Senior Living | Get Ready to Battle Seasonal Allergies

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By Jan Shapan:

Are you one of the millions that suffer from allergies? Are you looking for information on allergy remedies? If you are a chronic sufferer from the seasonal impact of allergies, get the facts regarding allergy remedies that are available today.

To effectively treat your allergies, you must be aware of your symptoms and find a remedy specifically designed to address those symptoms. There are various options to consider as you evaluate an allergy remedy including home remedies, over the counter medication, environmental actions, and meeting with an Allergist.

Home remedies are the first place to start. Home allergy remedies have been around a long time but just because you hear the term “home remedy” don’t assume it is a proven allergy solution. Many of these remedies are based on “old wives tales”.

However, there are some steps you can take at home that do work. For example, people that suffer with allergies to pollen can minimize the impact by simply washing clothes and hair when you come home. Take this action before you go to bed, to avoid spreading pollen onto your bedding.

Allergy medications can be a life saving remedy for many people. There are various choices of lotions, ointments or pills to consider. If you have a debilitating allergy, talk with your physician for a stronger prescription.

Allergy shots are a common method to fight a wide variety of allergies. And they have been proven to be a practical solution for many over time. If you suffer from a severe or persistent that lasts for a prolonged period of time, an allergy shot is likely the best tactic to offer relief. People should recognize the allergy shot is designed to provide relief to a patient’s sensitivity not to cure the allergy.

Over time the benefits of the allergy shot will diminish and the sensitivity to allergens will begin to manifest again requiring another allergy shot. The objective of the allergy shot is to inject a very small dose to the upper arm that contains the active allergen and trigger the body’s defenses to begin building immunity to the allergen. The small dosage should not cause an allergic response.

This treatment process typically requires multiple visits to your health care provider with a slightly larger dose each time. The frequency of the initial visits is based on the severity of the allergy. At some point a maintenance dosage will be reached.

Symptoms should begin to diminish and in some cases completely disappear as the treatment regime progresses. To effectively battle severe allergies, some patients must visit health providers regularly for several years.

If you are meeting your doctor for the first time seeking allergy shots, be sure to discuss all medications you are taking. Some medications have beta blockers that may interfere with the allergy treatments and potentially cause other side effects.

In most cases there are limited side effects to allergy treatments but people, especially seniors should be attentive during the first half hour after the shot is administered.

Watch for breathing problems, watery or itchy eyes, tightness or swelling in the throat or runny nose. These signals should not be taken lightly. Return to your doctor or go to an emergency care facility to help.

Expect some redness or swelling near the place where the injection was administered. Within 4-8 hours, these symptoms should be gone.

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About The Author:

Janet Shapan, has been a publisher, writer and media designer in the special interest magazine and TV production business for over 25 years. A Boomer, her passion is identifying and sharing current innovations in health, wellness and other lifestyle categories of interest to Seniors. For more information on Senior Living, visit: http://For-Seniors.org or http://LivingSenior.org