* Cold compresses on the eye – this will soothe any irritation and wash away irritants.
* Visit an eye specialist who can determine the type of your allergy and prescribe you oral medications or allergy shots depending on the case.
Key to keeping an eye allergy free thus not needing the use of allergy eye drop is maintaining a healthy tear film. We all are prone to tear film dehydration due to many factors around us; hare are couple of ways to prevent this from happening:
* Get couple of bowls of water around your house to humidify the air especially when you have an air conditioner running.
* Take frequent baths or showers.
* Wash face and eyes frequently.
Taking in consideration all of the above tips, I hope you will not need the allergy eye drop this season or the next. Recognizing your allergies and working with your doctor will help you prevent any further outbreaks.
Standard remedies besides eye allergy drops are:
Allergy eye drop
Sometimes this too may not work if the eye gets too irritated and dry an allergy eye drop contains chemicals which in turn irritate the eye further. The best remedy in this case is change of environment to cool and dry place.
Helpful tips to avoid eye allergies
* Stay in doors if possible when the pollen count is predicted to be high especially, in the morning or early evening.
* Try to keep windows shut and use an air-conditioner and air filter. These will help keep the air clean.
* Wear glasses as often as possible – this will keep allergens out of your eyes.
Is an allergy eye drop effective?
Today you can find all kinds of eye drops, however, is an allergy eye drop effective?
Due to over-usage of computers, contact lenses or just regular allergies; one can develop an eye allergy.
Eye allergy symptoms
Common symptoms are eyes that are red, itchy or watery. If you are wearing lenses you will experience dryness of eyes with severe itching and sometimes even swelling. Remember when having an eye allergy and your eyes are itching, one thing you do not do is itch them.
An eye allergy is at its worse in hot, humid weather and better in the cool, dry weather; that is because eye allergies result due to the dehydration of the eye’s tear film thus irritating the eye. Reflex tears will try and clean/wash out irritants however, the tears themselves may be contaminated with histamines.
Successfully Overcoming an Allergy Dog Food (2)
When you conclude after consultations with your veterinarian, that food may be the underlying cause of your dog’s allergy, then you can begin an elimination diet. Discard all the foods in the dog's diet that are included in the list above, and give him/her allergy dog food, which may be a commercial or homemade diet comprising ingredients the dog has never eaten before.
The homemade allergy dog food should comprise two parts starch and one part protein. Duck, salmon, soy, venison, and rabbit may form the protein part, and rice and potatoes the starch, but soy and rice cannot be always called safe substitutes. Some animal medical centers recommend duck and potato based foods as allergy dog food.
You can also choose a special commercial food blends as allergy dog food. As the homemade food is not nutritionally complete, it should not be continued for more than 8 weeks.
Whatever allergy dog food you choose for your pet, it should be the only food the dog ingests during the elimination period. So, say adieu to table scraps, dog biscuits, dog bones, rawhide chews, vitamins, minerals or chewable heartworm pills.
If symptoms improve during the elimination period, you can reintroduce each of the eliminated food items one at a time. Each food should be tested for a week before another is introduced. This will help you to pinpoint which foods may be causing problems if symptoms resurface. And once you detect the offensive food, it will be easier for you to choose the right allergy dog food to keep your pet free from allergy.
Successfully Overcoming an Allergy Dog Food (1)
When a dog has skin problems, we rarely suspect these as food allergies or sensitivities. As most dogs keep eating the same type of dog food for years, the food usually escapes our radar as the problem. But dogs, like humans, can develop sensitivity to any food or additive at any time. Recent estimates indicate that 10 to 15 percent of all allergic skin diseases in dogs are caused by food allergy. In such cases, they should be given allergy dog food, i.e., food that does not cause allergic reactions.
As dog food is made up of a combination of ingredients, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly which is causing the allergy. The most common ingredients that can cause problems in a dog include beef, chicken, corn, eggs, fish, lamb, milk, preservatives, pork, soy, wheat, and whey.
The primary symptom that appears in a dog having food allergy is itchy skin.
Other symptoms may include anal itching, ear inflammations, hair loss, licking front paws, loss of appetite, face rubbing, and head shaking. Sometimes asthma-like symptoms, behavioral changes, diarrhea, flatulence, seizures, sneezing, and vomiting can also be observed.
What is an allergy doctor? (2)
Internists and pediatricians have to undergo additional training in immunology and acquire special skills in assessing and treating asthma and allergies before they can work as an allergy doctor or immunologist. They obtain certification when they clear an examination in the specialty area of allergy and immunology. An allergy doctor treats more allergic and asthmatic patients than other kinds of doctors, so naturally they are more experienced in this field.
This assumes added significance as a large percentage of children and a good number of adults with asthma have allergies that trigger asthma symptoms. Identifying and learning to control these allergies are essential for more effective asthma control.
Your family physician may refer you to an allergy doctor to get your allergies examined.
Once your allergies are brought under control, you can cut down on your visits to your allergy doctor as he/she will now keep in touch with your physician to keep your allergies in check.
You can be sure about the success of your allergy doctor if the treatment he or she recommends it does not affect your daily activities, wake you up at night, make you miss your work, cause you to wheeze during strenuous physical activities or dispatch you to the emergency room. If you still have these problems, it is time you seek a second opinion.
To find an allergy doctor, you can start by looking in the white pages of your phone book for your local medical society. They are usually listed as (city name) Medical Society. You can also look in the Yellow Pages of your phone book under Physicians. The physicians will be listed under their specialty area, such as "Allergy & Immunology." It is wise to choose an allergy doctor who is certified by the board.
What is an allergy doctor? (1)
Any doctor who can help you with allergies can be your allergy doctor. General physicians develop a special interest in the subject and perform what is required of an allergy doctor. Some hospital specialists also treat allergies in patients that are referred to them. For example, skin specialists may have to look after the skin problems resulting from allergy.
As allergy and the study of the immune system, i.e., immunology, are closely related, your local immunologist can become your allergy doctor to whom you may address your queries. So pediatricians, general practitioners, internists, allergists and pulmonologists – all of them can treat your allergies as well as asthma and can function as your allergy doctor.
Treatment for allergy cough
Since coughing in general does not mean there is a problem; coughing beneficial for your body. However, if the same persists for more then two weeks and it gets worse at nights, it is a sign that you do need medical attention right away.
Only after a doctor’s examination will you be able to determine its exact cause and the treatment.
However water and other juice liquids are often some of the best cough remedies. These juices help to soothe the throat and moisten the mucus so it can be coughed up easily without pain.
You can also make a cough syrup at home by mixing one part lemon juice with two parts of honey. This can be used as often as you need. This home made cough syrup can be given to children from up to 1 year old.
There are also two most common types of cough medicines:
* Expectorants – this syrup helps the mucus make it easy to cough up.
* Suppressants – this syrup controls the cough reflex and works best on a dry cough that keeps you awake at night. However, very important to note is not to suppress a productive cough.
Allergy cough can be very challenging and at the same time painful. Always consult a doctor before taking any medications as they may end up causing you more harm them benefit.
Allergy cough can be kept under control just as the seasonal allergies with proper care and medications. This cough can be prevented if you avoid getting an allergy and stay away from allergens as much as possible.
Allergy cough and its remedy
Allergy cough is part of the allergy season that comes on the wings of every spring and then some more in the fall. If you are one of those allergy victims you must have experienced the horrible never-ending allergy cough that leaves you gasping for your breath. Cough is the most common allergy symptom for which people seek desperate medical attention and remedies.
What triggers this nasty allergy cough?
The usual seasonal allergy agents such as pollen, mold, animal dander, food products, dust and some medications can be one of the factors. The body induces a cough to clean itself from allergens and airways secretions.
Causes of allergy cough are:
* Viral infection of the upper respiratory tract* Nasal and sinus allergy* Esophageal problems (i.e. GERD) and/or stomach problems* Environmental irritants
Factors to Remember When Buying an Allergy Control Product
There are several factors to keep in mind when being a smart consumer of allergy control products. Cost, effectiveness and number of items needed are all things that you should consider.
Cost
Unfortunately, a lot of allergy control products are expensive. But you can use the Internet to find items being sold at a discount, but beware of items like HEPA filters, that you might find being sold for much less than you've seen elsewhere. Sometimes you do get what you pay for, and quality can be low.
Be sure to use reputable online stores and brick-and-mortar businesses. Ask your doctor where he suggests shopping for things like nonirritating cleaning supplies, dust mite covers and non-allergenic air conditioner and heating filters.
Effectiveness
Stick with items your doctor or allergist suggests. If you try an allergy control product they don't recommend and it seems to help with your symptoms, great. However, your doctor will know what has been effective for his patients in the past and he won't want you to waste money.
There are quite a few debates about which allergy control products are effective. HEPA filters are often compared to air ionizers. Some experts say mattress and pillow covers are effective against dust mites, but the special bedding and sheets are not. Be sure to do your homework and do lots of research before ordering any allergy control product you are not familiar with.
Number of Items Needed
To get the closest you can to an allergen-free home, you may need a lot more than one of each kind of allergy control product. For example, experts suggest having a HEPA filter for each room of your house, even if you have a 1,200 square foot home and the filter says it can cover a 1,200 square foot area. This will simply not work with air flow patterns and it's better to buy smaller filters and place them throughout the home.
With dust mite bedding, it makes no sense to just protect your own bedding when the dust mites can just proliferate in your guest bed or other family members' beds. Be sure to buy enough slip covers for all the beds in your home. Buying more than one allergy control product each will naturally increase the costs but it's better to allergy-proof your house effectively.
Trying to free a home of irritating allergens can be an uphill battle, but one you don't have to wage alone. Remember to do your research and consider cost, effectiveness and quantity of items when selecting the allergy control products you need.