Different Approach to Allergies

"A healthy body is the guest-chamber of the soul; a sick, its prison." Francis Bacon

There are different approaches to allergies: medical approach and natural approach.

The two major classes of medications for treating allergy are antihistamines and decongestants. Antihistamines help relieve sneezing, itching and runny nose. They work best if you take them routinely during the allergy season rather than waiting until you feel miserable. Decongestants, on the other hand, work by drying up nasal passages after the fact, and are used on an as needed basis for short periods of time only.

Antihistamines may offer relief from sneezing, itching and runny nose but they need to be taken routinely in order to be effective. In other words, they are less effective if you wait until your symptoms get bad. If taken correctly, they can reduce symptoms by 50 to 80 percent yet rarely relieve all symptoms.

Decongestants come as topical eye and nose drops and sprays and as oral tablets and liquid. They narrow blood vessels and reduce blood flow in the affected area, which helps clear congestion and improve breathing. The nose drops and sprays should be used for no more than three days to avoid rebound swelling in the nose. Again, as with antihistamines, decongestants do nothing to resolve the underlying problem. They merely suppress symptoms.

Allergy shots. Allergen immunotherapy works like a vaccine. Your body responds to the injected amounts of a particular allergen, given in gradually increasing doses, by developing an immunity or tolerance to the allergen(s). As a result of these immune changes, immunotherapy can lead to decreased, minimal or no allergy symptoms when you are exposed to the allergen(s) included in the allergy vaccine. There generally are two phases to immunotherapy: a build-up phase and a maintenance phase. While allergy shots go more to the cause than antihistamines and decongestants, the process is not inexpensive and the effectiveness of this treatment option is different for each person, and some people fail to respond at all.