Question:
Need allergy relief ?
Answer:
I have horrible allergies. Over the years I tried every type of home
remedies, vitamins, and doctor prescribed meds. the thing that has helped
the most is allergy shots. Now instead of being just about sick in bed
for 6-8 weeks each summer, I can totally function (albiet with a runny
nose).
shots are not cheap, nor is the testing. it is always covered by health
insurance though. currently it costs me close to $400 a year for the
shots, I skip the annual appointments: they answer my q's by phone, and
my husband gives me the shots which now saves me $10 a week. it is a very
small price to pay for feeling good all summer. I also found that sudafed
and cloratrimiton (which makes me drowsy so I only take it at night) work
as well for me as all the newer expensive pills and are very cheap
generic pills.
OK, my number one suggestion is to clean your house. You may be slightly
allergic to pets, molds or dust mites and that mild allergy will add
significantly to seasonal pollen related allergies. Hit your kitchen,
bathroom, window sills and any other moist areas with some generic lysol,
wash all your bedding in HOT (not warm) water, and clean up dust and pet
hair. Basically you want to make your home a safe haven so you're exposed
to as few potential allergens as possible... particularly when you're
sleeping. OTC antihistimines can help a lot, but they make me VERY sleepy. There
are some newer non-drowsy ones, but they're only availible by Rx and are
quite expensive. Inhaled Cromolyn Sodium (marketed under the name
Nasalcrom) just went OTC and has helped me a lot, without the systemic
side effects of antihistimines. I used to get it via Rx and I'm so
thrilled that I don't have to see the Dr. to get a new Rx for it. (Shop
around, I found variations of over $5... the cheapest came with a big
promo video.) Also, I've found that eucalyptus oil really helps any sinus
problems.
As for the dark circles, sleeping in an allergen free environment and
taking antihistimines in the evening might help.
Great advice. Also be VERY scrupulous about changing air filters in your
furnace.Change them before you think they need it. Being sick from allergies
is not frugal. Likewise - try not to sleep with a cat on your bed or let a cat
sleep on your bed when you aren't there. Keep pets well bathed so they shed
less loose skin and hair. Keep bugs out - some people are really allergic to
cockroaches. Do not allow smoking in your house. If somebody needs a
cigarette, let them go out on the porch or yard and smoke it. You don't need to
breathe the smoke, and you don't need it accumulating in your furniture. If
you smoke - stop. Insist on the nonsmoking section of restaurants, and ask for
nonsmoking rooms at motels and hotels. If you change flooring in your house,
consider getting rid of the carpet and going with tile, wood, or linoleum.
Much easier to keep clean and allergen free. If you really want a carpet, you
can get a decent sized rug to put on the floor, and when you need to clean it,
you may be able to take it out on the driveway, hose it down, sprinkle on a
little laundry powder, scrub it with a broom, rinse it off, and hang it over
the fence or leave it on the driveway to dry. That is what we do, and we
haven't ruined one yet. Keep your bedspread well laundered - it is easy for a
spread to collect dust and animal hair without our noticing it, but that can
cause allergies. This seems simple, but notice what you have been doing or
what or whom you have been around or what time of day or night it is when you
get your worst allergy attacks, think about whether there might have been
something that you could have changed that brought it on, and then change it.
When I was treated for my allergies at a research center,
it was explained to me that it is not known if the shots
actually do any good. It is believed by a significant
contingent of researchers that allergy shots often get
credit for people outgrowing their allergies. The immune
system often becomes less oversensitive w/ age. Indeed,
w/out the shots, I have seen a significant reduction in
my allergies, just as predicted. Many allergists are
apparently using the shots as a "profit center" or because
"it's expected," w/out any concern as to whether they
are effective.
