Your Allergy Treatment Options

When your allergy or allergies have been diagnosed, the allergy specialist will try to identify which body systems are involved and how severe are the allergies. An individual may have a mono (single) or multiple allergies, involving different organs in our body. Classically, allergy involves a few organ systems (Table 1).

Allergy Avoidance

Once the offending allergens have been identified, the easier way to 'cure' your allergies would be to avoid the allergen. It is often easier said than done but a little effort in cleaning your home or office by wet mop or water based vacuum cleaner goes a long way in reducing respiratory symptoms such as sneeze, runny nose and even asthma. Frequent housekeeping and clearing of rooms of unused furniture reduce the deposition of house dust mites (HDM) and pet fur. However, the largest collection of HDM can be found within the mattress and pillows that we sleep on every night. Vacuuming beddings have shown to have some degree of improvement for asthmatics, it is indeed a laborious task and many parents usually abandon this rigorous task in the long run. Changing bedsheets and pillow covers have usually minimal effect since the HDM resides deep within the mattress.

It is interesting to note that HDM allergy is not provoked by the mite per se but rather its droppings which are few microns in size. The droppings therefore can easily pass through the woven fabric of beed and pillow covers and float freely in the air. Fans and closed windows help circulate these droppings within the bedroom atmosphere. Another common items HDM breed are soft toys, often hugged by the sleeping child. It is recommended to clear bedrooms of all fabric toys and pets. Windows should be opened for ventilation. Soft toys should be frequently washed and throughly dried in direct sunlight for more than 4 hours. Some doctors advocate the use of eucalyptus oil and detergent to presoak the toys for a few hours prior to wash.

The use of HDM proof beddings is gaining popularity. Indeed some mattress manufacturers incorporate "anti dust mite " features built in . What this essentially means that the mattress fabric is usually infused with acaricides (Anti HDM) chemicals that kill the HDM on contact. While this may sound good, be aware that there have not be any large studies detailing the effects of these chemicals on the human body. There are however newer Anti dust mite sheets that are chemical free and relies on high tech weaving that prevents the free movement of mites or droppings from the mattress to the surface.

Next: A look at medications.

Table 1: Common Allergies and the organs involved

: Organs involved	Symptoms	Allergic Disease
Respiratory: Nose Lungs	Itchy, runny and blocked nose, Watery Nose and sneezing. Chest tightness, shortness of breath, Wheezing, Dry cough.	Rhinitis, hypertrophied Nasal Turbinate Deviated nasal Septum. Asthma, chronic dry Cough. Allergic Bronchitis
Skin	Itch, Rash, Skin Swelling.	Urticaria, eczema, pruritic rash
Digestive System	Lip/tongue numbness and swelling, Diarrhea, Vomiting and sensitive Stomach.	Angioedema
Eyes	Red Eyes, Eyelid swelling, Watery Eyes.	Allergic conjunctivitis