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? (2)
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.