Medication, Allergen Avoidance, and Immunotherapy

"Environmental control to reduce exposure to indoor and outdoor allergens is critical. It can reduce asthma symptoms, the need for medication, and the level of airway hyper responsiveness."
-- The National Institute of Health

Substances that cause allergic reactions are called allergens. Allergies to airborne allergens - like house dust mites, mold, pollen and animal dander - affect over 50 million people in the United States. Allergies can develop at any age, and heredity plays a key roll in who will develop it. An allergic reaction is your body's response to an allergen that many others can tolerate without difficulty. People have varying degrees of sensitivity to allergens. Allergy sufferers who are highly sensitive will have symptoms every time they are exposed to an allergen. People who are only slightly allergic require a higher concentration of allergens to trigger symptoms. What many people fail to recognize is that allergies are treatable and symptoms are controllable. Depending upon your situation, your physician will recommend one or more of the following treatments:

1. MEDICATION:
Using pharmaceuticals to block the symptoms of allergy. Although this does nothing to eliminate the specific allergy causing symptoms, it can be 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 substance you breathe in, the more comfortable you will be, and the less medication you will require.

3. IMMUNOTHERAPY (ALLERGY SHOTS):
Injecting the actual substances to which you are allergic, in order to build tolerance to them. The allergist at first injects very small amounts of the allergens, and then very slowly and gradually increases the dose over time, thereby decreasing your degree of sensitivity.

Once your physician determines the specific substances that cause your symptoms, the most important thing you can do is reduce your exposure to those allergens as much as possible. In many instances, exposure can be eliminated or decreased to the point that no other treatment is necessary. In other instances, exposure can be decreased only partially, making other types of treatment necessary. Even in those instances, less treatment will be required, and it will be more effective if you have implemented allergen avoidance.

Breathing in airborne allergens is a cumulative problem. Think of an allergy attack as an overflowing bucket of water. Each time you come in contact with an allergen, it's as if a little more water has been added to the bucket. Eventually, the bucket overflows, setting off an allergic reaction.

Successful allergen avoidance does not necessarily mean lowering exposure to zero. It does, however, require implementing environmental control measures to decrease exposure and get the level of allergen in your environment below your allergic threshold. Practicing simple allergen avoidance and following your physicians other recommendations will help you keep your bucket from overflowing, relieve your allergic symptoms, and help you feel and breathe better.

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