Living With Allergies
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How Are Allergies Treated?
There Are Three Common Ways to Manage or Treat Allergies
- The first step many allergy sufferers try is to manage their environment by removing the triggers. In many cases the trigger is the beloved family pet. Contrary to what you may think, you cannot limit a cat to certain portions of the house and hope to prevent the allergy symptom triggers. Other recommendations to control indoor allergies include vacuuming regularly, eliminating carpet where you can, and washing bedding regularly in hot water. While these tips can help reduce allergen exposure, they are sometimes inadequate. There are some commercially available products designed to reduce or remove allergens from the home, such as dust mites and dander, however, most products are not guaranteed to be effective.
- Medical management is the second step in effective allergy management. Many allergy medications are now available over-the-counter (OTC) at your local drug store, grocery store, or superstore. Options range from antihistamines, such as Zyrtec, Allegra, Claritin, and Benedryl. There are also prescription antihistamines as well. Intranasal corticosteroids work by reducing the inflammation in the nose and airway passages. OTC intranasal corticosteroids options include Flonase, Flonase sensimist, and Nasocort. Antihistamines are one class of medications commonly used for allergy treatment, that work by blocking the histamine receptors, which are triggered by the allergen and cause the symptoms of runny nose, itchy eyes and congestion. OTC Intranasal corticosteroids work by reducing the inflammation in the nose and airway passages. There are over-the-counter eye drops made specifically to help reduce allergy symptoms in the eye. This fall under the brand of Alaway and Zadiator
- Allergy immunotherapy is a treatment option offered in the physicians office. After you are tested to determine what specifically you are allergic to, the physician will put you on an immunotherapy regimen that includes weekly shots to build up you immunity against the offending allergen. Allergy immunotherapy usually lasts up to three years to impact the immune system enough to reduce the reaction to allergens.