Allergy Relief Resource and Guide

Nowadays your daily allergy alert can seem as important as the terror alert level. This may seem like an exaggeration but if you experience allergy symptoms daily you need to know when to seek allergy relief. Sometimes getting your treatment beforehand can make the difference in whether you will be able to do your day to day chores or not.

Allergy Relief Does Not Always Come in a Pill

As an alternative to prescription allergy medications and over-the-counter drugs, many people are seeking help for controlling their allergies by natural and alternative methods and treatments. The first helpful approach that many look to is that of herbal remedies. Various herbs offer help for allergy relief, such as garlic. Garlic helps to draw inflammation out of the body in areas such as the sinuses and lungs. It helps to expel excess mucus as well, helping the overall allergy symptom to be reduced. Sinus and allergy relief continues to get more important as more people experience chronic sinus infections associated with allergies.

Allergy Relief from Food Allergies

Other herbs such as slippery elm also have soothing qualities to the intestinal lining, which help to alleviate many allergic reactions from foods.
Making positive changes in one’s diet can also affect the sensitivity of allergic reactions as well. Often, people are allergic to a food that they are ingesting, yet they have no idea that this is what is causing their symptoms. Allergy relief comes as a result of finding our what foods you are allergic to by getting tested. Allergists then typically recommend an elimination diet. The most common sources of food allergies are dairy, wheat, eggs, citrus and peanuts. When a person adopts a healthier diet of whole foods, fruits, clean meats and vegetables, then they begin to experience allergy relief that may have eluded them through other allergy treatments. Other treatments that are being used for allergy relief are acupuncture, iridology, and massage therapy. Each of these therapies has good qualities that will help a person to overcome serious and chronic allergies.

Allergy relief can also come in the form of minerals, vitamins and other supplements. Ensuring that one gets the proper amount of calcium, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish or flax oil are very important in helping to maintain a healthy immune system. Taking B-vitamins and a good multi-vitamin can also be useful when trying to get allergies under control.

As can be seen by the above options allergy relief can be found by exploring all of your options. Don’t narrow down your options to the over the counter standard that your neighbor may recommend. Natural, alternative options as allergy treatments continue to grow. Don’t be afraid to try something you might consider exotic like acupuncture. You may even be able to manage your food allergies solely by natural allergy treatments and dietary intervention. Isn’t your health worth exploring all your options?

Food allergies are often confused with a food intolerance. True food allergies affect a very small percentage of the population. Adults that fall into this category are estimated at two to three percent. Children are estimated at six to eight percent. The typical example of a food intolerance is lactose. Those with this intolerance find it hard to drink milk or eat dairy products without getting an upset stomach. Intolerance to a specific food is not considered an allergy until or unless the immune system is affected. A true allergy consists of the immune system malfunctioning. It reacts to a particular allergen as though it were a harmful substance. In this case the trigger would be the specific type of food.

Foods That Can Cause Food Allergies

Here is the typical list of offenders but keep in mind that almost any food can cause an allergic reaction.

• eggs

• soy

• milk

• wheat

• nuts

• fish

My sister has an allergy to eggs. She falls into the typical category of an allergy prone person. She has had severe eczema at times and even in her 40s still has asthma. Asthma and eczema usually indicate that you will be allergic to one or many things and that you might be more likely to experience food allergies. Food allergies can encompass a whole range of foods once identified. Think about the fact that eggs are used as an ingredient in so many foods. You always have to be conscious of the ingredient list even when you go to restaurants.

Symptoms of a Food Allergy

• itching

• hives

• swelling of the mouth (possibly including lips)

• cramps

• nausea

• diarrhea

• watery eyes

• runny nose

• dizziness

• difficulty breathing

• accelerated heartbeat

The symptoms of a food allergy can range from mild to severe. Seek medical attention immediately because the sooner you get there the more they can relieve your discomfort. Even if you have a mild reaction if it does not go away you should seek medical advice. Your primary care physician will more than likely refer you to an allergist to confirm that you have a food allergy and not just a food intolerance.

How to Treat Food Allergies

Once your allergist has diagnosed your food allergy the simplest treatment is to avoid the foods all together. Please keep in mind that mild allergies can be treated by over the counter antihistamines. If your food allergies cause a more severe reaction do not waste time. These reactions can be life threatening and will need professional emergency medical care. Whether you suffer from food allergies or food intolerance knowledge is power. Be vigilant when choosing what to eat.

What allergy medicine is best used for the treatment of allergies? The reality is that it all depends on what you are allergic to. Allergy medicine can be confusing because there’s a great variety ranging from over the counter, to prescription and other treatments that are given in doctors offices.

An allergic reaction can be energy sapping. You may find yourself coughing, sneezing, having problems seeing, or worse yet puffing up or having your breathing passages swell up. Some people experience migraines(myself included) because of their allergies. Let’s not forget about the scary and dangerous reaction of anaphylactic shock. Bottom line is that every allergy is different and most medications can’t treat every allergy. The right allergy medicine can be found by talking to your doctor or allergist.

Step 1 is to Test!

When an allergist tests you for allergies, they have to test you for many different substances. There are so many things in our environment nowadays that unless they do this they will have a difficult time pin pointing your specific allergy. They usually inject you down the length of your spine, with several different substances, they can include dairy products,dander, grass and even dust. Your allergist is looking for is a certain type of reaction. A sure sign of allergic reaction is that your skin will become red and raised. Once the allergist sees the reaction they can then prescribe the proper allergy medicine.

Do You Need a Prescription?

The right allergy medicine is crucial to restoring a good quality of life. Some medicines only treat mild allergies and are typically over the counter medications like Benadryl. However if you are severely allergic to something like shell fish or eggs. You can blow up like a balloon or feel your throat starting to constrict every time you eat these. You may even have to be rushed to the emergency room. An over the counter allergy medicine won’t do anything for you then. You need to get a prescription as well as know enough to avoid whatever causes you these severe reactions.

Make sure you pick the right allergy medicine that works for you. You may find that some work better for you than others. Claritin for some reason does not help me but Benadryl does. Unfortunately it also makes me pretty sleepy. Don’t get discouraged from trying different ones and discussing the issue with your allergist. They may even recommend advanced treatments like allergy shots or allergy drops. Time is a precious commodity and if the right allergy medicine can help you enjoy every last minute then you should continue to look for the right one for you and your specific allergy.

Allergies can make life miserable. I know because some of my allergies cause migraines that practically stop me in my tracks. Many others are affected by other terrible symptoms that can severely affect the quality of their lives and their ability to work. Can any allergy treatment help us? The good news is yes but first we need to understand what the different types are and what allergy treatment may make more sense for you.

Not all people have the same allergies. Some are affected by one allergen like pollen but may not be affected by mold. Some may have a terrible reaction to dust mites but have no problem being exposed to the smell of a recently mowed lawn. Airborne allergies are not the same as food allergies. You get the picture, given the many allergens out there today allergy treatments don’t work the same on every allergy and may not work the same from person to person.

The first step is to identify what your allergen is. The best way to find this out is by working with an allergist. They can put you through a battery of tests that may include scratch tests, elimination diets and blood tests. This will help them narrow down the possible allergens. You can be a big help by identify trends and patterns that surround your allergic reactions. Do you start to sneeze or get a stuffy nose when your neighbor mows the lawn? Do you only get your symptoms at night, when you are sleeping(or trying to sleep)? Do you get a headache after you have breakfast every day?

Answering these types of questions and working with an allergist will help you identify the source of your allergy and can therefore lead to recommendations regarding what allergy treatment is right for you.

Allergy Treatment Types

• Basic
• Medications
• Advanced

Basic treatment of your allergy once you identify what it is is to avoid it. If you know your neighbor mows the lawn every Saturday morning close the windows or better yet go grocery shopping or something. Forced hot air exacerbates my allergy to dust mites so my husband and I decided not to buy a house with that type of heating system. These things may seem simple but they help. Unfortunately some things you can’t avoid which leads us to allergy treatments to manage the symptoms that we do get.

Medications are aimed at relieving the allergy symptoms so that you can function day to day. This probably the most common allergy treatment people use today since so many medications are available over the counter. These medications include antihistamines, decongestants, bronchodilators, and corticosteroids. Allergy medications are usually available in a variety of forms, including pills, nasal sprays, eye drops and topical creams. Epinephrine is used to treat the severe allergic reaction called anaphylactic shock. This reaction is life threatening and involves difficulty breathing due to swelling of the breathing passages.

Advanced treatments are also available that not only attempt to relieve the allergic symptoms but to cure them as well. These usually include allergy shots or allergy drops. These are forms of immunotherapy that seek to make you immune to the affects of your allergy but exposing you to that allergy in certain doses over a certain period of time.

An allergist can discuss which allergy treatment is right for you. Now you know that you do have options. You don’t have to live with the discomfort of allergies. Take the step to visit an allergist today.

In the previous post I highlighted a product that may help those who think they have an allergy to down comforters. I was exposed to these types of products because of my children but I am also finding they apply to me. I had no clue that I could be allergic to my down comforter. Many people don’t realize that the symptom they are having at night are allergies. The type of heat you have can be a trigger and most people attribute their reactions to that or maybe some pollen that snuck through an open window.

An allergy to down comforters can have a significant impact on your quality of life. A bad night’s sleep makes for a very unhappy and often unproductive person. The allergy to down comforters comes from an allergy to the down feathers that make the down comforters so soft. This down isn’t just found in comforters. Pillows, duvet sets and other bedding can also be to blame. If the thought never crossed your mind that you are allergic to your down comforter now may be the time to get tested.

Not ready to get tested? Here are some things to try depending on the severity of your symptoms, the amount of money you are willing to spend and other possible allergens that you are exposed to.

If you have pets in the house they may be leaving pet hair on your pillows and bedding. If you have open windows you might be allergic to pollen coming in the window. You might even be allergic to dustmites which can be anywhere, particularly in beds. Lastly it could an allergy to a down comforter. The other allergens mentioned are small in comparison to the full list of things that could be causing your allergy symptoms at night.

The above may seem laughable because at the end of the day you are nowhere. You still can’t pinpoint the cause of your sneezing, coughing and discomfort at night. I just wanted to prove the point that an allergy to down comforters can only be verified by being tested by a certified allergist.

If you suspect an allergy to down comforters and your health insurance does not cover allergy testing you can try switching bed covers for a few nights. If you replace your down comforter with a regular bed spread, and you go through the night without any allergy symptoms, then you may have an allergy to down comforters.

Your allergy to down comforters does not have to condemn you to no longer feeling the comfort of down comforters. As seen in my previous post Natural Comfort has a luxurious down alternative. There are other imitation down comforters you can get that will help you sleep comfortably at night. They can do this because they are made of material that won’t cause the discomfort of allergy symptoms. They are also soft enough to satisfy your comfort needs. Comforter covers are also an option.

Allertech® Ultimate Cotton Comforter Covers - Full/Queen 86″ X 86″

An allergy to down comforters does not have to ruin your life. Make the necessary changes. As you can see the options are out there. More importantly when possible verify that you truly are allergic to this and not something else by getting tested. A positive attitude and some research on soft alternatives will again make your bed the place of renewal that is supposed to be.

Do you miss comforters? I did until I found out that they now make some for those of us who have problems with allergies caused by dust mites. Natural Comfort has a whole line of bedding and covers that are allergy friendly, so to speak.

I have included the link above to the comforter but they also have covers for pillows and covers for existing comforters too. I have used the pillow covers since my oldest child was born since she had some asthma as a baby. I started using them as well and they have definitely helped me to breathe better at night.