Allergy
Remedies:
From Shots to Sprays, Prevention May Be the Best Option
What do cats, shellfish,
peanuts, and pollen have in common? They are all able to trigger
severe allergy symptoms. Allergies to animals, foods, plants, mold,
and more constitute one of the largest causes of chronic disease
in the United States. Amazingly, 60 million Americans—20 percent
of us—have allergies. Since allergies may strike people of
all ages, backgrounds, and locations, allergy remedies are as plentiful
as allergies themselves.
Whether they come
in the form of pills, sprays, or shots, allergy remedies are abundant,
but sadly, there is no known “cure” for allergies. Most
of the time, people who have allergies will use several allergy
remedies in combination with each other, which offers the best chance
at relief.
Allergy remedies
may be by prescription only, but as time goes by, you’ll discover
that many prescription medications are eventually available through
an over-the-counter version. One of the most popular allergy remedies
is antihistamines, which fight the effects of histamine. (Histamine,
a chemical released by your immune system during an allergic reaction,
is responsible for many of your allergy symptoms.) Allergy remedies
are also offered as nasal sprays, corticosteroids, inhalants, decongestants,
skin creams, and allergy shots. Like almost all medication, both
prescription and over-the-counter allergy remedies have side effects
ranging from mild to severe.
When you weigh
the potential side effects, costs, and inconvenience of various
allergy remedies, you might conclude that prevention is the smartest
way to stop allergic reactions. If, for example, you are allergic
to shellfish, your best option would be to avoid eating any food
with shellfish as an ingredient. The same theory can be used for
other allergies. Granted, it’s a lot more challenging to avoid
allergens like pollen, dust mites, and pet dander, but with a lot
of work, it can be done.
Allergy remedies
based on prevention would include keeping your windows closed, using
your air conditioner, and vacuuming with a HEPA (high-efficiency
particle arrester) filter. Other natural, avoidance-type allergy
remedies might be wearing a mask outside, removing wall-to-wall
carpets, bathing pets frequently, and using an air cleaner with
a HEPA filter. For the majority of allergy patients, it simply takes
time and effort to find the perfect combination of allergy remedies
for a particular set of allergy symptoms.
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