How Do I Help My Hay Fever?

   

Hay fever, or allergic rhinitis, is an allergic reaction to outdoor airborne substances, for example pollen spores or mold.  Hay-Fever is usually caused by pollen from flowering plants, trees and grasses and commonly happens seasonally, primarily in the spring and fall.  Hay fever from molds can appear at any time year round.  Indications may vary from person to person but most common are itchy, puffy and watery eyes; red and stuffy nose or nasal congestion; sore throat; fever; facial pain and pressure in the sinuses; decreased taste and smell and pain in the ear region

Obviously, the best treatment for hayfever is to stop contact with the substance that triggers the symptoms.  But, depending on the material that causes your hay fever this may be impossible because either it is unavoidable or the actual allergen can’t be confirmed by physician.

To treat and diagnose hay fever the actual substance causing the problem needs to be determined.  Performing a skin test, an allergist will use different diluted solutions of allergens.  When these allergens are put on the skin, a raised red bump will show which indicates a positive reaction to the allergen.  Based on these results, the allergist may recommend a selection of allergy shots.

Treatment may not be required if you do not suffer from serious hay fever.  Over the counter and home care medicines can sometimes be sufficient to alleviate your symptoms:-

  • Cromolyn sodium (NasalCrom) used in the nose to reduce membrane sensitivity to allergens
  • Corticosteroid nasal spray (Flonase, Veramyst, Nasonex, and Beconase) to reduce nasal stuffiness
  • Antihistamines (Zytrec, Benadryl and Claritin) and/or decongestants (Drixoral, Sudafed, Actifed) to relieve many symptoms
  • To soothe a sore throat gargle with salt water

Claritose is an all-natural medication for hay fever that is quick acting and safe to use for relief of allergy symptoms.  Non-drowsy and homeopathic, it can be taken in place of other synthetic remedies.  If your hay fever symptoms are long term and extreme, ask your GP who can recommend suitable medication.

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Learning To Handle Your Hayfever Symptoms

   

The hay fever season which ironically doesn’t have anything to do with either hay or fever is upon us. More than 35 million Americans suffer from hay fever every year, and according to practitioners, this season is shaping up to be one of the worst. We hay fever sufferers are about to be subjected to itching and watery eyes, stuffy noses, skin reactions, and additional allergic reactions as high pollen counts invade the country sides and neighborhoods of America.

Hay fever or as I affectionately call it, “seasonal allergic rhinitis” is triggered by tree allergens such as pollens or molds. The allergen triggers the release of histamine into the body which causes inflammation in the nose leading to the common symptoms of watery eyes, congestion, and sneezing.

So how do we allergy sufferers get through the season?

If you have a dog allergy or a pet allergy, you can arrange your environment so you’re not around dogs. You may have to try something similar with a hayfever allergy.

One – Make it a habit to monitor the pollen counts in your area. The National Allergy Bureau (NAB) has over 70 pollen counting stations throughout the nation. To view the grass pollen allergy and mold counts for your area, go to the NAB website at http://www.aaaai.org/nab/index.cfm?p=pollen

Weather conditions, which can vary greatly, have a tremendous affect on the pollen numbers. With this in mind, you need to periodically monitor these counts. If the NAB is unreachable or inconvenient to you, be aware that some community newspapers publish the pollen and mold counts as well.

Two – as much as possible, control your environment by avoiding the pollens and molds that are making your life miserable. Do this by making some of the following changes:

– Utilize your air conditioner to filter the outdoor air. In addition, change your heating and air conditioning filters every month.

– Pollen counts vary at different times of the day. Avoid peak pollen release times and limit your outdoor activity to the times when the pollen counts are at their lowest.

– Keeping windows shut down at night to prevent pollens or molds from drifting into the home.

– Wash your bedding materials in hot, not warm, water. Furthermore, search for detergent formulas that contain additives to remove allergens such as pollens, mildew and mold.

Three – schedule an appointment with an allergist. A certified allergist can help you in identifying the precise allergens that are impacting you and provide you with a custom treatment plan (including pills, nasal sprays, herbs, acupuncture) to alleviate your symptoms.

Finally – if you’re simply sick and tired of being forced to hide indoors for much of the spring season, you might want to try immunotherapy or allergy shots. Allergy shots, administered over a series of months, will help to increase your tolerance to the allergens that trigger your allergies. While not a cure, immunotherapy can help greatly in reducing your sensitivities to allergies.

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What are the dangers of allergic reactions?

   

Fatality has been associated with allergic reactions for years due to their rather sudden occurrences, leaving little time for reaction. Allergens in the environment cause uncomfortable symptoms in a person which in turn result in an allergic reaction.

Within short periods of exposure, some people can react subtly or aggressively to dogs, cats, bee stings, dust, dust mites, trees, weeds, molds, and foods, such as nuts, strawberries, and shellfish, by developing skin rashes, hives, and itching, sneezing, or even watery eyes. Allergic reactions can also be as severe as chest pains, abdominal pains, vomiting, tongue swelling, or worse still, unconsciousness.

Patients have been known to lapse into anaphylactic shock and sometimes sudden death if they fail to get medical help within fifteen minutes of a very violent allergic reaction. Immediate allergic reactions occur just like reactions that occur as many as twenty-four hours after exposure.

The more the exposures to an allergen, the more severe a reaction is likely to be, even if the exposure becomes less. Immunotherapy and asthma treatments are more extreme measures taken to counter environmental and pet allergies in addition to various medications like decongestants and antihistamines like Benadryl.

When exposure to bee stings, shellfish, poison ivy, and peanuts occurs, severe reactions often follow; so they need to be circumvented whenever you can. In case of an unplanned exposure to an allergen, some grown ups and even younger ones have adopted the practice of carrying an Epi-Pen to check severe reactions.

A syringe in the Epi-Pen contains epinephrine that is ready to be inhaled instantly. Any large muscle may be used for administration once the needle guard on the Epi-Pen has been pulled off. The Epi-Pen is applicable through clothing; hence time can be conserved by not removing them before administering the medication.

After an allergic reaction, the victim must be closely watched. Begin to take emergency procedures once you observe that the victim is not improving after the administration of the Epi-pen.

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