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How are Allergies Treated?

How To Treat an Allergic Reaction 

Allergy Treatment

Although most allergies can’t be cured, individual proper treatments can help. Allergy treatments include.

Advising about taking steps to avoid further allergen exposure

This can include changes in a patient’s diet, and removal of allergens from home, or other places where they spend time. For example, people with mold allergy need to keep their homes dry and well-ventilated, lower indoor humidity, and reduce dampness. Those who have hypersensitivity to dust mites should use dust mite-proof pillows and blankets, and get rid of the carpets. However, it can’t be easily done when it comes to food allergens, and with pollen, it’s nearly impossible. In such cases, people have to take medications that can relieve allergy symptoms.

Medications

It is important to choose a proper treatment method with the right use of medications. Topical steroids, available for sale in powder or inhalers, are the mainstay of treatment for allergies in the nose. Antihistamines are another effective treatment with rare and safe side effects. They can be taken as tablets, eye drops, or nasal sprays. When allergic inflammation occurs in the lower respiratory tract, inhaled medications are administered as a rule. Topical steroids, often combined with one or several other inhaled drugs, are widely used in treatment as well. It’s necessary to consider cortisone shots only as a last resort. They, however, can be a life-saving option in special cases (for example, before an exam) or when other treatments do not work. The cortisone injection can last up to several weeks. The severe allergic reaction (anaphylactic shock) can begin slowly or abruptly, causing a life-threatening condition. Those few people with severe allergies that are at risk of anaphylaxis should always carry with themselves a pre-filled syringe of adrenaline. If you notice signs of anaphylaxis, take an adrenaline shot, and see a physician immediately.

Medications are prescribed for use when necessary (only to relieve symptoms) or on a regular basis (depending on the severity of the disease and based on the allergist’s assessment).

Biologic and Chemical Treatments

In addition to drug therapy, other modern options for symptomatic relief are biological and chemical treatments, whose goal is to change the immune system’s response and prevent the process that triggers the disease. Immunotherapy is treatment with allergy shots. It is based on the concept that giving gradually increasing doses of the allergen will alter the immune system’s reaction and reduce allergic sensitivity.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy can prove useful in treating hypersensitivity to outdoor allergens, insect bites, and bronchial asthma. It has quite a long-lasting effect that may even continue for several years after the therapy. Allergens can be given by placing them under the tongue (sublingual therapy), injected, or ingested.

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