Tag Archives: nasal allergies

How to Prevent Skin Allergies

Itchy skin can be frustrating, no matter what the cause is. Even if it might feel better for the time being when you scratch, it will only worsen when you scratch continuously. In order to manage itchy skin, you have to understand the cause and look for the right remedy.

Keep in mind that there is pollen in spring, dry dust in winter, and dust in the summer. These changes in the season bring you sets of irritants and reactors for millions of people that can make skin allergies worse. When you go to an allergy clinic, the doctor will explain to you what treatment is needed and how to prevent it from happening. Find out more about it now.

What Skin Allergies are There?

Skin allergies happen when you have an immune system that reacts to a perceived threat, which will normally be harmless to your body. The common symptoms of skin allergy include:

  • Redness
  • Itching
  • Raised bumps
  • Swelling
  • Skin flaking
  • Skin cracking

The best way to avoid skin allergies is to avoid or limit your contact with an allergen. However, if you encounter an allergen, you can choose home remedies to address the symptoms.

How to Manage Skin Allergies

  • The scratches should be kept clean – You will be tempted to scratch itchy skin. However, if you are not careful, you could end up with a blister or create a wound because of your nails. Either way, the open-wound scratches can get infected if it does not receive proper care. You should try washing your hands before touching the scratches and keeping fingernails short to lower the risk of irritation and infection.
  • Take a cold shower – A cold bath can help reduce allergies and skin irritation. A cold shower will help blood vessels to shrink and will not allow histamine to come out. It will also reduce skin irritation and the severity of allergic reactions.
  • Oatmeal – Oatmeal has different biological active properties, which include antioxidant and anti-inflammatory components. All of these can help soothe allergic skin reaction itchiness.

 

Among the popular ways to treat skin allergic reactions include a poultice or an oatmeal bath. Both need powdered oatmeal. You will be able to make a powdered meal when you grind store-bought oatmeal into a fine powder with a blender, coffee grinder, or food processor.

  • Wear the right clothes – Some kinds of materials like polyester or wool cause irritation and swelling, which leads to an itch. Clothes made from bamboo, cotton, or silk are easier on your skin by becoming more breathable and softer while it is eczema-friendly.
  • Olive oil – Extra virgin olive oil will go wonders as a moisturizer. Olive oil is rich in vitamin E, which is helpful in repairing skin after any allergic issues and it reduces itching as well. This type of remedy is best when you compare it to chemical moisturizers.
  • Air conditioner and/or humidifier – When your skin is feeling hot and/or dry, maybe you will find that the itchiness of your skin gets worse. You should use a humidifier and/or air conditioner so your skin will be in a better environment.
  • Medical herbs and plants (Neem, Aloe Vera, Basil, Coriander, Calendula) – Aloe Vera is an excellent choice to manage your allergies because it has strong antibacterial, anti-irritant, and anti-fungal properties. Aloe Vera has a fleshy gel that can soothe allergies.
  • Avoid scratching the itch – It could seem like the hardest thing to do, but you should try not to scratch your skin because the irritation will only get worse.

You can go to an allergy center Manassas VA anytime if you need more tips on how to manage skin allergies.   

 

How to Prevent Food Allergies in Kids

Food allergies are a constant concern for parents. Almost 6 million children become affected by food allergies, and food allergy prevalence of food allergy has a 50% increase since 1997. Having a sibling or parent with allergies increases the risk of a child developing allergies. Therefore, if you or your partner is among the 9 million adults that suffer from food allergies, you could be wondering how you can prevent the same for a child.

You can go to an allergy doctor during your pregnancy to get the best advice on what to do so you can prevent allergies as much as possible. There are always treatments you can get, but it is a lot better if you do not have to at all.

Do Not Restrict the Diet of Your Child

Maternal diet while pregnant or in lactation must not be restricted because it is a way of preventing the development of food allergies.

The main point has been the topic of debate for so many years. Based on the discussion, it is the desire for parents to lessen the chance that their child is going to develop food allergies. An older piece of advice has suggested avoiding allergenic foods while pregnant and during breastfeeding as a way to decrease food allergy risks. Unfortunately, this strategy is not proven to be effective when it comes to reducing food allergies.

Breastfeed Your Baby

Breastfeeding your baby can help prevent the development of food allergies. Since breastfeeding is connected to a lot of health benefits, it is recommended that you breastfeed your baby beyond 2 years old.

Introduce Common Food Allergens When they are Ready for Solid Foods

For most babies, this is about 6 months. Your baby can have solid foods when they can already do the following:

  • Hold their head up
  • Tell you when they are already full
  • Sit and lean forward
  • Pick up food while bringing it to their mouth

You should not introduce solid foods before 4 months old. Your baby is not going to be ready. It is not going to help reduce the risk of your baby developing a food allergy.

Once you have introduced only a few other solid foods, you can offer food allergens all at one time. There is no research showing that you have to wait a certain number of days between those.

Foods You Can Take to Help Prevent Allergic Disease

When you are an expectant mother and eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, you can decrease the risk of allergic diseases in your child. This appears to be true if you have asthma and you have a male child.

Foods high in omega 3 are:

  • Sardines
  • Salmon
  • Tuna
  • Oysters
  • Chia seeds
  • Mackerel
  • Flaxseeds
  • Walnuts
  • Fortified foods like certain brands of yogurt, eggs, milk, and juices

Eating foods rich in vitamin D also reduces the risk of food allergy and asthma in children.

Foods high in vitamin D are:

  • Fish
  • Dairy products
  • Mushrooms
  • Egg yolks
  • Vitamin D-enriched foods such as soy milk, cereal, and orange juice
Early Introduction can Help Prevent Peanut Allergy

Studies have shown that giving foods that contain peanuts early to high-risk infants can prevent peanut allergies from developing.

Giving foods that contain peanuts early to an infant can help prevent peanut allergy. Based on the study, a group of infants that are at risk of peanut allergies that were given 2 grams of peanut thrice a week had a lot less peanut allergy when they reached 5 years old.

You can talk to an Allergist Germantown MD if you need more advice about this.

What are the Causes of an Itchy Throat

An itchy throat occurs for a lot of reasons, like allergies, getting exposed to irritating substances, infection, and situations that are easy to treat.

Most of the time, coughing happens if you have an itchy throat because it is the body’s defense mechanism against irritating stimulants. Other symptoms such as throat inflammation, and runny nose can also happen.

An itchy throat is irritating, but it can be worrying as well. However, it is common to have an itchy throat when you have a cold or when you are coughing. Over the years people have discovered why it is important to see an allergy specialist. You can find out more about this when you read until the end.

Dehydration

Dehydration is caused by insufficient water quantity in your body because of several factors like diarrhea, decreased fluid intake, vomiting, prolonged sun exposure, or excess sweating. Dehydration can also cause symptoms such as thirst, itchy throat, decreased output of urine, dry mouth, or low blood pressure. You can also have dry skin or eyes because of dehydration. You can also have an increased heart rate and dizziness.

Allergic Rhinitis and/or Allergies

This one is also known as hay fever, and it may be among the most common causes of an itchy throat. It occurs when the body will overreact to a harmless substance, which releases a chemical known as histamine causing overreactions. Some of the common triggers are skin flakes from animal hair, pollen, irritants, and dust like cigarette smoke or even exhaust fumes. Food allergies like eggs, shellfish, milk, peanuts, and wheat can cause itching in your mouth and throat as well. A lot of people suffer from allergies to some medications, like penicillin and also other antibiotics. Itchiness in your throat starts shortly after you take a new medication is a drug allergy.

Acid Reflux

This is also known as heartburn, and if your stomach acid enters your trachea, throat irritation is one of the known symptoms. If you are suffering from this condition, it can happen more often when you are lying down.

Viral and Bacterial Infections

Viruses that are caused by the common cold or flu virus can trigger an itchy throat. When you are suffering from the flu, you can get a dry cough, fever, sore throat, nasal congestion, runny nose, and headache as well. Regardless if it is because of the flu or worsening colds, these headaches can be caused by a build-up of fluid in your sinuses, and nasal passages. It makes them swollen, which causes pain-inducing pressure.

Food Allergy

A food allergy is caused by an exaggerated inflammatory response to a certain substance that you find in food. Inflammation affects different parts of the body, like your eyelids, mouth, and tongue, which makes breathing harder.

Medication allergies are similar to food allergies, but the allergic substance is normally easily identified while the allergy response is normally a lot quicker.

Medication

A side effect of a specific medication can be a scratchy throat or dry cough. An allergy to a certain medication can be the cause as well.

Tonsil or Cold Infection

Some respiratory infections, such as tonsil infection, cold, or pharyngitis, leave your throat itchy before it develops into serious symptoms like local inflammation and pain. Other symptoms can include coughing, runny nose, ear itching, fever, discomfort, and chills that can be very uncomfortable. Sometimes, your sleep will be ruined and you will have trouble getting back to sleep.

You can talk to an allergist specialist Germantown MD anytime you need to consult someone about your itchy throat.

What to do if You Cannot Buy Allergy Medicine

Keeping your allergies under control is the main part of being healthy. You can avoid asthma triggers to prevent symptoms, which is the most important thing. Therefore, carrying a relief inhaler everywhere you go is perfect. Long-term control of medicines that you do every day can help you prevent asthma control and symptoms.

However, allergy medicine can be pricey, regardless if you have insurance or not. If multiple members of the family have asthma, the cost is greater. Your house can be stocked with several kinds of inhalers and pills for everyone.

The allergy doctor might also recommend cheaper generic medicine that you can try. You can read further to know more.

Try Acupuncture

In ancient Chinese therapy, an expert will stick tiny needles and a lot of people say that, painlessly, into your skin at certain points. The acupuncture studies for allergy treatment have shown different results, with most rigorous studies that show modest clinical benefits. Acupuncture might be a good option for interested patients who have mild diseases and want to minimize the use of medication and find therapy costs acceptable.

Compare the Prices of Pharmacy

You can call different pharmacies. The prices could vary, especially between big chain pharmacies and smaller pharmacies. The pharmacies are found in club stores, and they are generally available to non-members as well. You can try comparing prices. Your insurance might have prescription benefits you can use. You can look into the pharmacy options, and this can give you a lower price or provide medicine at the same price.

Saline Rinse

In order to clear pollen from nasal passages. There are several varieties you can buy, from neti pots to special sprayers, and also electronic devices. You should talk to your healthcare provider regarding the best options available for you.

Change Insurance Plans

If you buy insurance on the insurance marketplace, you should stay updated with enrollment deadlines. In case your family’s income is below a particular level, you might be offered a different type of insurance that can also be for your children. This will depend on the state you live in and if you are insured privately through work, check if you can shop under open enrolment.

Allergy-Proof Your Home

You cannot prevent pollen from blowing. However, you have a bit of control over what will happen inside your home. Keep the windows shut when there is pollen in the air. You can turn on the air conditioner. You can change your clothes prior to going inside your house.

Choose Generic

A lot of common over-the-counter allergy medications can be bought in their original form. Most of the time, there are generic forms of allergy meds, which are a lot cheaper.

Protect Yourself

In case it is allergy season, you should control your triggers. Do not perform outdoor activities when there is a high pollen count. The majority of pollen will peak between 5 to 10 am every day, and it can also be high during midday when it is windy and warm. Anytime you do gardening or cleaning, you should wear a dust mask and sunglasses so you can keep allergens out of your mouth, nose, and eyes.

Take Advantage of Coupons

Most of the time, stores offer coupons if you buy their brand products. You should stock up when you see coupons and then use them every time you buy allergy medicine. This way, you will end up spending a lot less.

You can go to an allergy clinic Germantown MD anytime.

What is Allergy Desensitization

You can have allergy shots regularly and it is generally given over the course of three to five years to reduce or stop allergy attacks. Allergy shots are an excellent form of treatment known as immunotherapy. Each shot has a small number of certain substances that trigger allergic reactions. These are known as allergens and they contain enough allergens that can stimulate your immune system, but it is not enough to cause an unbearable allergic reaction.

Even if allergen immunotherapy involves the typical administration of increasing allergen doses gradually over a certain period, immunotherapy can be given as injections or tablets.

In case you want to visit an allergy specialist doctor for allergy desensitization you can learn more about it here.

Oral Immunotherapy Treatment (OIT)

Desensitization treats peanut allergies, tree nut allergies, milk allergies, and other food allergies. The process will require patients to consume different allergen doses. Initially, food should be consumed under an allergist’s supervision. After this, patients must eat fixed amounts of the allergen until they reach a maintenance dose.

With the completion of OIT, individuals have to maintain the consumption of periodic doses of certain foods to ensure that there is ongoing desensitization. Normally, successful patients would have reduced the chances of allergic reactions. With the approval of an allergy doctor, it could even be possible to reintroduce it into your diet.

Risks

Most people do not experience a lot of trouble when they get allergy shots. However, they contain substances that cause allergies – so there can be possible reactions, which can include:

  • Systemic reactions – These are less common, but are more serious. You could develop sneezing, hives, or nasal congestion. Other severe reactions can include wheezing, throat swelling, or chest tightness.
  • Local reactions – This can involve redness, irritation, or swelling at the injection site. Normally, these common reactions start within a few hours after the injection and they clear up soon after that.
  • Anaphylaxis – Life-threatening reaction to allergy shots. It causes low blood pressure and trouble breathing. Most of the time, anaphylaxis starts within 30 minutes after injection, but they sometimes start at a later time.

If you will get allergy shots weekly or monthly, you are less likely to have a serious reaction.

When you take an antihistamine before an allergy shot, it reduces the risk of a reaction, mainly a local reaction. You should check with your doctor to find out if this is recommended.

Immunotherapy

It is similar to oral immunotherapy treatment, but with the use of allergy shots, seasonal allergies are less common and you will no longer be affected by indoor triggers or insect bites. Allergy shots can be used to treat pollen allergies, mold, dust mites, pet dander, and bee stings by giving small allergen doses via injection. When you administer incremental doses of the allergen, your immune system will become desensitized to its existence in your body.

Even if immunotherapy requires periodic visits to the allergy clinic, treatments will offer more benefits to patients. An individual can reduce their dependency on medication, and the immune system will get used to its presence in the system.

Where the Shots Should be Given

This kind of treatment must be supervised by a physician in a facility with the right staff and equipment to treat and identify adverse reactions to injections. The idea is that immunotherapy should be given at the allergy clinic. In case it is not possible, the allergist or immunologist should give the supervising physician clear instructions about the treatments of allergy shots.

You can check an allergy center Germantown MD if you need allergy desensitization.

 

 

Signs You Need an Allergist Vs. ENT

An allergist is a trained specialist to diagnose, treat, and prevent allergies. These allergists are the ones who can provide asthma care, immunotherapy treatments, allergy testing, holistic treatments, and related assistance.

ENTs treat medical issues in your nose, ear, and throat, together with the neck and head. A lot of these conditions might require surgical treatments, like corrections to bone or cartilage. An ENT will normally treat structural issues that need surgery – this will differ from an allergist who can diagnose allergens that are causing an allergic reaction.

You should not think that an allergist is an ENT, but there are instances such as sinus infections when they collide, for most of it, where those two positions specialize in different health niches. Read on to know more:

When to Visit an Allergy Clinic

In some cases, you could identify the allergen that may cause inflammation. For example, if you suffer from a food allergy, then you may feel an allergic reaction after eating that food. You could experience swelling in your skin rash and mouth. As a consequence of this, you can prevent a reaction by avoiding specific types of foods. However, on the other hand, you are unable to understand certain allergens such as dust allergies or other environmental issues like:

  • Runny nose
  • Shortness of breath
  • Itchy throat
  • Skin rash
  • Sinus infections
  • Eye-watering redness
  • Swollen lips and tongue

If you are experiencing these symptoms, then you need to go to an allergy clinic and not ENT doctor. However, there are a couple of symptoms that may need ENT treatment.

Signs You Need an ENT

You could be dealing with issues in your ears, nose, and throat. Even if the symptoms in these areas are intertwined with allergies, there is a difference between them. An ENT doctor is helpful in diagnosing and treating any conditions in your ear, nose, throat, neck, and head. You should see an ENT if you have any of the following:

  • Ear infections
  • Tonsil infection
  • Complications in hearing
  • Ear, nose, or throat pain
  • Issues with swallowing
  • Head and neck tumors or cancer
  • Deviated septum
  • Chronic sinusitis
  • Tinnitus
  • Cleft palate
  • Vertigo symptoms

If You Put it all Together

Allergists and ENT work together to maximize control of your sinus/nasal congestion and it is possible that you might need evaluation from specialists. Allergists will normally refer patients to ENTs when they need surgery and ENTs will refer patients to allergists when they need a formal allergy assessment.

Allergies are not the only reason why you experience nasal symptoms. So, if you have a structural problem or you suspect one, an ENT specialist is a good first choice. However, if you suspect that you are experiencing breathing or sinus issues related to asthma or allergies, consider seeing an allergist. They can help treat, diagnose, and control symptoms through non-surgical methods.

When you have allergies, many areas of your body can become affected. This includes your eyes, nose, throat, lungs, mouth, stomach, and even sinuses. For most people who experience allergic reactions, an allergist should be the first person they contact. An allergist is used to identify the causes of immune system response and allergic reaction and develop a solution that removes or reduces any threat to you.

Treat Your Allergic Reactions

If you suffer from ear, nose, and throat-related issues in certain seasons, then you could be suffering from allergy problems. That is why you might have to visit an allergist instead of an ENT. They will provide what you need.

You can visit an allergy clinic Manassas VA anytime if you think you need an allergist instead of an ENT.

Types of Skin Allergies

Skin conditions can be difficult to identify. Is it hives or dermatitis? A breakout or infection? Since rashes should be treated in a specific way, if you are unaware of what you have, you could be making it worse. Regardless if it is minor nuisance or an epidermis nightmare, there are ways that you can soothe your skin when you know what you are dealing with.

With the majority of skin conditions, you might have a genetic predisposition which is why you have them. Allergies cannot be exacerbated by stress because they can be emotional, like meeting your future in-laws, or they can also be environmental like an allergen.

Before going to an allergy center, it helps if you know the types of skin allergies.

Eczema

This is medically known as atopic dermatitis and its characteristics are red, dry, splotchy, crusty, cracked, or flaky skin, and it can emit fluid if you scratch it. Normally, it is clustered around your elbows and knees, but it can appear on your skin anywhere. That is why you will also find eczema on your neck, arms, and legs.

It affects one in fifty adults, but it is most common in children.

Hives

Hives are skin inflammations that are triggered when your immune system releases histamine. This will cause the small blood vessels to leak, and it causes your skin to swell. The swollen deep layers of the skin are known as angioedema. There are two kinds of urticaria, chronic and acute. Acute urticaria happens after you eat a particular food or you encounter a certain trigger.

Contact Dermatitis

Contact dermatitis has the same symptoms as eczema, and it can be a scaly or blistered red rash, depending on the cause and its severity. Normally, the rash has a distinct border.

Contact dermatitis can appear after you get exposed to an allergen or irritant, and it is a common rash because of external factors. Normally, allergens cause a blistered, shiny, and itchy rash while the irritants can be scaly, dry, or less itchy. It will appear hours to days after you get exposed.

Seborrheic Dermatitis

Similar to dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis is a fungus that normally crops up in oily areas like the face, scalp, back and upper chest.

Based on a study, it is very common and affects about 12% of the general population and 70% of infants during the first three months of their life. It seems to be caused by yeasts that belong to the genus Malassezia.

Angioedema

Angioedema is swelling in the skin’s deep layers. Most of the time, it is seen together with urticaria. Angioedema can occur in soft tissues like the eyelid, genitals, or mouth. Angioedema is known as “acute” in case the condition will last only a short time like minutes to hours. Acute angioedema is commonly caused by allergic reactions to medications or foods. Chronic recurrent angioedema happens when the condition keeps on returning over and over. It normally does not have any cause.

Rosacea

Rosacea will cause redness and thickness on your face, normally clustered in the center. Flushing, stinging sensation and small pus-filled pimples are common signs of the condition, which is normally confused with an acne breakout.

Psoriasis

Psoriasis will cause patches of thickened skin, most of the time, scaly flakes on your skin. It is normally found around your feet, elbows, palms, and knees, and you can also have psoriasis on your scalp.

Other symptoms are scales, aside from rashes. About 20% of people with psoriasis also experience psoriatic arthritis.

You can contact an asthma doctor Germantown MD if you are experiencing skin allergy to get the best treatment.

 

How to Treat Winter Allergies

 

Allergies are a major problem in the winter when you expect to experience seasonal allergies to stop. That is going to leave you scratching your head and nose while your symptoms are not taking a nap this winter.

Indoor and outdoor allergies can cause problems in the cold months. If you are experiencing symptoms, you should be reading up more on when allergies are more common because it is not the entire year. There are times when you have to see an allergist because your symptoms are unmanageable.

This article looks at how winter allergies can be treated so that you will find out what to do in case you have winter allergies. Read on.

Humidifier

In order to reduce air dryness without turning your home into a rainforest. Dust mites are going to thrive in humidity that is above 60% and temperatures between 60% to 85%. Mold will also grow faster in high humidity. It is recommended that the maximum moisture should only be 50%.

Antihistamines

Antihistamines provide relief from a lot of symptoms of an allergic reaction. If you normally have a runny nose and your eyes are itchy, taking antihistamines can reduce their impact on your everyday life. Even if the medication is no cure for allergies, this treatment prevents the symptoms and gives relief.

 

Bathe Your Pets Once a Week

In order to keep dander at bay, bathe your pets once a week. This should not be done more often because it will dry their skin and coat. You should keep animals out of the bedroom if anyone is suffering from allergies.

Allergy Shots

For chronic and severe allergy symptoms, you must talk to your doctor about allergy shots. They work by exposing you to minimal amounts of allergens regularly to build up your body’s immune system to fight them off. This is going to lead to less severe symptoms over a couple of years.

No to Wall-to-Wall Carpeting

You should avoid wall-to-wall carpeting because it provides an environment for dust mites. It is better to use rugs and the upkeep of a wall-to-wall carpeted house is a lot more expensive than when you just use rugs.

Nasal Sprays

Prescription-strength steroid nasal sprays like fluticasone and triamcinolone is helpful in relieving inflammation and other symptoms such as a runny nose. They can now be bought over the counter.

Clean Your Furnace Filters

Keeping filters clean should lessen the amount of dust that comes from healing vents. A dehumidifier or HEPA filter can also improve the air quality in your home.

Eye Drops

Eye drops are a great option when your eyes start to get itchy or watery. Eye irritation is among the most common symptoms brought by winter allergies, and this can take its toll throughout the day. Using eye drops occasionally is enough to give you relief, but you must talk to an allergist if your problems continue.

Wipe Your Feet Clean

You should always clean your feet before you step from the outdoors into your home. This is going to ensure that mold, wet leaves, and other potential causes of winter allergy symptoms remain outside.

Nasal Irrigation Treatment

These treatments will work by sending distilled and clean water through your nasal passages to take out all the allergens. You should go to an allergy clinic to have this done because it requires a specialist.

These are the ways you can treat winter allergies. Keep in mind that you should be able to identify the symptoms before they get worse, which is why going to an allergy clinic Manassas VA is a good decision.

What You Must Know About Stress-Induced Asthma

If you are suffering from Asthma, you must know that it is a frightening feeling when you are unable to breathe. Some people’s anxiety and asthma go together. Most of the time, it is hard to unravel the connections between them. However, stress can also cause anxiety, but this article will talk about how stress and asthma symptoms go together.

When stress levels begin to go up, regardless of the reason, asthma symptoms can go overdrive. While the coughing and wheezing get bad, your health is one of the reasons why you should worry. Anxiety, stress, and asthma have a vicious cycle, and everything can quickly turn downwards. When this happens, contact your asthma doctor right away.

By reading this article until the end, you will learn more about this now.

Asthma – What is it?

Asthma is having shortness of breath and breathing difficulty because of inflamed airways. Asthma affects millions of people and it is one of the most chronic conditions that children have.

A lot of factors affect asthma, which includes genetics, allergies, and the environment. Your doctor will help you identify your triggers and learn how to master these irritants, calm them, or avoid them.

You need to understand the triggers because the triggers vary from one person to another.

Almost half of those with asthma have allergies, and you can control both conditions when you are aware.

How to Find Out if Stress Triggers Your Asthma Symptoms

The primary step is to know that you are stressed; sometimes people are unable to recognize these signs. Stress makes you feel irritable, more worried than you usually are, restless, teary, or have a hard time making decisions.

The second one is that stress levels can worsen your asthma even if sometimes you do not feel their connection.

You should write down when you are stressed and if it triggers your asthma symptoms. Keep a diary and write down why and when you are stressed together with the symptoms.

You are going to see patterns. For instance, maybe you have more asthma symptoms when you were moving, or your exams were coming up.

Managing Stress with Asthma

Stress is part of life – with or without it. Therefore, it is important to find the best ways to manage stress if you are suffering from a disorder. You need to relax before the stress happens so you can prevent shortness of breath and avoid an attack.

Change what is in your thoughts – You need to change your thought patterns that lead to stress. How you think, what you think, what you can expect, and what you must tell yourself most of the time to determine the way you feel and how good you are at managing stress levels.

Reduce the stressors around you – identify the stressors you have in your life like relationship problems, money problems, deadlines, grief, and not enough support. If you are unable to resolve these stressors, you must get professional help.

Daily exercise – You must exercise daily. Exercising when you have asthma is a great way to burn the accumulated effects that stress has so you stay healthy.

Sleep is powerful – When you have a chronic illness like asthma, you need a lot of sleep. If you are unable to sleep well because of nighttime asthma, your energy will go down and you will have fewer resources to cope with stress.

Stay away from stressful situations – Manage time effectively, like delegating when needed, pacing yourself, setting priorities, and resting.

These are the information you need to know about asthma. You can also contact allergy specialist Manassas VA.

Cryotherapy for Allergy Treatment: How It Works and Is It Worth It?

One of the most common symptoms of an allergic reaction is a runny nose. However, this is usually mistaken as a symptom of a common cold. But you should know that your runny nose is not because of a cold. If you are not sure, you can find an allergy doctor to determine whether your sniffles are indeed due to an allergic reaction.

Is it really an allergic reaction?

Sometimes, you might not need to go to an allergist if you have a runny nose. You can find out by yourself if your runny nose is because of an allergy. For one, if those sniffles have been bugging you for the past couple of weeks, chances are it is due to allergies.

This condition is called chronic rhinitis. If you experience this, you should seek immediate treatment. Visit an allergist so that you will feel better and get rid of the annoying sniffling all day and all night. Allergic rhinitis can be due to common allergens like pet dander, pollen, dust mites, as well as household products, perfume, and even hormonal changes.

There is another type of rhinitis called the vasomotor rhinitis. It usually happens due to nasal hyperactivity, but can be treated using steroid sprays. However, steroid sprays may only provide relief in a short amount of time. Another treatment one can consider is through cryotherapy.

What is cryotherapy?

Perhaps you have already heard about cryotherapy. Some people associate cryotherapy with exposing the body to freezing cold temperatures. Cryotherapy is also being used to hasten muscle recovery. It is also said that NBA superstar Lebron James is an avid fan of cryotherapy.

However, cryotherapy can also be a breakthrough treatment for allergic reactions such as rhinitis. The difference is that cryotherapy for allergy treatment won’t require you to expose your body to freezing temperatures. Instead, it involves freezing some nasal nerves to lessen your sniffles.

Freezing the nasal nerves will block the signals that cause congestion, runny nose, or sneezing. This treatment is said to be ideal for those with chronic allergies or those whose allergic and asthma treatments are not effective.

But before trying any treatments for the first time, it is also a good idea to consult an allergist specialist. You might also have to undergo allergy testing to make sure that you are getting the right treatment through cryotherapy.

How cryotherapy works

Cryotherapy is a minimally-invasive treatment that involves using local anesthesia and a cryotherapy probe. The latter will then be inserted into the nostril and freeze the nasal nerves. The end result should supposedly lessen or eliminate stuffy or runny nose. This treatment can promise long-term relief from runny nose and other symptoms of rhinitis.

The treatment itself is painless, except for the insertion part. The entire treatment may require several sessions for better results, but it may depend on the therapy provider. Your allergy doctor might be aware of this treatment, while some might not. Nonetheless, it is best to consult a doctor first before trying any medication or treatment.

What happens after cryotherapy?

Undergoing cryotherapy won’t take a lot of your time to recover. Although, you might have to lie low a little bit and avoid strenuous activities in the meantime. You might also expect some side effects such as a noticeable increased nasal congestion. But you can also expect significant improvements around two to six weeks after the therapy.

It is also important to note that cryotherapy won’t get rid of your allergies entirely. This is because allergies are mostly an immune system concern. That said, cryotherapy has nothing to do with your immune system. Instead, it will provide only treatment by doing something on your nasal nerves.

Also, cryotherapy may not be recommended for those with specific health issues such as:

  • Paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria
  • Raynaud’s disease
  • Cryoglobulinemia
  • Cold urticarial
  • Open wounds or specific skin conditions
  • Diabetes
  • Sensitivity to cold temperatures
  • Blood disorders
  • Neuropathic conditions

If you experience frequent rhinitis and do not have the abovementioned health conditions, then you can try cryotherapy. It does not require surgery although it is minimally invasive.

There will be some mild discomfort but you will notice results after a few weeks post-treatment. However, make sure to consult an allergist doctor in Germantown prior to your planned cryotherapy treatment.