Achoo!  Oh no…it’s back again—the sneezing and scratchy throat, the stopped up nose, itchy rash, and watery eyes.  It’s an allergy and it affects 35 million people in the U.S. each year.  Whenever the symptoms arise, your immediate reaction is to seek relief.  The best way to treat allergies are Identifying the cause, trying natural relief, and knowing when the allergy requires more aggressive methods.



The initial step in handling allergies is identifying the causes.  Do you know what makes you develop symptoms?  Do the symptoms happen just at certain times of the year?  If so, you likely have seasonal allergies.  Does it happen only when you mow the lawn?  Perhaps you’re allergic to pollen.  Maybe it’s when you spend time around the pets.  This may be a good alert that pet hair is the culprit.  Is it when you dust the furniture and sweep the carpet?  Then it may be a dust mite issue.

Once you decide what the problem is, you can begin to arrest the symptoms.  But how?  The best way to avoid symptoms is to avoid the triggers.  This means if dust is your problem, wear a mask and products that prevent allergens from getting stirred up into the air.  A vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter is another good idea.  You may also consider an air purifier for your central heating and air conditioning system.  If pets are the trouble, bathe them regularly with pet formulas designed to  prevent allergies.  In the bedroom, change the sheets, pillowcases, and covers frequently.  These solutions are known as natural allergy relief methods because they don’t require pills or shots.

Sometimes these options don’t work.  Then it’s time to reach for the stronger stuff.  Medicines that provide relief from allergy symptoms come in the form of liquid, pills, creams, and eye drops.  Just be aware that many of these medications contain antihistamines (such as Emadine, Patanol, and Astelin).  Antihistamines will make your drowsy.  Others such as Allegra and Claritin won’t make you sleepy.  If even medications don’t help, your final option is to talk to your family doctor and see what he or she can prescribe.