Allergy Assistance & Help

Allergy Relief Products

2007-05-10T22:58:00.000-07:00

Allergy relief products are a multimillion dollar industry. A cornucopia of products is on display, giving allergy sufferers plenty to choose from. But how are you to know which allergy relief product works? And which one is just a marketing scheme? Check below for some tips and advice on what to look for the next time you’re in the market for allergy relief products.

Air Filters

Good for filtering any airborne allergens, air filters, however, do not include dust mite allergens. That’s because dust mites do not become airborne unless they have been disturbed by cleaning and vacuuming. Experts recommend a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) Filter, which is available as standalone units or bundled with other allergy relief products. The filter can be placed anywhere, but they are most commonly used in the bedroom and as attachment to the air conditioner or furnace.

Dust Mite Control

Majority of dust mite control allergy relief products are in the form of powders and sprays. However, if you want a product that really works, check if it contains tannic acids. According to Dr. Richard Weber, a senior staff physician at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, tannic acids break down animal dander, cockroach allergens, and dust mite allergens found in carpets and furniture.

However, if you have two cats in the home, sprays may not work effectively. Tannic acids also may produce stain so they are not recommended for light carpets or fabrics. In the case of mites, allergy relief products that contain benzyl benzoate may offer some help.

Dehumidifiers

For those who live in humid areas, dehumidifiers are a good investment. These allergy relief products especially work to help people who are dust mite and mold allergic as both of these allergens thrive in humid areas. By reducing the humidity in the home with the use of a dehumidifier, the allergen content gets reduced as well.

Hypoallergenic Bedding

“Don’t let the bed bugs bite.” You probably heard that line before, but did you know that these bed bugs do more than bite you? They are allergens, much like dust mites are. One way to prevent an allergic reaction because of bug-infested bedding is to use mattresses and pillows that are encased with specially designed covers that prevent mite allergen from escaping.

Face Masks

This is a very practical solution to avoiding airborne allergens. While cleaning indoors or outdoors, dust found in the surface of your furniture or floor or the ground becomes airborne. To protect yourself from these allergens, wear face masks or other similar allergy relief products.

Vacuum Cleaners

While vacuuming often is important to keep your house dust-free, the vacuum cleaner can be the worst offender for stirring up allergens. Use specially designed bags for the vacuum cleaner.

Allergy Test Kits

Another good allergy relief product to keep around is allergy test kits. Your house can be a very conducive place for allergens to accumulate. To find out how severe the allergens in your home are and protect yourself against these, use allergy test kits.

If you havent checked this treatment option out I definitely recommend it.

Natural Allergy Remedy

Wheat Allergies

2007-05-10T22:54:00.000-07:00

We see stories in the news, magazines, and on TV everyday telling us about some of the horrific allergies that result from eating certain types of food. One such food targeted by these stories is wheat. However, while there is indeed such a thing as wheat allergy, this is not a license for you to skip wheat all together when you find yourself showing even the remotest signs of an allergy.

For one thing, true wheat allergy is extremely rare. And other adverse reactions to wheat are also uncommon (0.1%, excluding coelic disease). A number of people today believe that food intolerance to wheat is rising. However, it should be noted that wheat based food often contains a mixture of ingredients, any of which could cause the adverse reactions.

Secondly, there are two terms related with wheat allergy that are clearly misused. These are “food allergy” and “food intolerance.” People often think that the two are interchangeable and mean the same thing, when the truth couldn’t be any farther. The differences between these two conditions are vast.

Food intolerance is rarely life-threatening. It will not trigger the immune system to overreact quite in the same way as in food wheat allergy. However, it may cause symptoms like migraines, bloating or skin rashes, and in some cases, worsen the effects of conditions such as asthma, eczema, or migraines.

On the other hand, a food wheat allergy is largely immunological. It is an abnormal response to a food that is triggered by the immune system and is far more serious in nature. According to the Food Standards Agency, the food allergen is seen as ‘foreign” by the immune system and initiates an immune response and the production of immunoglobulin E (IgE). IgE binds to mast cells in the mouth, nose, and gut and causes the release of histamine which is responsible for inflammation and other symptoms of allergic reactions.

Food allergy, like wheat allergy, may produce violent reactions, from swelling of the lips and tongue (oedema) or a red rash to, in extreme cases, fatal anaphylaxis. Additional symptoms of wheat allergy may also include asthma and urticaria, or what is commonly known as hives.

A vast majority of people claiming they have wheat allergy may at worst have only food intolerance. Often, the case is that a person has, at one time, tried to remove a food from his diet, say for example, cheese. And the next time they eat it, they develop a headache, prompting them to believe that they are allergic to it.

The Flour Advisory Bureau commissioned a survey in 2001 showing that more than 40% of women have eliminated specific foods from their diet over the last five years. Health professionals are concerned that fashionable fads like cutting out foods, such as wheat, could put women at risk. Most of the women who admitted eliminating wheat from their diet because of fear that they have wheat allergy had taken no dietary advice whatsoever about making such whole-scale changes to their diet or received no information on how to replace the nutrients they were losing.

The lesson, therefore, is not to immediately jump to conclusions when you have a bad experience with food. When you get a reaction from certain kinds of food, like wheat, be sure to write it down, or keep a food diary.

If you havent checked this treatment option out I definitely recommend it.

Natural Allergy Remedy

My Battle with Allergies

2007-05-10T22:37:00.000-07:00

I think that we have all been there before where the eyes start itching and your noes starts running. For me my allergies only seemed to spark up on my 25th birthday. Prior to this I had been fairly allergy free.

I remember the weekend that it really caused a massive problem. See I work in an industry where eyesight and relexes are a safety need. Its one of those areas where you need a medical certificate and if you lose your medical your basically out of a job.

It was a saturday about 3 years ago and I was at work completing my shift and I started to notice my sinuses where a tad stuffed up. No boggie, I just assumed it was the flu or a head cold. So I called in sick and didn;t think to much about it.

The problem was that this "headcold" lasted for the next 3 days and graduated into sratchy itchy eyes and headaches due to my sinuses. So off I trot to the local MD only to be told that it is simply allergies and that really there isnt much he can do for me without taking a course of antihistamines. Well due to work, I cant take those particular drugs. So I was basically at my wits end.

My reaction to the allergy continued for around teh next 3 months, constantly causing me trouble and I became pretty feed up and depressed. I ended up resigning from my dream job and I struggled financially because of it.

It wasnt for about 6 months until I stumbled accross a website that offered a "cure". I was pretty sceptical at first but decided that it was only $19.95 what have I got to lose at this juncture. To my amazement this natural remedy really helped and within a short time I was starting to feel good again.

I won't go in to the status of my life at this stage, as thats another story entirely but I do recommend that you check this product out. I especailly recommend it if you are at a loss with tradtional doctors to solve the problem.

Natural Allergy Remedy

I hope that helps you as much as it did me.
Steve