Natural Allergy Remedy
 Today, people are almost as familiar with the herbal supplement echinacea as they are with aspirin.
So it's no surprise that Americans are looking for a complementary and natural allergy remedy to treat not only their allergies ... but also their asthma, which are among the most common chronic medical conditions around. In fact, studies suggest that asthma and allergies are second only to lower back pain when it comes to conditions for which people seek out alternative or natural remedies.
 Natural is Good Right?It's estimated that allergies affect 40 to 50 million Americans, and about 20 million have asthma. While dietary supplements and other complementary and alternative therapies, such as hypnosis and acupuncture, may provide mild allergy relief in some of these cases, experts say people have to be cautious about what they ingest, inject or practice when it comes to treating the sneezing, coughing and wheezing caused by asthma and allergies. Not only are some people with allergies particularly susceptible to adverse drug reactions, there is also a chance that dietary supplements may interact with other medications. Given the many allergy medication choices available that can successfully treat asthma and allergies, you may wonder why people are seeking out alternatives? Many people in the 21st century are interested in using what's perceived as "natural" even though natural doesn't necessarily mean without side effects. Just like synthetic pharmaceutical compounds, natural compounds are biologically active in the body. Another driving force towards utilizing a natural allergy remedy, may be the high cost of allergy and asthma medicines themselves. Someone who has both allergies and asthma but chooses to only treat their asthma to cut costs, for example, may run into trouble quickly because flaring allergies can worsen asthma. At that point, a natural remedy for their allergy looks easier on their pocketbook. Because the manufacturers of herbs and other dietary supplements do not have to present information about their products' safety and effectiveness to the Food and Drug Administration prior to marketing them to consumers, little is known about many dietary supplements, which may even contain mold spores that could trigger reactions in people with allergies. If you decide to use a natural allergy remedy please do yourself a favor and at least inform your doctor ... who knows, this might just be the time he actually listens to you.
Drew Voight 
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