How To Deal With Allergies

Change Your Filters Regularly

Air filters only work effectively for so long before the filter is basically at capacity with dust and particles.

Change your filters every 30 to 90 days, depending on the severity of your allergies and whether you have pets. Again, HEPA filters are designed to reduce dust, pollen, pet dander, and other allergens.

Also, you may want to get your homes air ducts inspected and cleaned, if needed if you suspect they are leaking or full of contaminants. This will further reduce the presence of allergy triggers.

Fruit Allergies: What To Know

If you have an allergic reaction to fruit, you may be required to completely avoid it or consume it in very small amounts. If you experience a physical reaction to fruit, consult a doctor or allergist. They can perform a variety of tests to find the source of your allergies, OAS, or food intolerance. If you cant avoid fruit entirely, you might be able to gradually increase the amount of fruit you eat to completely eliminate your allergy. The chances of that happening are greatly influenced by the type of fruit a child is allergic to, as well as the severity of the allergy.

How You Can Treat Your Allergy Symptoms

When you feel ravaged by allergies, dont lose all hope. There are a lot of things you can do to minimize the detrimental effects of mild to severe allergies. Whether that involves being armed with an Epinephrine pen, heading to your nearest Urgency Room, or treating your allergies at home with over-the-counter medications, knowing what to do when allergies strike could save you from discomfort or even life-threatening scenarios.

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How To Identify What Youre Allergic To

Identifying substances that you are allergic to is a critical part of allergy treatment. This way, you can avoid them in the future.

There are many different types of allergies, so ask your doctor about the best allergy tests for diagnosing your symptoms. Most often, allergists perform skin prick tests. These involve injecting tiny amounts of several common allergens to see if they provoke a reaction. Skin prick tests are different from allergy shots.

How Much Do Allergy Shots Cost

The cost of allergy shots varies based on a few factors, including how many things you are allergic to and how frequently you need shots to keep your symptoms under control. Shots begin on a weekly basis and over time, your doctor may reduce your shots to once per month. Typically, the cost is between $2,000 – $4,000 yearly, if you dont have medical insurance.

The good news is that insurance will usually cover some maybe even most of the cost of getting allergy shots. And depending on your plan, you may only need to pay your copay. But check your insurance so you know for sure.

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What Kinds Of Pet Dander Allergy Symptoms Will My Child Have

Good question!

If your child seems to have year-round symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, itchy or watery eyes and frequent sneezing indoors , these are signs that your child may have an allergy to dust mites, mold, or your pet.

In the case of year-round symptoms, you will need to do a little workand with your allergists help determine if its your pet or something else causing the reactions.

Before scheduling that appointment though, do a little detective work yourself

First, watch your child playing with the pet. You want to try to pay attention to how he is before and after being in contact with the animal. It might also help to have your child spend time away from the house, say a weekend sleepover at Grandmas or some other place without pets to determine if the symptoms have cleared up. When you re-introduce him to the pet, pay attention to his bodys reaction.

If you believe that your pet is causing the allergies, its time to schedule an appointment with an allergy specialist. Depending on the symptoms, we may prescribe an antihistamine to handle the reactions. But if the symptoms are more intense or impact quality of life, then you will want to find out exactly what your child is allergic to and what the best treatment options are.

You Can Lead A Normal Life With Adult

If youre diagnosed with adult-onset allergies, it doesnt mean youre stuck dealing with bothersome symptoms. Good allergy treatment is based on your medical history, symptoms, and the results of allergy tests.

Our specialists at Southern ENT can perform a simple skin-prick test to zero in on the cause of your symptoms. This involves scratching your skin with various substances and watching for a reaction that would suggest youre allergic to that substance. Your provider may order blood tests if necessary.

Getting control of your symptoms is key to getting back to your daily life and regular activities. For allergy testing and treatment, schedule an appointment with one of our providers the location nearest you or filling out the appointment request form here.

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How To Manage Seasonal Allergies At Home

There are many over-the-counter medications you can use to treat your seasonal allergies at home. The most effective options on the market right now are nasal corticosteroid sprays, Azar said. These medications work by gradually reducing the body’s inflammatory response to allergens.

Remember that steroid nasal sprays take a while to produce their maximum effect. So you should ideally start using them before your symptoms appear. “We remind people think about Valentine’s Day as the time to consider restarting your seasonal allergy meds,” Blair said.

Even if you missed that deadline, those sprays are still, “in general, the most effective way to treat nasal allergy symptoms,” Blair added. “But a head start could help a lot.”

Starting early helps avoid another potential problem: clogged nasal passages. “Oftentimes, people will start medications like a nose spray, but by the time , they’re really congested and swollen,” Blair said. “All the tissue within the nose is pretty blocked, and it’s hard to get the sprays to where they need to go.”

Other options include oral antihistamines, such as fexofenadine , loratadine , cetirizine and levocetirizine , as well as antihistamine eye drops and nasal sprays. Depending on which allergy symptoms you experience most, it may make sense to take more than one of those medications, like using a nasal spray or eye drops, as well as taking an oral antihistamine.

Treatments For Allergic Reactions

Over-the-counter antihistamines and decongestants may relieve minor symptoms of an allergic reaction.

Antihistamines prevent symptoms such as hives by blocking histamine receptors so your body doesnt react to the allergens. help clear your nose and are especially effective for seasonal allergies. But dont take them for more than three days.

These medications are available in tablets, eye drops, and nasal sprays. Many OTC drugs also cause drowsiness, so avoid taking them before driving or doing work that requires a lot of concentration.

Swelling, redness, and itching may be reduced with ice and topical creams that contain corticosteroids.

Make an appointment with your doctor if OTC drugs dont work. Call your doctor right away if you have an allergic reaction to the medication.

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Allergy Testing To Determine Pet Allergies

The way allergists determine what your child is allergic to is commonly through a skin prick or skin scratch test, also known as allergy testing. Although it looks like it hurts, in reality it only involves small indentations or pricks on the upper layer of the skin. The allergist places a drop of an allergen extract at each scratch location. These extracts include animal dander, mites, pollens, and plant and food extracts. If your child is allergic to any of the extracts, the small bumps like mosquito bites will immediately appear in the test spots. These bumps are a mild immunologic reaction to the allergen extract and are indicative of allergies.

Once all of the testing is done, the only definitive way to know for certain if the family pet is an issue is to remove the pet from your home and do a deep cleaning . Although direct exposure to your pet may be over, it can take up to six months for the allergen levels in your house to fall enough to stop the reactions.

Dealing With Dog Allergies

Since theres no actual cure for allergies, treatment is usually in the form of minimizing allergic reactions or eliminating the trigger as much as possible. Managing the allergies means an ongoing process to find what works for your specific dog. As with any health condition, you should be consulting with your vet to see what can be done for your pooch.

For skin allergies, each of the three different triggers has a different management strategy involved.

Flea allergies are generally dealt with by putting your dog on an effective form of flea control. Since this is also a good idea for non-allergic dogs, most dog owners will already be doing this.

Food allergies are addressed with a specific diet that cuts out the offending allergen completely. Hypoallergenic diets are a common treatment strategy for a number of dog illnesses, so there are numerous options for your dog. Your vet should be able to give you specific recommendations.

Environmental allergies can be much more difficult to deal with, as you cant always control what your dog is exposed to. Depending on the severity of your dogs reaction, there may be medications that help with your dogs allergies, whether as a regular part of their routine or to address allergy attacks.

We have a generalized set of things we like to do to keep our dogs clear of allergens:

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Wash Bedding And Stuffed Toys

Dust and other allergens can collect on bedding, pillows, throw blankets, and stuffed toys in particular, since fabrics and items with lots of textures have more nooks and crannies for dust to collect on.

Wash these items in hot water regularly to reduce allergens and allergy symptoms. Wash your bedding once a week and the other items every so often as well.

Dont Leave Clothes In The Washer

Put your clothes in the dryer as soon as theyre finished being washed. Leaving clothes in the washer for prolonged periods of time can trigger mold growth. If you accidentally leave items in the washer, rewash these items before putting them in the dryer.

Keep in mind that hanging clothes outside to dry can bring outdoor allergens inside your home.

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What Are Seasonal Allergies

Seasonal allergies are a common type of allergy and are brought on by seasonal weather changes that cause trees, grass and weeds to produce pollen. Seasonal allergens can cause nasal, eye and skin allergies. Nasal allergies alone affect somewhere between 40 million and 60 million Americans.

Most people think of allergies as occurring only in the springtime, but some plants release allergy-causing pollen in the summer and fall as well. Below is a list of the common types of outdoor allergens and when they most often occur:

Many people also suffer from allergies year-round, also known as chronic, or perennial, allergies. In fact, more than two-thirds of spring allergy sufferers have year-round symptoms.1

Ways To Manage Allergies

Allergies can cause great misery. Luckily, there are options to help manage symptoms and continue doing the things you enjoy. The goal is to find the treatment that best suits your allergies, your lifestyle, and your wallet. Here are three of the most common ways to find relief from allergy symptoms.

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Colds And Sinus Infections

Colds and sinus infections often cause a runny nose with yellow or green discharge, whereas the mucus from allergies is clear and watery. Additionally, because a cold or sinus infection is caused by bacteria or a virus, youre likely to have a fever with these. With allergies, even a low-grade fever is uncommon. If youre experiencing sinus pressure, bad breath, and achy teeth, you likely have a sinus infection.

Tips On How To Deal With Allergies

Spring means warmer weather, but it also means allergies for many. Here are some tips to help out allergy sufferers and ensure you can still enjoy the season.

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Know What Youre Dealing With

The most common allergies in adulthood are:

Roughly 40% of people who develop allergies in adulthood develop food allergies. If youre one of them, you must take steps to avoid the food that youre allergic to. Adjust your lifestyle, read food labels, carefully check menus, and be careful at social gatherings where food is served.

How Are Seasonal Allergies Treated

There are many ways to treat seasonal allergies, depending on how bothersome the symptoms are. An important part of treatment is knowing what someone is allergic to. Some kids can get relief by reducing or eliminating exposure to the allergens that bother them.

If certain seasons cause symptoms, keep the windows closed, use air conditioning instead of fresh air when possible, and stay indoors when pollen counts are high. It’s also a good idea for kids with seasonal allergies to wash their hands or shower and change clothes after playing outside.

If reducing exposure isn’t possible or doesn’t help, doctors may recommend medicines for allergy symptoms. These can include oral, nasal, and ocular antihistamines and nasal steroid sprays. If these don’t help or a child has to take multiple medicines to ease symptoms, the doctor may recommend seeing an allergist. The allergist can decide whether allergy shots could help.

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Visit A Provider If Your Allergy Symptoms Dont Improve

Dont let seasonal allergies stop you from enjoying the beautiful outdoors. Use our tips and tricks to help nip your symptoms in the bud.

However, if your allergy symptoms dont improve, its time to visit a provider.

Schedule an appointment with one of our internistsor family medicine providers who have expertise in treating allergies and immune system disorders, and well help get you back to feeling your best!

What You Can Do Next

Talk to your doctor or an allergist about allergy testing to determine your individual triggers. Your doctor may perform a skin test, which usually involves pricking your skin with different allergens to see if theres a reaction. Or they may order a blood test.

Blood tests can also look for a specific antibody in your blood because of an allergy to a particular allergen, which can exclude or confirm a specific allergen. To help relieve symptoms, a doctor or pharmacist may recommend an appropriate antihistamine or allergy shots.

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Treating Allergies On The Skin

For allergic reactions that cause skin symptoms, including those associated with allergens found in animal saliva, poisonous plants, drugs, chemicals and metals, additional treatment options include:

• Topical corticosteroid creams or tablets. Corticosteroids contain steroids that reduce inflammation and itching. Mild forms of these creams can be found online, and a doctor can prescribe stronger versions.
• Moisturizing creams. Emollient creams with soothing ingredients, such as calamine can treat skin reactions.
• Bite or sting medication. Medication targeted to reduce allergic reactions to insect bites or stings have a similar effect to other allergy medications.
• Ice pack. Applying an ice pack wrapped in cloth to the area for 10- to 15-minute intervals can reduce inflammation.

How Is Allergic Rhinitis Diagnosed

If your symptoms interfere with your daily life, see your family doctor. Your doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms and medical history and perform a physical exam. Keeping a record of your symptoms over a period of time can help your doctor determine what triggers your allergies.

Your doctor may want to do an allergy skin test to determine what you are allergic to. Tiny amounts of allergens are applied to your skin. You will feel tiny pricks that are usually not painful. Your doctor will observe and record the way your skin reacts to each allergen.

Your doctor may also decide to do a blood test, such as the radioallergosorbent test . This test identifies antibodies in your blood that determine what youre allergic to. Once your allergens are identified, you and your doctor can decide the best treatment.

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