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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