Allergic Rhinitis - Overview
What is allergic rhinitis?
Allergic rhinitis, often called allergies or hay fever, occurs when your immune system overreacts to particles in the air that you breathe-you are allergic to them. Your immune system attacks the particles, causing symptoms such as sneezing and a runny nose. The particles are called allergens, which simply means they can cause an allergic reaction.
People with allergies usually have symptoms for many years. You may have symptoms often during the year, or just at certain times. You also may get other problems such as sinusitis and ear infections as a result of your allergies.
Over time, allergens may begin to affect you less, and your symptoms may not be as severe as they had been.
What are the symptoms of allergic rhinitis?
In most cases, when you have allergic rhinitis:
You sneeze again and again, especially after you wake up in the morning.
You have a runny nose and postnasal drip. The drainage from a runny nose caused by allergies is usually clear and thin. But it may become thicker and cloudy or yellowish if you get a nasal or sinus infection.
Your eyes are watery and itchy.
Your ears, nose, and throat are itchy.
Which allergens commonly cause allergic rhinitis?
You probably know that pollens from trees, grasses, and weeds cause allergic rhinitis. Many people have allergies to dust mites, animal dander, cockroaches, and mold as well. Things in the workplace, such as cereal grain, wood dust, chemicals, or lab animals, can also cause allergic rhinitis.
If you are allergic to pollens, you may have symptoms only at certain times of the year. If you are allergic to dust mites and indoor allergens, you may have symptoms all the time.
THIS IS ME RIGHT NOW! Is there any relief? If anyone has any suggestions, FOR THE LOVE OF SPRING, please let me know! I'm taking Allevert everyday and we won't have prescription insurance until April 1 due to Jonathan's new job...I'm to the point that I will try ANYTHING! It's so bad that I SERIOUSLY thought about wearing a surgical mask to walk this morning!!
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Allergic Rhinitis...
Posted by Nicole at 7:38 AM
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
12 comments:
Nicole, you should check out the people's pharmacy website. They are they geniuses responsible for the Vicks-on-the-feet remedy.
http://www.peoplespharmacy.org/index.asp
...I mean "the" geniuses. :-)
Q. I've read that stinging nettle could be used for allergies. I am completely unfamiliar with this herb. How does one take it? Do you grow it and eat it along with other greens in a salad? Do you brew it into a tea? Do you chop it and stuff it into a capsule? I have no idea.
A. In Europe, the young shoots of stinging nettle are grown for salad. Once the leaves are old enough to develop stinging cells, though, they need to be handled carefully and cooked before they are eaten.
To use stinging nettle to relieve sneezing and stuffy nose from allergies, it is probably easiest to buy capsules of the dried leaves from a health food store. This provides a more standardized dose than making a tea out of home-grown leaves and flowers.
Thanks Kelly! I had found several things about the nettle extract. I think I'll try to find some... I also found some Nasonex in my "stash". It's expired, but my SIL (PharmMD) said it should be fine...Hopefully that wills tart making a difference in a day or two...
what's vicks on the feet remedy???? : ) And I'm SO sorry - sounds pretty awful!!!! And FYI - I think any "nettle" herb is REALLY bad for pregnancy (just in case!). Maybe it's the other way around, but I just remember it being really good or really bad : ( Well, that's not much help! Sorry!!! I REALLY hope you are feeling better SOON!!!!
Nicole - sorry to hear that you're suffering from such allergy problems! We'll be praying.
Oh Nicole...me too!!! This is terrible! I've never had them so bad! Josh told me last night that I'm complaining too much so please tell me of anything that works....for his sake and mine!
Dana ~ Alavert and Nasonex seem to be making it more tolerable. I never had allergies before we moved here. I think it must be the tree pollen. This is by far the worst they have ever been! I wonder if the warmer winter has anything to do with it?!
People are having the same problem here due to the lack of a cold winter. Someone told me that it has to be below zero for 7 days in a row to kill the pollen in the air. I don't know if that's true, but maybe that's why it's worse for you this year.
I hope you're feeling better soon!!
It's never below zero here, so we are in BIG trouble!!
Another suggestion--may just be apiary propaganda, but *they say* that eating honey from local bees (within 10 mile radius I think? as close to home as possible) will help. I don't know where the best place to buy local honey would be around here though--maybe Home Economist or the farmer's market?
I definitely think you should try the local honey! I had forgotten about that remedy until I read it! Mama Wood swore by it...certainly should be safe and might just do the trick!
Love,
Mom
Post a Comment