Saturday, October 27, 2007

Allergy - Allergy Treatment - What to Know

If you suffer from allergies and are looking for allergy treatment, then you likely know that allergy treatment comes in a variety of forms. For one, allergy treatment can come from small lifestyle changes, such as a commitment to eating different foods or to avoiding certain situations. Allergy treatment can also come in the form of medicine, such as a shot or a pill. Here is a brief overview of these two most common types of allergy treatments:

Lifestyle change:

If you suffer from allergies, chances are good that the allergy is treatable if you change certain things about your lifestyle. While changing your lifestyle is not a long-term solution to allergy treatment, it can provide some relief to you. For example, if you suffer from an allergy to your pet, then you can easily cut out any interaction with the pet, or you can put the pet up for adoption. Likewise, if you suffer from an allergy to a certain food, then you can begin to avoid any encounters with that food.

Medicine:

You can use medicine as part of your allergy treatment if you suffer from a chronic allergy, such as an allergy to pollen, food or other airborne stimuli. The two types of medicine that are available for allergy sufferers are allergy shots (which are taken once a month in most cases) and allergy medicine, such as Claritin or Benedryl. Allergy treatments help to alleviate the symptoms, but cannot reverse the allergies within your body permanently.

Again, changing your lifestyle to suit your allergy will not act as a substitute for true allergy treatment., In fact, allergies, unlike some illnesses, are not permanently treatable. Instead, you must find solutions that will make you more comfortable. Some of these solutions do involve lifestyle changes. Others involve carefully monitoring some of your behavior, such as your food intake.

About the Author

Tamra Cantar is a freelance writer on topics of interest and has a website dedicated to providing the visitor with useful information and resources on allergies and allergy relief. Visit EasyAllergyRelief.com for more information on allergy treatment and allergy relief.

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tamra_Cantar

Allergy - Getting The Upper Hand On Asthma Allergy

Asthma allergy is the number one form of allergy today. And since asthma allergy is inherited, one can get it at a young age. The diagnosis process for asthma allergy is a simple and very straightforward test and will immediately determine if you do have asthma and not just some other type of allergy.

Symptoms of an asthma allergy

An asthma allergy reaction can vary in degree, from mild to severe. The following are symptoms of an asthma allergy:

' Headache
' Fever
' Chronic coughing
' Chest pain or tightness
' Difficulty in breathing
' Rapid breathing or wheezing
' Scratchy or sore throat
' Itchy, watery eyes
' Runny nose
' Continuous sneezing
' Restlessness

Some of the mentioned symptoms have the same indicators to conditions like pulmonary disease; sinusitis and influenza so make sure you see a doctor for a more precise diagnosis. What you thought as an asthma allergy may actually be something else.

An asthma allergy reaction that is mild to moderate in degree can be identified with tightness of the chest, spewing and coughing up mucus, having difficulty sleeping and constant wheezing.

A severe asthma allergy attack may be characterized by the person having difficulty in speaking, a bluish color to the person's lips and fingernails, and breathlessness. When this happens, the patient must be ready with their medication.

Asthma Allergy Treatment

The asthma allergy is treated by medicines prescribed by the doctor. These medicines reduce the swelling of the mucous membrane and help normalize the air passage of the person with asthma allergy. Called "controller medicines", they help ease the pain of the asthma allergy attack:

' Mast cell stabilizers - non-steroidal medications that control the inflammation by stopping the body from releasing inflammatory chemicals.
' Corticosteroids - another anti-inflammatory medication.
' Anti-leukotrienes - it stops the production of leukotrienes that are responsible for the increase in inflammation that causes constriction of the airway muscle and close the windpipes of the patient.

The drugs mentioned are used to help patients with asthma allergy to gain control of their asthma and keep on living a normal life. They are available in capsules, tablets and inhalers. A person suffering from asthma attacks should always bring their medicine along especially since these attacks are unpredictable.

Asthma Allergy Prevention

An asthma allergy attack cannot be prevented since doctors are not sure what causes asthma. But there are ways that a person with an asthma allergy can reduce the symptoms or totally avoid having an attack.

' Keep a clean and dust-free environment by vacuuming the house.
' If you live near a dusty road where cars frequently pass by, pour water on the road in front of your house. This will stop the dust from flying into the home.
' Regularly clean the fan, air-conditioning and other ducts that come in contact with air.
' Avoid places that have plenty of environmental allergens like molds, pollens, animal dander and secondhand cigarette smoke.
' Wear a mask when cleaning the house or going to a place full of allergens.
' Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet.

In the end, the only way to defeat asthma is to learn how to live with the condition. Healthy living is a great way to turn one's life around when a person has asthma. And with the help of modern science, it is not impossible to lead a productive life. Despite an allergic reaction, one should not stop enjoying life even if they have asthma.

Note: This article may be freely reproduced as long as the AUTHOR'S resource box at the bottom of this article is included and and all links must be Active/Linkable with no syntax changes.

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