Nasal allergy is very common. The
number of patients seem to be increasing, probably
because of the air pollution.
When the allergy is bad, any
chilling can cause symptoms - drink only warm
liquids and avoid ice. Here it is very important
to drink hot tea before getting out of bed. This
is because when the allergy is bad, the regular
body thermostat doesn't work well. Instead of
warming up after getting out of bed by
circulation, the body coughs and sneezes as part
of the warming up mechanism. With allergy is
important to avoid getting chilled, especially in
a movie, this will bring on symptoms. The plants
pollinate about 5 AM and 5PM, so it is important
to sleep with the windows shut to avoid the 5 AM
pollen, and to drive in the late afternoon with
the car windows closed. When the allergy symptoms
are severe you must avoid spicy foods - hot
mustard, hot peppers, etc.. This is because these
spices add to the histamine already in your body
which makes the allergy symptoms.
Today there are some excellent
antihistamines available over the counter. I would
start with Chlortrimeton. This is available as a 4
milligram or 12mg long acting (12 hours) tablet.
The problem is that everyone reacts differently to
these pills. Some people feel drowsy at a small
dose. There are other antihistamines that have
less sedation for most people such as Seldane or
Claritin. On prescription, there are several
steroid nasal sprays, such as Vancenase or Flonase.
If they work, this is a preferred treatment
because there aren't any systemic effects, such as
you might get with antihistamines. In 1996 we feel
that allergy can be reduced or avoided when there
is a family history of allergy if the child is
nursed. All children should sleep in rooms with
minimal dust. It is important to follow the
prescribed foods for infants. For example if eggs
are introduced at too early an age, an allergy to
this food may develop. Often if a child hates a
certain food, he may do so because he is allergic
to it.
Be very careful of nose drops
such as Afrin and Neosynephrine.
All nose drops can be addicting,
the more you spray, the more constriction of the
nose, then there is rebound and the nose is more
congested. Soon, instead of every 12 hours, you
have to use the drops every 6 then every four
hours! Then, the systemic effect of all that
medicine takes over and the person becomes
nervous, jittery and sleep is difficult. This is
called Rhinitis Medicamentosum. Once this happens,
the best treatment is a short course of Prednisone
combined with an antibiotic from your doctor. If
you have allergies, it is better to pay someone
else to clean out grandma's attic because the
symptoms brought on from the dust will be extreme.
After exposure to an allergy
trigger such as ragweed, just as you might wash
your hands to remove dirt, you can use pulsatile
saline irrigation to remove offending substances.
If antihistamines are not satisfactory, try
antihistamine as a nasal spray: dissolve one 50 mg
capsule of benadryl in 4 ounces of
Breathe·Ease™Spray nose 3x a day. Or your
doctor may recommend Singular as a spray for your
allergy: dissolve two 10 mg tablets in 4 ounces of
Breathe·Ease™. Spray nose thoroughly 3x a
day.
Many years ago there was an
excellent treatment for uncontrolled allergy
symptoms. They would put a person to complete bed
rest and in an allergy free environment for about
a week to 10 days. This allowed the patients
natural cortisone to regenerate and he would be
well. Today, we give cortisone medication to do
the same thing, but it is important to remember
that if the attack is severe, rest is the best
medicine. |
