Doctors use three general approaches to helping people with allergies: advise them on ways to avoid the allergen as much as possible, prescribe medication to relieve symptoms, and give a series of allergy shots. Although there is no cure for allergies, one of these strategies or a combination of them can provide varying degrees of relief from allergy symptoms.
Allergy Treatment
Treatment for allergy symptoms
Epipens Lose Potency When Stored in Hot Car
Patients may want to think twice before leaving their EpiPen inside their vehicle, according to a small pilot study published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice (JACI: In Practice). The study found even a single, short-time exposure to heat in a car during a sunny day can decrease epinephrine concentration in autoinjectors. If such degradation turns out to be progressive or cumulative, it could result in significant underdosage of epinephrine during anaphylaxis.
Allergy Shots Can Benefit Seasonal Allergy Sufferers
For seasonal allergy sufferers, a technique called immunotherapy, better known as "allergy shots," can possibly rid their suffering once and for all. Immunotherapy is the closest thing to a cure for allergies.
Topical Immunomodulators Effective in Treating Eczema
For the estimated 15 million Americans with eczema -- a chronic skin disease in which the skin becomes itchy with red patches of inflamed skin -- finding effective, long-lasting treatments was a difficult and frustrating process. Now, two new non-steroidal medications recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are improving the quality of life for eczema patients of all ages and offering hope as potential treatment options for patients with other hard-to-treat skin conditions.
Medications That Relieve Allergy Symptoms in Children
Your child's allergy treatment should start with your pediatrician, who may refer you to a pediatric allergy specialist for additional evaluations and treatments.
Timing Allergy and Asthma Medications for the Best Effect
Allergy and asthma sufferers can maximize the benefit of their medications by taking advantage of their bodies' natural circadian rhythms, according to Richard Martin, M.D., Professor of Medicine at National Jewish Medical and Research Center. Circadian rhythms are the daily variations in biological functions, from mental alertness to blood pressure and body temperature. Blood pressure generally peaks around 9 p.m. and bottoms out at about 3 a.m., while mental performance and strength both peak at about 3 p.m. Allergies and asthma also follow significant circadian rhythms.
Echinacea Not Effective in Treating Colds in Children
Echinacea is not effective in shortening the duration or decreasing the severity of upper respiratory tract infections in children, according to a study in the The Journal of the American Medical Association.
Multi-Food Oral Immunotherapy Safe and Effective
Combining multiple food allergies into a single oral immunotherapy course is as safe and effective as single food immunotherapy, according to research. The procedure can save time without increasing the risks to patients, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI)
Inhaled Corticosteroid Therapy Safe for Pregnant Women
Asthma therapy with the inhaled corticosteroid budesonide has been shown to have no negative effects on the outcome of pregnancy, according to a study in the April 2003 issue of Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (JACI).