Allergy Relief Resource and Guide

Do you feel you are taking your allergy medicine all year long?  With the rise in allergy medicines it is hard to avoid some prescription to steroidal medicines and antihistamines when you complain about seasonal allergies.  Natural allergy relief is being looked at for providing safer alternatives to all those drugs.  The search for natural allergy relief options usually kicks into high gear when allergy sufferers realize that the side effects and long term negative impacts of using their allergy medicine may not be worth it.

Last year I had a bad spell of what appeared to be a case of seasonal allergies.  I am pretty used to this by now so I implemented my usual routine of my prescription nasal spray and antihistamines.  I also have a daily routine of nasal cleansing as part of this too.  After a couple of weeks I still didn’t have any relief and I was so congested I was having hearing problems which led to what I now know is tinnitus.

I was so alarmed I stopped my allergy relief routine completely and began treating myself with over the counter cold and flu medicine.  I ended up at my primary care doctor’s office who looked at my nasal congestion in horror and disgust at my not having “managed my discomfort” with all of the medications at my disposal.  She in turn told me to blitz my nasal allergy symptoms with not only my prescription nasal spray but Benadryl as well.  I did tell her that my nasal spray had warnings for drowsiness but that did not seem to concern her.  There was never any mention of natural allergy relief options…

Coincidentally enough I was returning to see her the following week for my annual physical.  With a slew of blood tests that are the norm she found that a level of something in my liver was out of line.  In my mind I laughed.  I had just gone through a dizzying week of non-stop antihistamines , decongestants and steroidal nose spray so my body obviously did not like that.  I had to be tested again a week later and of course the levels were back to normal because I was no longer blitzing my nasal allergy symptoms.

This story illustrates not just the overreliance on strong medicines by traditional doctors but the damage their use can cause in your body.  The results were seen in a week.  Decongestants can cause high blood pressure and antihistamines especially the levels that usually work for me cause too much drowsiness.   You need to understand that I am more of a go to person for traditional medicine so natural allergy relief for me really has become a last option.

On the natural allergy relief front for antihistamines there were surprisingly a few options to look at.  Nettle, butterbur and quercetin are natural antihistamines.  They come in pill form.  Nasal cleansing which I already do also helps to manage the particles in your nose that may be causing an allergic reaction like pollen.  These use saline solutions which are not supposed to produce side effects.  On the immune system side natural allergy relief products can include fish oil capsules and zinc supplements that give your immune system a boost so you are less susceptible to your allergies.

Natural allergy relief alternatives will continue to play a major role in the treatment of allergies.  As the government gets more involved in the clear regulation of the natural remedies arena more people will find that alternative allergy treatments can be safe.  Concrete studies in the area of these alternatives will also bring them more into the mainstream.

Have seasonal allergies affected you this year? I was looking at the latest videos posted regarding allergies and found a recording of Robin Roberts from Good Morning America talking about what appear to be pollen allergy statistics for 2006. Though the data is dated it got me thinking about how the last few years have been particularly hard on me and my kids for spring allergies.

We live in the Boston area and in the video it talks about the worst and best cities. Boston was the worst that year. I found a new report for 2008 for the Worst Cities For Allergies provided by Forbes. Boston is down to 59 out of 100 but I found their measurement method interesting. They factor 3 things:

• a pollen score
• a medicine utilization score
• a score based on number of Board Certified Allergists per Patient

Boston scores above average for number of allergists per patient. In the older video it talks about warmer winters being the culprit and we indeed have experienced those in the NorthEast.

I find the Forbes list interesting but as with any study potentially flawed. Though Boston has dropped in standings many seasonal allergy sufferers are treating themselves nowadays with over the counter medicines like Claritin and Zyrtec. Pharmacies even offer cheaper versions with similar ingredients that I have tried and worked for me. Our higher allergist ratio also suggests to me that patients may have identified their allergies with their allergists in years past and are now educated enough to help manage them.

Whether you believe in Global Warming or not it is not hard to see the changes in our weather patterns will continue to affect seasonal allergy sufferers. As the allergists in the older video mention visiting your allergist to pinpoint your exact allergies can help, especially if the over the counter allergy medicines don’t work for you. Also be sure not to confuse cold medicine with allergy medicine. Allergy medicines contain antihistamines which cold medicines do not.

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.