Relief from Allergies

Your eyes are running, you're sneezing and coughing, it's that miserable time of year again when your allergies are in full swing. Allergies are a problem for approximately 50 million Americans each year. Allergies can be triggered by a number of different things from pet dander to pollen and dust mites.

Allergies are your body's reaction to a foreign substance called allergens. Allergens can include pollen, mold, dust mites, foods, latex, animal dander, and certain medications. The first time your body is exposed to an allergen, your immune system believes it is harmful to your body and reacts in an unpleasant manner to its host.

For most people, the allergen is in the air, which will cause the reaction to occur in the eyes, nose and lungs. However, some allergens can be ingested, causing the allergic reaction to occur in the mouth, stomach, and intestines. An asthma attack is often caused by an allergen that is breathed into the lungs.

Some allergens cause your body to release more inflammatory chemicals that cause hives, shock, decreased blood pressure, and even loss of consciousness. An allergic reaction this severe is called anaphylaxis. People who experience anaphylaxis usually react to the allergen within minutes. You may have a friend or family member who must carry a medical shot around with them in case they are exposed to a particular allergen. Luckily, anaphylaxis reactions do not occur that often and modern medicine has been proven to treat symptoms immediately.

Some common allergies include:

• Airborne substances such as pollen and dust mites.
• Pet Dander
• Food
• Mold and Fungi

For most people the common reactions to allergies are runny or stuffy noses, itchy or watery eyes, coughing, and throat itching. Other people may have more severe symptoms such as asthma. Most people are able to find allergy relief in over the counter allergy medications or nose sprays. Other people may need prescription medications or asthma inhalers. For those with severe allergies, your doctor may require medical prescription shots.

The best solution for allergy relief is to avoid the particular allergen in the beginning. This is not always an easy task for most people.

Here are some tips you can do to help reduce some of the allergens in your own home:

• Dust and vacuum weekly
• Remove carpets all together and replace them with hardwood floors or laminate floors.
• Cover your upholstered furniture in plastic.
• Use an air purifier to control odors, dust, pollen, mold, animal dander, and bacteria.
• Wash bedding and clothing often and store laundered fabrics in closed closets and drawers.
• Keep pets out of the home and wash them when needed.
• Keep your house temperature around 68-72 degrees. Colder nighttime temperatures promote better sleep for the individual with allergies.
• Clean areas that are prone to mold, such as the bathroom and basement, with proper anti-bacterial cleansers.
• Wipe kitchen counters with cleansers daily.
• Remove draperies from your home as they are prone to dust.
• Keep windows closed during times of high pollen counts.
• Replace air conditioner filters with allergy-free filters.

Over the Counter Allergy Medications

For most people that suffer from allergies, they can find allergy relief at their local grocery or drug store. Over the counter (OTC) drugs have given many allergy suffers excellent results. Some OTC medications do make people drowsy, but many are now switching to non-drowsy formulas.

A few things you should keep in your medicine cabinet: Benadryl liquid, Benadryl tablets, and nasal spray. Many doctors will recommend Benadryl liquid or cream for insect stings or hives. They are fairly inexpensive and typically do not expire for one year. Benadryl tablets are often given to people with mild allergies. They are also fairly inexpensive and provide relief for most common allergy symptoms such as: itchy or watery eyes, runny or stuffy nose, and coughing. Nasal spray is also recommended for allergy sufferers. Nasal spray will provide results within 3 to 10 minutes as it is inhaled through the nose. OTC medications are increasing and many prescription allergy medications have made it to OTC. Claritin and Zyrtec are two of the most popular allergy medications that have recently been cleared to be OTC medicines.

If you know you have allergies and can predict when they usually start to occur, you can help your body avoid some of the common symptoms by taking medications before the symptoms arise. For example, if you are allergic to grass or cotton and you are going to go outside and cut the grass or work in the yard, take an antihistamine about hour ahead of time. This allows the anti-histamine to circulate through your system and will help reduce or eliminate the results from exposure to allergens.

Long Term Allergy Relief

For some patients, the only relief they can find for their allergies, are allergy shots. In the long run, allergy shots are a worthwhile investment for those with persistent allergies that don't respond to medications.

Allergy shots are given in two phases: the buildup phase and the maintenance phase. The buildup phase lasts about 3 to 7 months and you will get shots one to three times a week. The dosage is gradually increased with each shot; this allows your immune system to become more sensitized to the allergens that affect you. The maintenance phase last 3 to 5 years or longer. Once your dosage amount has been increased to an effective level, you will need a maintenance dose about once a month.

Most people who are treated with allergy shots have seasonal allergies, indoor allergies, or insect stings. Allergy shots are not for everyone. Most doctors will only prescribe allergy shots if the patient is consistently exposed to allergens and allergy medications do not control the symptoms, allergy medications are intolerable with other medications you need to take, you're allergic to insect stings, or you want to reduce your long-term use of allergy medications.

Before you can start receiving allergy shots, your doctor will perform a skin test to confirm that your reactions are caused by an allergy. Some doctors may require a blood test to determine allergens that do not react to the skin test.

Allergy relief will begin to be noticeable during the first year of treatment. By the third year of treatment, many people no longer have reactions to the allergens and no longer require treatment. Other patients need to continue treatment to keep allergy symptoms from reoccurring.

The Best Drug Options for Allergy Relief

The Food and Drug Administration has offered the following drug options for allergy relief:

• Nasal Corticosteroids - Nasonex and Flonase are the most common nasal sprays that are inhaled into the nose twice a day for allergy relief.
• Oral Antihistamines - These drugs are the OTC drugs and prescription anti-histamines to counteraction the action of histamine. Benadryl, Zyrtec, Allegra, Claritin, and Clarinex are all recommended by the FDA.
• Decongestants - These drugs are also available OTC or by prescription. Allegra D is a common prescription given for those who need an antihistamine and decongestant.
• Non-steroidal nasal sprays - NasalCrom is recommended by the FDA for those who need relief from nasal allergy symptoms. This is a non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drug that needs to be administered 3 to 4 times a day.

Natural Allergy Relief

Allergy suffers who don't want to take medications have some options besides staying boarded up in their homes during high pollen times. Natural allergy relief is becoming quite popular among many who suffer from allergies.

Here are some natural herbs you can try for allergy relief:

• Licorice Root - This herb encourages the production of certain hormones by the adrenal glands. It helps reduce inflammation and increase interferon, which fights viruses.
• Sarsaparilla Root - This promotes healthy circulation, benefits the glandular system, and helps to stimulate natural hormone production.
• Bladderwrack - This also promotes glandular health. It is considered to be an immune system booster.
• Ginger Root - This stimulates the immune system and has anti-inflammatory and pain relieving properties.
• Astragalus - This helps build a natural resistance to colds and flu.
• Capsicum - This is high in vitamin C and helps the respiratory system fight infections. It is high in quercitin, a natural antihistamine, which helps those with allergies and respiratory problems.
• Rose Hips Extract - This is used to prevent and heal infections. It is also used for the treatment of colds, flu, and fever.
• Marshmallow Root - This is known for relieving irritation of mucous membranes and helps the body expel excess mucous.
• Burdock - This is used to treat colds and sore throats.
• Mullein - Used to treat cough, asthma, and other respiratory conditions.
• Eyebright - This is used for congestion, coughs, and hay fever.
• Acerola Cherry - This is a natural source of anti-histamine. It is high in vitamin C.
• Ma Huang - It contains ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, both used in prescription and OTC allergy medications.
• Rosemary - This is used to strengthen the nervous system. It also provides anti-inflammatory and analgesic relief.
• White Pine - This is used to treat chest congestion, colds, and coughs.

As you can see, there are many different options available to treat your allergies. With more than 50 million people in America sharing your allergy problems, you won't need to worry about running out of allergy relief options.