Question:
A friend of mine has a son (16 yrs) suffering from
both asthma and allergies, which began from 6 mos.
The son has not been able to get any significant
relief from any medications or therapies. The
allergies cause dry skin, a severly flushed
complextion, and worst, severe itch all over his
body, particularly inside the elbow, behind the knee,
and on the face. He is sensitive to dust, animal
hair, and likely to pollen; also to preservatives in
food and to hot spices. He is using Ventolyn, a
cortisone inhaler (Bodicort, 400 mg, three times
daily [forgive the spelling]), and Phenestyle (?)
pills (3 times daily). Many medications and therapies, including some
alternative therapies, have been tried, with no
success. Any recommendations for treatment?
Answer:
People with asthma are very often sensitive to wheat and/or dairy foods.
margaret I can advise only from my own experience with airborn pollens, dust, hay,
cats, etc. I had been taking Hismanol (antihistamine), Proventil
Inhaler, and Nasacort Inhaler daily yet still symptomatic. A pharmacist
friend advised me of antioxidants, specifically: OPC-85. As long as I
take the OPC-85 and a complementary antioxidant, I am allergy free. Are antioxidants available over the counter or are they prescribed by
a specialist? What is a complementary antioxidant? I offer the following which i've found help my asthma: 1) See a board certified allergist about desensitization shots.
I've been taking allergy shots for nearly 20 years and they have
improved the quality of my life tremendously. If you can afford the
trip, use one of the better allergy clinics like Scripps in La Jolla,
CA, or National Jewish (http://www.njc.org/) in Colorado. 2) Wash ALL of his bedding in hot water each week to kill off dust
mites and their feces. 3) Get a large Envirocaire HEPA air purifier and air conditioner for
his bedroom. The air purifier will remove the particulate matter and
the air conditioner will dehumidify the room (the humidity should not
be allowed to fall below 30% or above 50%). 4) Review the allergy/asthma FAQ:
http://www.cco.caltech.edu:80/~wrean/
