Treatment for allergies there are three methods of: avoidance, medication, and immunotherapy.
With any allergy, your first method of treatment should be to avoid the offending allergen. it’s easier said than done This may seem obvious, but with some allergens,. For the most part it’s easy to avoid eating a food to which you are allergic, but more ubiquitous airborne allergens like pollen or dust can seem nearly impossible to avoid. There are a number of things you can do to significantly reduce your exposure to allergens You can’t get rid of environmental allergens completely Of course, but. This strategy is explained in our 10 Steps to Allergen Avoidance, but here are a few highlights.
Your bed and bedding should be One of the main focuses in allergen avoidance. If you’re allergic to dust, Your bedding is Crucial. There’s nothing worse for an allergy sufferer than breathing in dust mite allergens all night long! You can help yourself avoid dust mite allergens by encasing your pillows, mattress, and comforter in a dust mite proof encasing. We also advise that you use a special detergent which kills dust mites and denatures dust mite allergens. frequently wash all bedding in hot water and dry on high, or Since dust is a major culprit in indoor allergies,
it’s also important to keep your home very clean. Dust frequently, using dust-trapping cloths; vacuum with a HEPA vacuum cleaner to remove dust and allergens from carpet and furniture and trap them for good; and run a HEPA air purifier indoors to remove allergens from the air.
Running a dehumidifier indoors can also be a helpful method of allergen avoidance, as overly humid air is good for both mold spores and dust mites, two common allergens.
For more information on allergen avoidance, see our article on the 10 Steps.
If you have implemented all the steps to avoid allergens, and you continue to have symptoms, you may want to consider the second method of treatment: medication. Common types of allergy medication include antihistamines, decongestants, and corticosteroids.
Antihistamines block the effects of the histamine that is normally released during an allergic reaction. Common antihistamines include some over-the-counter drugs like Benadryl, Claritin, and Triaminic, and other prescription drugs like Allegra, Zyrtec, or Clarinex. Antihistamines relieve symptoms like sneezing and itching, nasal swelling, and runny noses. Antihistamines can cause some unpleasant side effects, however, the most common being drowsiness and lack of coordination.
