Seasonal hay fever is triggered by tree pollen, grasses or weeds and other plants. Year-round symptoms can occur if you have indoor allergy to dust mites, cockroaches, mold or pet dander.
Mild hay fever symptoms can be managed effectively with over-the-counter medications. Year-round symptoms or severe seasonal hay fever symptoms may require an allergy specialist for appropriate evaluation and treatment. My year-round allergy symptoms are managed effectively by an internist. An internist is a physician who specializes in adult diseases.
Without proper treatment of hay fever symptoms there can be an increase of more allergic conditions such as asthma or eczema. Uncontrolled hay fever symptoms will impair the quality of your everyday life.
Hay fever symptoms include:
• Runny nose • Watery nose • Congestion • Frequent sneezing • Itchy eyes, nose, roof of mouth or throat • Swollen, blue-colored skin under eyes • Postnasal drip • Cough • Sleeplessness • Fatigue • Irritability • Facial pressure and pain
Hay fever symptoms are similar to the symptoms of a common cold, however, there are differences. Hay fever does not mean you are allergic to hay and is not triggered by hay. It does not cause a fever. The probable cause is an allergic reaction to pollen or mold. Heredity plays a role in determining who becomes allergic including hay fever. If allergies or asthma runs in your family, you may be more likely to develop hay fever.
You are most likely to develop hay fever during childhood or early adulthood, but it can begin at any age. As you get older, symptoms may worsen or improve. I have noticed my hay fever seems to be diminishing; however, this could also be due to better allergy medication.
Treatment for hay fever symptoms:
Your doctor will identify what allergy triggers your symptoms and then develop a plan to avoid and/or cope with those substances. Review the following treatment options:
• Nasal corticosteroids sprays
• Antihistamines relieve itching, sneezing and runny nose. Common antihistamines include Benadryl, Chlor-Trimeton, Tavist, Claritin
• Decongestants are often used in combination with antihistamines and include Sudafed, Actifed
• Cromolyn sodium helps relieve hay fever symptoms by preventing the release of histamine.
• Leukotriene modifier: A prescription tablet taken to block the action of leukotrienes
• Nasal atropine helps relieve a severe runny nose
It is important to talk to your doctor before taking any over-the-counter medications for hay fever especially if you have a chronic health condition that requires you to take other prescription drugs. You will need to know whether or not there could be a drug interaction or other adverse effect.
I will never forget the time I was seeing an internist for an upper respiratory problem, who prescribed a medication that if taken with other medications I was on could have caused an instant fatal heart attack. The pharmacist is the one who warned me of this. It is important to stay alert when taking several different kinds of medications. It is not always the doctor who can give or who gives you all the medicine's side effects. A good pharmacist has a wealth of knowledge about drugs and their interactions with each other. Make it a practice to always ask your pharmacist about side effects and interactions as well as your doctor. I did change internist after that incident and was then diagnosed correctly and given the appropriate medications for my hay fever symptoms.
If medications do not relieve your hay fever symptoms, your doctor may recommend allergy shot therapy. The goal of immunotherapy or desensitization therapy is to desensitize you to specific allergens, reduce your signs and symptoms, and decrease your need for medications. Allergy shots are usually given over a period of three to five years to reach this goal.
Source: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
Disclaimer: *This article is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any kind of a health problem. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Always consult with your health care provider about any kind of a health problem and especially before beginning any kind of an exercise routine.
This article is FREE to publish with the resource box. Article written 4-2007.
Once again it is cedar fever season - the time in South Texas when the mountain cedar trees erupt in pollen. If you have allergies and you've been experiencing a lot more congestion, coughing, sneezing, and red, irritated eyes, you can probably blame it on the cedar. Some people may also run a low grade fever because cedar allergies can be severe enough to cause a lot of inflammation which can show up as a slight fever.
In the Austin, San Antonio, and Texas Hill Country regions, mountain cedar pollen is produced in huge quantities from December through February. For those who suffer from cedar allergies, even the allergy remedies that work most of the time are simply no match for the massive amounts of pollen produced by the numerous mountain cedar trees in the area.
Local news shows love to demonstrate the high cedar pollen release by sending a crew out to show someone shaking a mountain cedar branch to release the inevitable cloud of pollen. The fine, dust-like pollen is easily blown off the trees and carried all over the area by the high winds that are typical of this time of year. There is so much pollen produced that cedar may actually go above the levels recorded on allergen counts and begin to show up as an air pollutant. With this quantity of pollen, there's no surprise that this a very difficult time of year for allergy sufferers.
While there is no escaping the massive quantities of cedar pollen, except perhaps to live in a plastic bubble, there now is a method for alleviating cedar fever that works fast and is incredibly effective in most cases. This technique is rather strange, but for those who experience it, it's nothing short of magical.
The technique works by stimulating the acupuncture meridians of the body in a very specific way. Although it is based on acupuncture, it does not require the use of needles and is completely painless. There are a few variations of the basic method, but all of them use the same principles and use acupuncture or acupressure stimulation to desensitize the body to cedar pollen (or to other allergens, depending on the case). I use what's called a "cold" laser to stimulate the acupuncture points in my office, because it is fast, effective, painless, and can be done through most clothing. Because it is painless, it is a suitable for even the most fearful patient, and even small children.
Desensitization of allergens with this method typically works within about a day and the effects last for several months to several years. Just one desensitization procedure will usually last for not only the entire mountain cedar pollen season, but for many seasons to come. These effects are achieved without the need for any follow-up treatment, without the use of allergy medication, and without even taking any kind of supplements or other remedies!
Cedar fever can now be a thing of the past for those who are open minded enough to try this rather unusual technique.
Both Connie Limon & Dr. George Best are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Connie Limon has sinced written about articles on various topics from Careers and Job Hunting, Dogs and Colon Cleanse. Connie Limon, Trilogy Field Representative. Visit . Connie Limon's top article generates over 135000 views. to your Favourites.
Dr. George Best has sinced written about articles on various topics from Lose Weight, Other Conditions and Low Carb Diet. Dr. George Best is a holistic healthcare provider in San Antonio, Texas and has been providing natural allergy relief for the past eight years. Follow this link for more on how you can handle your. Dr. George Best's top article generates over 74000 views. to your Favourites.