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Allergy Relief

If you suspect that you may have a seasonal allergy, see your physician. An examination and report of symptoms may be all that is necessary to make the diagnosis and begin your allergy relief.

In order to find out what is causing the problems and obtain relief from allergies, you'll need the services of a specialist.

An allergy specialist is equipped to do some simple, accurate, and painless allergy tests. It may take only 15 minutes to identify the culprit behind your discomfort.

Your long-awaited allergy relief might come in a bottle, pill, cream or air-purifier. But whatever form it comes in ... continual allergy treatment is a must.

Allergy Treatment

In general, allergy treatment begins with avoidance. Then allergy medication is added, and if medication is not effective, allergy shots should be considered, which immunize the patient to the allergen itself.

Relief Through Avoidance

It is often hard to avoid tree pollen when it's all around us in the air we breathe. But here are some basic avoidance tips:

• By all means, close your house and car windows.
• Wash you hair before going to bed if you have been out where pollen can land on your hair.
• Wash pets that have been outdoors.

Still, for most allergy sufferers, avoidance is impractical and doesn't do the trick. When avoidance isn't enough, we turn to medication. The good news is that there are very effective medications for the treatment of seasonal allergies as well as indoor allergies, and these medications can address a whole range of symptoms. Allergies of the eyes, nose, and lungs can all be treated with one pill or liquid.

Allergy Relief Medications

Antihistamine pills are the best example of anti-allergy medications that treat a wide range of symptoms including hives. The older, over-the-counter antihistamines such as Benadryl make people drowsy, but newer antihistamines are very safe and effective and cause little or no drowsiness. Claritin and the prescription medication Allegra do not cause drowsiness. Zyrtec may make a few individuals sleepy and can be taken at night.

Sprays and drops can deliver medication directly to the inside of the nose. Corticosteroids (anti-inflammatories) such as Flonase, Nasonex, Nasocort, Nasarel, Nasalide, Rhinocort, Nasalcrom, or Atrovent are all effective nose sprays. Antihistamines block the effects of histamine, which causes sneezing, itching, and wheezing. Corticosteroids block inflammation in general. A good antihistamine spray for the nose is Astelin. There are also a number of eye drops that can help control symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis.

Allergy shots get your immune system on the right track. Allergy shots actually consist of small amounts of the offending allergen, given by injections at weekly intervals. The body slowly builds up immunity to this particular substance, and eventually your body no longer follows the allergic path in response to the allergen. Sometimes allergy shots are so effective, they remove all traces of allergic illness. Recent studies show that improvement persists for three or more years after stopping allergy shots.

Drew Voight