Posted by stjames on November 22, 2000, at 1:57:05
In reply to Re: Allergic Sinusitis, posted by Shell on November 21, 2000, at 20:33:24
Shell said everything I would say ! I have serious
allergies. They started when I was 17. I had to relocate
to the southwest from the deep south to get away from
my major problems.On the non-medical front, hydration, humidification, and
true HEPA filtration help greatly. I drink a gallon or water a
day. I prefer ultrasonic humidifiers, there is no messy pad to
grow molds on. True HEPA is a medical grade air filter. Filters down to
a few microns. Interior air, that is the air inside your house or at
work, is more polluted than outside air. The push to seal buildings
for energy savings has made the air stagnant. For under $200 at Wal Mart
you can get a small one. It the batcholars with ADD dream. I can smoke in the house
and it does not smell like I smoke in the house. The catbox smell is gone !
Get some plants, they make O2 and like the CO2
you breath out. Its the ideal relationship, you need and make what they need and make
and you can talk to them, they will not talk back. With the plants, humidifyer, and HEPA
you have created a healthy environment. If you only use it
for 10 hrs a day it still helps. I find that the better environmet
while I sleep the less my allergies. In general I feel better. I feel
everyone would benifit from these three steps.Wash your hands, often ! Really, how do you think
a lot of stuff get to you mouth ? I'm allergic to dust, in general,
so after dusty work a shower is a must. If I can't, a quick wash of my arms
and face helps.It helps to know what you are allergic to, skin testing is the best
test for this, the blood test is not as good. I found the allergy shots
worked. You can think of it a homoaphy, using dilutle soultion of whatever you
are allergic to and gradually increasing the concentration. You then build tolerance
to what you are allergic to. I am very allergic to cats but not my cat. I have grown
tolerant to her. The HEPA really helps with pets. Knowing what you are allergic to
would indicate what meds would be approprate. I am allergic to seasonal stuff and year round stuff
so I take meds all the time. You may find that you can avoid your allergens or they are seasonal, so
you might need meds from time to time.The current allregy meds are excellent. The newer antihistamines are in many, side effect free. Zertec
is the strongest and my fav, as it is very long acting. Since my #$%@ HMO will not pay for it, Allegra
is the next best. I found Claritin to be weak. I've taken Seldane and then Allegra for
~18 yrs without any side effect. Antihistamines work best started before an allergy attack get bad. Allergy attacks
are a cascade of events and once they get started, antihistamines are not as effective at quickly bringing things under control.
Even one antihistamines my nose is a mess; the steriod sprays are very effective. Your body absorbs little steriod this way. I have
been on Nasalide for ~18 with no side effects. I prefer the water based sprays as they hydrate. If your nose is blocked, generic Afrin
is very effective, lasts 12 hrs. Only use for short periods, < 5 days, or you will get rebound. High blood pressure in a contraindication.At the very least, consider some testing, so you will know what you are dealing with. Allergies do have an effect on mood and cause
"brain fog".James
poster:stjames
thread:49201
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20001115/msgs/49218.html