When To Seek Medical Treatment For Allergies
Are your child’s symptoms not letting up? Talk with a doctor, who may be able to diagnose allergies by examining your child and reviewing their medical history. In some cases, the doctor may order some blood or skin tests to make a diagnosis.
Various allergy medications can safely and effectively relieve your child’s symptoms. For example, some antihistamines block the immune system from releasing histamine into the blood, stopping allergic reactions before they start or slowing them down once they have begun. Steroids work to decrease the inflammation caused by the immune reaction these can be in the form of nasal sprays, eyedrops, and pills or liquids taken orally. Allergy shots, the injection of tiny doses of an allergen, are helpful for some patients they work by producing antibodies against the allergen, preventing severe allergic reactions in the future.
What Is An Allergic Reaction
Food allergy symptoms typically appear within a few minutes to two hours after consumption of the allergen. Allergic reactions can include:
- difficulty breathing
- loss of consciousness
People with a known allergy who begin experiencing symptoms while, or after, eating a food should initiate food allergy treatment immediately, and if symptoms progress, they should go to a nearby emergency room.
Anaphylaxis is a severe and potentially life-threatening form of IgE-mediated food allergy that requires prescription of self-injectable adrenaline. This can lead to constricted airways in the lungs, severe lowering of blood pressure and shock , and suffocation by swelling of the throat.
When you struggle with an ongoing, unidentified food allergy or sensitivity, your body constantly sends out inflammatory responses that can cause harm in multiple ways. Food sensitivities and allergies are correlated with an increased chance for developing:
- kidney and gallbladder problems
Is It Seasonal Allergies Or Another Medical Condition
Before you can properly treat allergic rhinitis, its best to determine that your symptoms are actually a reaction to allergens. After all, your nasal congestion could be a sign of a cold, sinus infection, or food allergy. Allergic pink eye conjunctivitis usually comes with seasonal allergies, is not contagious, and can be treated with normal allergy medications. The symptoms of these illnesses are similar, but there are some telltale differences that can help you pinpoint a correct diagnosis.
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Natural Ways To Defeat Allergies
Keep allergies at bay with the following tips:
Emergency Treatment Of Severe Allergic Reactions
Most people with allergies experience mild to moderate symptoms a runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes or rash.
However, anaphylaxis is a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction that requires emergency treatment.
Most commonly associated with allergies to food, insect stings, medications and latex, anaphylaxis involves an over-release of chemicals that puts the body in shock.
Symptoms occur suddenly and progress quickly from mild symptoms such as a runny nose and skin rash, to a strange feeling, to serious health problems such as difficulty breathing, throat swelling, vomiting, dizziness and fainting, low blood pressure and even cardiac arrest.
In the event of a severe allergic reaction:
- Check the victims airway, breathing and circulation.
- Keep the person calm.
- Elevate the persons feet about 12 inches, cover with a blanket and place nothing under his head.
- If necessary, perform rescue breathing and CPR.
Emergency personnel will administer epinephrine immediately to stop the anaphylactic reaction.
If you have had an anaphylactic reaction in the past, you are at risk of future reactions. Your doctor can prescribe emergency epinephrine to carry with you for emergencies.
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Treatments For Allergic Rhinitis From A Gp
If pharmacy medicines do not help ease your allergic rhinitis symptoms, a GP may prescribe a different medicine, such as prescription steroid nasal sprays or antihistamines.
You may be referred to a specialist for further tests and treatment if it’s not clear what’s causing your symptoms or they’re severe.
Natural Remedies For Allergies
Resolving seasonal allergies may just be a matter of finding and addressing the root cause. Its about getting a deeper level of understanding of why youre having an allergic response and then taking steps to decrease or reverse symptoms, explains Dr. Young.
But if youre not sure of the cause be it tree pollen, ragweed, mold or dust, etc. what can you do to tamp down the sniffling, sneezing and wheezing that come when seasonal allergy triggers spike? Here are eight ideas you can try.
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Food Allergies Treatments And Natural Remedies
Despite the risk of severe allergic reactions and even death, there is no current cure for food allergies. The condition can only be managed by allergen avoidance or treatment of food allergy symptoms.
However, fortunately there are natural food allergies treatments and supplements that can help to boost the immune system and enhance the gut microbiota, helping to reduce the development of food allergies and food allergy symptoms.
Reduce Exposure To Known Allergy Triggers
If you know what your allergy triggers are, reducing the amount of time you are in direct contact with them can help reduce symptoms.
Depending on what your allergens are, consider the following:
- Stay indoors on days when pollen counts are high, it is windy, or it has not rained for a while.
- Change your clothes as soon as you come into the house from being outside. Wash clothes in hot water to remove allergens.
- Wear a pollen mask if you are outside mowing the lawn, weeding, or gardening. Or delegate these tasks to someone else, if possible.
- Avoid outdoor clothing lines for drying laundry.
- Keep windows closed, especially on days when pollen is high, it is windy, or it has not rained recently.
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How Long Do Allergic Reactions Last
The length of time someone will find themselves struggling with the after-effects of an allergic reaction depends on a few variables.
If no longer exposed to the allergen, most people can expect symptoms to occur within a few hours and last for at most ten days, usually less.
With anaphylaxis, symptoms quickly peak within the first 3-30 minutes, with a secondary allergic response potentially occurring for up to eight hours later.
While rare, some individuals may experience a protracted anaphylactic reaction with symptoms lasting up to seven days.
But what happens if you cant get away from a particular allergen, like the inescapable pollen that picks up every spring? In these cases, symptoms can last anywhere from weeks to months.
Preventing Allergies In Kids
The best way to stop seasonal allergies is to prevent symptoms before they start.
- Close windows and keep kids indoors when pollen counts are high.
- Use a HEPA filter to help reduce allergens within your home.
- Try natural remedies like a neti pot or cold compress to make symptoms more bearable.
- Shower after being outdoors to remove pollen, dust, and spores.
- Reduce carpets and rugs in the home.
- Focus on good nutrition to keep allergies at bay, advises Dr. Jones.
- Consult with an allergist about immunotherapy, Dr. Modena suggests.
If your child lives with seasonal allergies, its important to communicate with your provider to determine the most effective treatment plan. With the right medication and preventive measures, you kids can spend more time playing, and less time stuck inside.
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When Should You Consider Using Seasonal Allergy Medicine
Theres no cure for seasonal allergies , but taking over-the-counter medications, such as antihistamines2 can help when natural remedies for seasonal allergies arent enough. If youre using allergy medications, its often helpful to take them before your symptoms even start. Most people take medication when their seasonal allergies begin to cause trouble, but you can get a leg up on things by starting earlier, Purvi Parikh, MD, an allergist and immunologist with NYU Langone, who is allergic to grass pollen herself, tells SELF. Grass pollen starts becoming bothersome in springtime, so Dr. Parikh begins using allergy meds like antihistamines two weeks before the season starts. This helps her reduce symptoms or even avoid them altogether, she says. You can also try OTC nasal corticosteroids, which are sprayed or inhaled into the nose to help relieve your stuffy nose and irritation caused by allergies.
Its important to talk to your doctor, preferably an allergist if you have access to one, before trying any other natural remedies for seasonal allergies, like herbs or supplements. For example, some people who are allergic to ragweed, daisies, and marigolds can also be allergic to chamomile tea, according to the NCCIH, which could do more harm than good in that case.
Find Out What The Pollen Level Is In Your Area
Knowing the pollen count can help you plan an attack for allergy symptoms. How can you find out? Just turn on your favorite weather report. Many reports include the pollen count in your area. Or, go online to Pollen.com.
Taking a trip? The pollen count may be higher where youre headed. Check the count at your destination and take along medications just in case.
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Visit A Sinus Specialist In Detroit
If all else fails, schedule an appointment with your local sinus specialist or ENT doctor. Detroit Sinus Center offers a variety of sinus treatments ranging from prescription medications to non-invasive surgeries. Well help you through allergy season so you can breathe easy once again. Contact us today to schedule your appointment with our sinus specialists in Detroit!
How To Get Rid Of Allergies Fast: 15 Effective Remedies
Although allergies are not considered as a catastrophic condition, it is estimated to affect millions of people all over the world every year. It now becomes increasingly popular and common in almost all parts of the globe. Some types are not very hard to cure with home remedies for allergies, but for some, all you can do is to turn to your doctor as soon as possible.
Allergies is caused by the hypersensitivity of ones immune system to something in the environment. Therefore, a number of tiring experiences may happen and thus interrupt their daily life. To be more specific, once the allergen enters the body, it triggers an antibody response leading to the eliciting of histamine from the cells. Thats how an allergy appears with its purpose of ruining your comfort.
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How To Get Rid Of Allergies Naturally
Comments: 0 | May 29th, 2017
Are allergies making you feel miserable? can cause so many annoying symptoms, but are they also making you sick? Are you not able to go outside without an inhaler? Do you get sinus infections several times a year? Do you spend a good portion of your time not feeling well and miss a lot of work? Allergy symptoms can range from mild to severe and can interfere with your relationships and everyday activities. Its time for you to learn how to get rid of allergies naturally so that you can enjoy life again and feel your best!
Common Allergy Symptoms Allergy symptoms include more than just sneezing or watery, itchy eyes. There are several common allergy symptoms you need to be aware of:
Fatigue Frequent headaches Postnasal drainage Itching of the nose Frequent colds Recurrent ear infections Recurrent cough or bronchitis Chronic sinus infections Dizziness Dark circles under the eyes Itching, watering, red eyes Swelling of the eyes Tightness in the chest Sneezing Sinus infections Eczema, skin rashes, itching or hives Asthma
Dr. Hotze reveals how to conquer your allergies naturally:
Would you like to conquer your allergies? If youre ready to conquer your allergies and regain your energy so that you can feel your best, contact ustoday!
The Best Natural Remedy For Allergies
The best natural remedy for allergies is, when possible, avoidance. Both doctors and natural healers will suggest that you limit or avoid allergens, which are what causes your allergic reaction.
You should avoid exposure to your allergens. For example, if youve had an allergic reaction to a sulfa drug, let your doctor know about your allergy. Theyll most likely prescribe an alternate antibiotic if youll ever need one.
That being said, some allergens are hard to avoid. In that case, after discussing your symptoms with your doctor, you might consider a home remedy for allergies to deal with the results of exposure to an allergen.
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Essential Oils: Peppermint Eucalyptus Frankincense
Aside from providing stress relief, certain essential oils may help relieve allergy symptoms.
While more research is necessary to deepen our understanding, preliminary studies suggest some essential oils help ease allergy symptoms.
Eucalyptus oil has demonstrated antimicrobial, pain-relieving, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties that have made it helpful for allergy symptoms. Frankincense has similarly shown anti-inflammatory effects that could help with allergy symptoms. Additionally, a study from 1998 found peppermint oil had potent anti-inflammatory effects as well.
At the end of the day, while it isnt yet possible to cure allergies for good, there are more than a few alternatives you can choose between to find relief from persistent allergy symptoms. Different strategies might be more effective depending on the person, so explore your options and use what works best for you.
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.
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Know And Avoid Your Triggers
It is absolutely simple but the question is how you can find out the triggers of your allergy. Some people even dont know what contributes to their irritating condition. It is until you recognize the causes that you are ready to remove it.
All the above home remedies for allergies are some useful tips to help your deal with some types of allergies. It is recommended that you should know some which are available for you to do at home in case the worst scenario may happen. And one more thing to keep in mind is that if you realize that you cannot control it anymore, it is time to see your doctor without hesitation.
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.
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Keep Your Home Safe From Allergens
There are many steps you can take around your house to help with seasonal allergies.
Use humidifiers and dehumidifiers at the right times for your allergies
In the spring, summer and early fall, remove excess moisture from the air using a dehumidifier or air conditioner. This can help reduce the growth of mold and mildew spores known to cause some allergies.
In dry winter months, a humidifier can add moisture to a room to soothe dry, irritated nasal passages. Make sure to clean and change the filter regularly. Unfortunately, moisturized air can also cause dust mites to increase.
Change to HEPA filters for your heating and cooling system
A HEPA filter can trap airborne allergens like pollen and pet dander, helping keep more irritants out of the air. Just make sure youre regularly replacing filters particularly during high usage times. A good rule of thumb is to check your filter once a month to see if it needs replacing.
Consider adding an air purifier, too
Air purifiers can also be used to clean finer particles and fumes that your furnace or air conditioning filter cant catch. There are several different types of air purifiers and each works differently to clean the air you breathe. So, research your options to determine which may be the best fit for you needs.
Other ways to reduce allergens in your home:
