Allergy Treatments
Last modified: November 28, 2010
More than 50 million people in the United States suffer from some kind of allergy according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Therefore there are many Allergy Treatments available, both for reducing the severity of the reactions, and for preventing the reactions.
Most of these Allergy Treatments are used to relieve the symptoms of an allergic reaction, such as skin rashes, runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes, and difficulty with breathing. Most often this allergy treatment is short term in effect, and in the form of a medication or natural therapy. These would include antihistamines, which prevent the release of chemicals into the body, decongestants to reduce nasal and chest congestion, corticosteroids and NSAIDs to reduce inflammation, and bronchodilators to open the breathing passages.
Administration of the Allergy Treatments can be done by using injections, pills, inhalers, nasal sprays, eye drops, nebulizers and topical creams.
The best way of preventing an allergic reaction is to completely avoid the known allergen such as pet dander, pollen, or dust. However, avoiding an allergen is often difficult when the allergen is commonly present or where people are very highly sensitive.
Some success has been obtained for some people by gradually increasing the exposure to an allergen over a long period so that they develop a tolerance. Food Allergies have not been successfully treated with this method.
There are also many natural therapies and allergy remedies that have become popular. As with any medical condition it is best to seek the opinions of licenced practitioners. Medical alert bracelets and necklaces are available, and are most often worn by those with an allergy to penicillin.
