Allergies Treatment

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Conventional medical treatment of allergies often begins with tracking down the offending substance. There are several tests your physician may recommend to identify the particular allergens that are making your life miserable.
- Scratch testing consists of placing a small amount of diluted allergen on a lightly scratched area of skin. If a bump develops there within fifteen minutes, you are probably allergic to that substance.
- Intradermal testing is done by injecting the skin with suspected allergens at timed intervals. A control injection is also given. If an allergen produces a wheel, you are allergic to that substance. An intradermal test is more accurate than a scratch test, but there is a greater risk that you might suffer a severe reaction.
- Blood testing measures total and specific levels of IgE and IgG, which are antibodies produced by the body's immune system. An elevated level of either of these may indicate an allergic reaction to the substance being tested.
Once testing has been completed, treatment may be recommended. Antihistamines are the medications most commonly used for respiratory allergies. They work by blocking the action of the histamines that cause swelling and congestion of nasal passages and increased mucus production. Brompheniramine and chlorpheniramine are common over-the-counter antihistamines suggested for respiratory allergies. Possible side effects include drowsiness and dry mouth.
Prescription antihistamines include azatadine, clemastine, astemizole, and promethazine. Astemizole does but has been implicated in causing serious heart-rhythm problems that, in some cases, led to death. Do not take these medications at the same time as the antibiotic erythromycin or the antifungal ketoconazole, as this seems to magnify the problem. Loratidine is a newer antihistamine that seems to avoid the heart-rhythm problem, but you still may have to deal with fatigue, headache, dry mouth, abdominal pain, anxiety, and other side effects that are common to antihistamines.
Cromolyn sodium is a medication that can be taken as a nasal spray to prevent the symptoms of respiratory allergies. It works by coating the membranes of the nose and stabilizing the white blood cells so that they do not react to foreign substances. In some cases this drug can cause gastrointestinal upset or throat and nose irritation, but it usually produces very few side effects and is generally considered one of the safer medications. It's major drawback is that it must be used consistently, as many as six times a day for at least two weeks, before it begins to take effects.
If allergy symptoms include shortness of breath, theophylline may be helpful in opening these passageways. Side effects can include heart rhythm problems, headache, nausea, irritability, convulsions, rashes.
An increasing trend has been to use steroid inhalant sprays such as triamcinolone and beclomeyhasone. They are especially useful for people who suffer from chronic allergies rhinitis. These are powerful anti-inflammatories, and decrease swelling and mucus production as well as the oral antihistamines do, without causing sedation.
If antihistamines offer no relief, desensitization is some times recommended for the relief of allergies. This involves the injection of gradually increasing amounts of allergen into the body over a period of time. However, the procedure is complicated and costly, requires careful supervision by a physician, and is not always effective. It should be tried only if no other form of treatment affords any relief.
In some cases, a chronic runny nose may not be the result of an allergic reaction, and should be distinguished from a more serious underlying illness, such as chronic sinusitis. This is a task best performed by a health-care professional.

Allergies : It provides medical information about allergies disease including causes, symptoms, etc.
Allergies diet : It gives information and guidelines to choose your sample diet to eliminate allergies.
Allergies nutritions and supplements : This section provides comprehensive list of nutritional supplements for allergies.
Herbal treatment for allergy : This section focuses on various traditional herbal treatments used to cure allergies.
Allergies acupressure treatment: This section provides various acupressure points on the body to treat allergies.
Allergies aromatherapy treatment: This section provides information about essential oils which are helpful to cure allergies.
Allergy homeopathy treatment: It provides information about homeopathic medicines required for curing allergies.

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