Medication, Allergen Avoidance, Immunotherapy
Depending upon your individual situation, your allergist will recommend one, two or all three of the following treatments:
1.
MEDICATION: Using pharmaceuticals
in various forms to block the symptoms of allergy. Although this does not do
anything to eliminate the specific allergy causing those symptoms, it is at
times a necessary part of treatment, especially in asthma or severe nasal allergy.
2.
ALLERGEN AVOIDANCE: Eliminating
or decreasing your exposure to the substances to which you are allergic. The
less of the allergy-causing material you breathe in, the more comfortable you
will be, and the less medication you will require (can't complain about that).
3.
IMMUNOTHERAPY (ALLERGY INJECTIONS):
Injecting the actual substances to which you are allergic, in order to produce
a degree of tolerance to them. The allergist at first injects very minute amounts
of the allergens, and then very slowly and gradually increases the dose over
time, thereby decreasing your degree of sensitivity.
THIS
GUIDE FOCUSES ON THE SECOND OF THESE COMPONENTS, ALLERGEN AVOIDANCE
- Once
your allergist determines the specific substances that cause your symptoms,
you should then reduce your exposure to those allergens as much as possible.
This is the most fundamental starting place, especially when symptoms are
the result of allergy to materials present in the indoor environment. In
some cases, exposure can be eliminated or decreased to the point that no
other treatment is necessary. In other cases exposure can be decreased only
partially, making other types of treatment necessary. But even in those
situations, less treatment will be required, and it will work better if
you have first decreased exposure.
-
When thinking about decreasing exposure, it is useful to keep in mind the
analogy between the level of an individual's "allergic threshold"
and the capacity of a glass. If too much water is poured into the glass,
it will overflow. This happens regardless of whether all of the water came
from a single pitcher, or whether some water was poured in from each of
several pitchers. If the total amount if water exceeds the capacity of the
glass, the glass will overflow.
-
Similarly, if an individual is allergic to one or more substances, the sum
total of exposures at a given time (the "total allergen load")
determines whether or not the person's threshold will be exceeded and symptoms
will result. The goal is therefore to get exposure below the threshold if
possible.
-
Successful allergen avoidance does not necessarily mean lowering exposure
to zero. It does, however, require making significant decreases in exposure,
to get the level of allergen in your environment below your allergic threshold.
The following information explains how you can
lower your exposure to specific allergens: house dust mites, pet dander, pollen
and mold.
Page last modified: 01/16/07
References | Disclaimer
|
SPECIAL GIFT WITH ALL ORDERS OVER $150.00!*
(a $25.00 value)
