propensity to develop allergies, or atopy," said Darryl C. Zeldin, M.D., a senior investigator at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). "This new research shows that 56.3 percent of asthma cases are attributed to atopy." Atopy is a condition that results from gene-environment interactions and can be measured by a positive skin test to allergens (or allergy causing substances in the environment).

With experts predicting that the 2012 allergy season may be the worst of the decade, anything an allergy sufferer can do to relieve symptoms will be essential. In fact, you may be unwittingly doing things to make your seasonal allergies worse. Dr. Myron Zitt MD, the past president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, suggests five areas of your life to look at if you are one of the 35 million Americans who suffer.

Some experts are predicting that spring of 2012 has the potential to be the worst allergy season in 10 years. Because of a relatively mild winter nationwide, an early allergy season has developed causing many allergy sufferers to begin taking medications earlier than normal.

According to weather experts, nationally, January this year was almost 6 degrees warmer than normal. The typical overall national temperature for January is 30.8 degrees F. However this year it was 36.3 degrees F causing many plants including weeds to begin blooming ahead of Mother Nature’s normal schedule and thereby give birth to an early allergy season.

Air Filtration Can Make Breathing Easier

In the past, air filtration systems in spaces such as offices and schools were designed primarily to protect HVAC equipment and reduce the need for facility cleaning. In recent years, people have become aware of the issue of indoor air quality as independent studies have focused attention on the deleterious effects of airborne contaminants and the relationship of “sick building syndrome” to higher absenteeism and lower productivity. In turn, facility executives have felt increasing ethical, legal and marketing pressures to provide a high-quality indoor air environment for their occupants.

Controlling Asthma Triggers

How can I prevent asthma triggers at home?

The most important thing you can do is to control asthma triggers. The main asthma triggers that are in your home are dust mites, molds, pollens, pets, cockroaches, and household irritants. Secondhand tobacco smoke may also be a trigger in your home, especially for a child with asthma.

Indoor air can often prove a greater threat to asthmatics than the air outdoors.

Pollutants generated in a "sealed" indoor environment commonly build up to dangerous levels. Studies by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report that levels of indoor pollutants tend to be two to five times (and in certain cases 100 times) higher than levels of outdoor pollutants. Furthermore, air conditioning and heating systems are notorious for producing abrupt changes in temperature that can very easily trigger an asthma attack.

The EPA report also concluded that "poor indoor air quality" was the fourth largest threat after "volatile organic compounds, lead dust and asbestos."

If you have asthma symptoms, an air filter or room air cleaner may or may not help you to breathe better. The same is true for those with hay fever (allergic rhinosinusitis) or COPD (emphysema or chronic bronchitis).

If you live with a smoker, an air filter or room air cleaner is likely to be helpful. Secondhand smoke always makes asthma symptoms worsen. Secondhand smoke also causes nasal congestion for small children. Almost all room air cleaners efficiently remove smoke from the room (as long as the air filter is large enough, the fan turned on, and the air filter is maintained).