What can be done about allergies?

Once a person’s allergies have been identified and the severity of reaction assessed by testing, there are 3 levels of treatment.

• Avoidance.
  
  People are usually allergic to dust mites, mold spores, pollens or animal dander.
  All of these allergens are invisible particles that float through the air and have to be breathed in to cause allergy symptoms. A common mistake is to assume that, if you can’t avoid all allergens all the time, it is not worth the effort.  That is a misconception.  Exposure to most allergens is a cumulative problem. Think of your immune system as a bucket. It may not trigger a reaction until its bucket is overflowing. Avoidance is the effort to reduce our exposure to allergens and to prevent the bucket from overflowing.
  
  In addition to allergens, there are air-borne chemicals and particles, called irritants, which we also breathe into our moist nasal passageways. They do not trigger our immune system in the same manner as allergens, but they do set off their own inflammatory reaction. Common irritants include tobacco smoke, diesel exhaust, perfume, newpaper ink, and other substances with a strong odor.   There are also a number of chemical sensitivities that initiate skin and mucosal allergic reactions or simply irritate the nose, throat or lungs.  When possible, avoid these irritants because they will only make your allergic symptoms worse.
  
   
• Nasal cleansing.
  
  There are a number of commercial products (air conditioners and air cleaners) available which are designed to help you with minimizing your exposure to these allergens. Removal of allergens by nasal cleansing, or rinsing, can also be helpful. Cleansing can be done with commercial nasal saline sprays, but it is even more effective with nasal saline irrigations or douches. The nose can be irrigated with a neti-pot (a small teapot), squeezable plastic bottle with a nozzle, a bulb syringe or powered irrigator with an adapter. In general, most nasal saline sprays and rinses are formulated to have the same salt content as the body (isotonic) and are useful for cleaning and moisturizing the nose. Other sprays and rinses are called hypertonic because they have a higher salt concentration which can act as a natural decongestant, but also can also cause a more dry nose. 
  
  How to choose an air conditioner (printable topic)

• Medications
  
  There is a limited number of medicines which help with allergies. While these medicines have few side-effects, they work only when they are used. They do not cure allergic rhinitis.
  
   
  • Nasal corticosteroids. (fluticasone/Flonase, Rhinocort, Nasonex and others) and in the form of nasal drops for children (PredForte- information available with password)
  • Antihistamines.  1st generation- more sedating- such as, Benadryl- and 2nd generation- such as Claritin/Clarinex, Zyrtec, Allegra- and ophthalmologic formulations, such as Patanol and its new related nasal spray Patanase)
  • Singulair
  • Nasalcrom
  • Decongestants
  • Atrovent (ipratropium bromide)
  
   
• Allergy shots (immunotherapy)
  
  This is potentially the most effective treatment because it stimulates your own immune system to minimize the reaction to the allergens. This is the only treatment that is a real cure.