Anything Else You Can Do for Allergies

hi A.. i hope things have gotten better with daughters allergies. something that helped at my house was switching my cleaning and laundry produts. i joined motivated moms after someone else said their products are good for allergies. if you want more info www.motivatedmom20082.tk
thanks and have a blessed day

As a mother, I believe that you will know if it gets bad enough to see a specialist. Personally, with my children I would try to wait it out and see what happens, allergies are very common and tests are no fun to go through! Good luck!

Sorry A., I accidentally posted before finished.
~ Take a bath every night and wash hair
~ Keep the windows and doors shut
~ Use Hepa filters and change them every 3-4 weeks this time of year
~ Definitely keep suctioning, as it helps with staving off sinus infections, which just make everything worse.
~ HANG IN THERE! Things were terrible with my son when he was 2, now he's an allergy pro!

I agree with what Karen B said. Change the diet is a great start. Cow's milk is VERY bad for the body. It's very mucus forming. Just getting rid of that alone will help with colds/allergies, etc.

Another thing that I would do right now is go to Wal Mart or your local health food store and get something in a box called Emergen-C. It is a fizzy drink mix powder that has 1000mg of Vitamin C in one packet. When our 2yo gets a runny nose, which isn't often compared to other kids (we are very big handwashers), I give her two packets a day in her sippy cup with water. There are many flavors to choose from. You'll find more flavors at a health food store, but Wal Mart should have 2 or 3. My 2yo likes the Super Orange and the Raspberry..she does not like the Tangerine...I guess it's more tangy. Anyway, this keeps her runny nose away. I usually wait a few days and then stop giving it to her and it's gone. Other times, the following day after having not given it to her, her runny nose starts back up, so I resume the Emergen C and within a couple of hours, her nose stops running.

Allergies are typically due to an immune system problem. Now, as far as the rest of the symptoms...what to do? Well, I have a child...my oldest that had animal allergies bad when he was younger...since then it isn't so bad, but he can now actually stay within a home during the day with animals, but just can't sleepover. What did we do? Read the following excerpt first and I'll tell you the dramatic results. (you can find the following herb at www.herbsfirst.com or www.worldhealthdepot.com....the latter is cheaper) The formula is called Kid-E-Soothe

"This formula was designed to calm yet strengthen the body’s immune responses. Oftentimes, we believe that we are allergic to certain foods, plants or animals, but in reality our immune system may be just overreacting. This simple combination of Marshmallow root and Astragalus has made life easier for those who suffer from allergies, hay fever, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis or any hyperactive immune response. This extract is in a base of 100% pure vegetable glycerine with natural cherry flavoring."

Now we found out our son had allergies to animals when he was about 2yo. Oh my goodness, within minutes he looked like he was diseased! He had red welts and spots all over him, lips swelled, eyes swelled shut, breathing was difficult, he was itching all over and going beserk, I might add. I had to rush him home many times due to animals in the house of people I visited and put him in a bath of essential oils to calm him down. It was awful for him. I remember one time we went to a friends house and I knew that she kept her dog outside, but this time she had a cage inside the house because they were doing something outside. Anyway, the dog was no where around, but my son walked over to the cage and touched it. That's it and I was running out the door back home. He was going beserk and crying all the way. You should have seen him. After that, I stopped going over to friends house with animals inside the house....I couldn't put him through that anymore.

Okay, I just wanted to explain to you how bad it was before I told you what we did. I found Immucalm. He was 4yo by now and knew how to swallow capsules, so we used the capsules instead of the extract...besides, he didn't like liquid 'medicine'. It was AMAZING! The first time we tried this out, I knew that I would be visiting a friend who had animals in her house. So a week ahead of time, I started him on Immucalm. When we went to her house, he had NO reactions at all! Would you like to know how many animals are in her house? 6! 2 dogs and 4 cats. My son is allergic to both, including rabbits, horses, etc. He had no reaction at all whatsoever! I was totally amazed. So, if I knew ahead of time that we would be visiting (we tried to resume a life again of visiting other children, etc.), he would be on it ahead of time. I did not give it to him all the time, even though that wouldn't be a problem because these two are safe herbs. Now, he doesn't take it at all unless it's after the fact. He is now 10yo and can now walk into my friends house with 6 animals without having taken the Immucalm. She keeps her house really clean (you wouldn't even know she had animals, if you didn't see them). But he still can't stay overnight. He has come a long way from what used to happen. But he still has allergies. Unfortunately my 10yo is a very picky eater and doesn't eat too much more than peanut butter sandwiches.

Anyway, thanks for reading if you actually made it this far. I just had to tell you about what has helped us.

I have a 2 1/2 year and we were dealing with all kinds of allergies. I had been dealing with it for some time. We would go to the doctor for croup and they would end up putting him on breathing treatments and also orapred. I finally talked the doctor into letting me go to an allergiest/asthma doctor and they the allergy/asthma doctor gave us singular and also a breathing treatment to take and now he is doing much better. He is now off the breathing treatments but is still on singular and he is again doing a lot better.. He has only had croup once since he has been on the medicine and before he would have it every time he sneezed. I know your child doesn't have croup but the singular is doing a lot of good for my child!

Try this i use it as a adult.I drink green tea and honey took care of everything.Try giving her just about a half of teaspoon of honey from around your area.once a day build up the imune system .M.

I took my daughter to the allergist for testing and was relieved to find out she's allergic to grass. No indoor allergens, no molds, so cleaning my house better and going green wouldn't have helped her. She's on Zyrtec and nasal spray for control. But, since I know for sure what causes the allergy symptoms, I can have her avoid grass. She is thrilled that she'll never have to mow the lawn (!) and I am so glad to know what to avoid to keep her healthy. What a difference in her health!!! When I mow, I shower and launder my clothes immediately to avoid getting allergens on her and all over the house. When she's been outside for a while, she showers and cleans her shoes.

I agree that it's great to eliminate harsh chemicals in the house, but if your daughter is allergic to something outside, no matter how chemical-free your house is, she'll still feel awful after being outside.

By the way, this has been an awful allergy year in the South, so hopefully you're seeing allergy symptoms at their worst.

Good luck.

Our Doc has my granddauhter use a steroidal nose spray once per day, 1/2 tab claritin AM and 1/3 tab benedryl ready tab at night.PLEASE HAVE YOUR DR GIVE YOU PROPER DOSAGES!!

Blessings to you... L.

It sounds like living in GA is your bane. I would make sure (with her ped's okay) that her drainage is loose enough not to choke her by making sure she is well-hydrated and maybe even an expectorant. (Antihistamines, thicken the drainage.) It probably wouldn't hurt to see a pediatric allergist. You might also try other antihistamines.

(Waiting out Georgia's allergy season may be a problem -- since it lasts roughly 12 months! HA!)

Hello A.,
My son is 27 mos now but he fights GA alergies just like his mother. We really did not try anything but Childrens Benadryl until he was 2yrs and now we use Childrens Claritin (or Walgreen's version) once a day and tought out the rest. I dont think you want to have your 15 month old on too much Zyrtec, doesnt is cause drowsiness? I would get a second pediatric opinion and ask about other methods - for my sone it is asthma symptom treatments if he gets too bad - Albuterol and Pulmicort. Hope this helps. Also look on the bright side - GA allergy season is nearing its end.

My son did well when he was first given Zyrtec but we ended up changing to clariton because the symptoms came back. I didn't get into what everyone else said but sometimes you do have to try different med to find what works.

Hi A., I am in the lowcountry in SC and have a very similar problem with my little girl. She is 28 months. You can either do 1 of 2 things that I do. She also is on Zyrtec, but her dr. will not allow me to give her more than 2.5 mg(half a chewable tablet).I really believe once it became available over the counter it had to change just a tad, cause i take it too and it doesn't work as well for me anymore either. It could possibly be that in addition to her allergies, maybe now she has a cold on top of that which could make it worse. I suggest giving her a small dose of cold medicine a few times a day and see if that works. The other option, if it is just allergies, is try benadryl, sometimes non prescription works better. If you chose to give her the zyrtec as well just be sure to make her drink lots of extra fluids as the extra antihistimines will dry her little system out. Hope this helps some.

Hi A., I sell Tahitian Noni Juice and I have heard many testimonies on how much this juice has help children with Allergies and Ashemia. I don't get sinus infections each year around this time any more since I started taking the juice. It's all natural and won't hurt to try and you may even be a testimony yourself (~; Check out the testimony site http://www.noniisgoodforyou.com/ and my website http://www.tahitiannoni.com/divinewealth - If interested, I will let you have the products at my cost. KISSES, V

Hey A.,

My ideas may sound out there but why treat the symptoms when allergies are the effects of a weak immune system. Change the diet and give supplements to strengthen the immune system, get all chemical cleaners out of the home (go green) and in time there will hopefully be NO allergies but at least not nearly as bad. This has been our approach with all 11 of our children as both hubby and I had allergies as children and it has worked well for us!

Sincerely,
K.

One thing a specialist will recommend immediately is for you to purchase a HEPA filtered air purification machine. They run a variety of prices, but essentially they filter out the allergens in the air that are bothering your daughter. In the meantime, keep your windows shut and run your air conditioner. If you have pets, make sure you keep them out of her room and off places she stays. You might look into getting a HEPA filtered vacuum cleaner as well to get all those little nasties out of the carpet. Regular vacuums just suck it out and blow them back into the air because they're so small.

An allergist will want to test her for specific allergen reactions using a skin prick test. They don't actually poke with needles, but having had it done myself, I can assure you that it gets VERY itchy and uncomfortable! Even if they should decide your daughter needs shots, they won't start working for her for roughly 6 months or so. In other words, it's too late for shots to help her with the current allergy season I'm afraid! Still, getting a filter, vacuuming with a filtered system, and maybe switching to a no-fragrance detergent might help you out a lot.

My daughter went through the same thing when she was very young. And yes, we did have her tested! It was well worth the money and the effort. The testing did show up some things but they were not bad enough to do anything about aat that time.
Many years later, we had her retested and boy did everything show up! She reacted to 58 out of the 62 things that she was tested for!!!!She is on allergy shots and gets 3 shots a week. She is also on Lodrane 12D for allergy and sinus in addition to the allergy shots. When the last testing was done, we only tested her for environmental things..no food items.No allergy testing is fun, but if your child stays sick all the time and the current medicine is not working well, then it is time to go to a specialist. I would sugest a pediatric allergist.
C.

Our 2-year-old daughter has allergies and we didn't like Zyrtec (she had a reaction to it). She has been on Singulair with good results. I have asthma so we are hoping she doesn't develop that -- I was diagnosed at age 2.

....As the pediatrician said to me when I brought 5 allergic children to live in the "worst place for allergic people in this country"-- you may want to get your child started with a good allergist--she will probably need that help for a long time.
My doctor (Atlanta Allergy) said that this season is going to be a regular bear. I take shots, but have had an unexpected return of full-fledged sneezing and eye and nose problems. It must be a lot worse for such a little lady.
Full testing may avoid many problems for the two of you!
S. B.
.

I have a son that has had allergies all his life. One thing I did learn is when they get allergies when they are young, the allergies can change, during there growing years. But they best thing I have found that works the best was getting fresh honey that is growen near your home. It sounds funny but it is true, the honey that is in your own area, are the most likely allergies that your child has. My son now is 36, and he takes the honey every day, and it has help him.

Go to a specialist. Outdoor allergies have nothing to do with foods, etc. If you go to a specialist you can find out what is actually causing her "hayfever"... Just as with adults, some medications don't help certain individuals.(As a severe outdoor allergy sufferer I can vouch for this.) GO TO AN ALLERGIST.

Go to the specialist. Have her allergy tested. My son tested neg at age one, but was just tested again at age 3 and came back positive to a lot including milk. It is worth the visit. You may not get all the answeres right away, but you should get more answeres then you are at the peds doc. Make sure you request a pediatric allergist.

hi,

have you tried rinsing her nose out 3-4 times a day with the baby saline spray? i have also heard that you can give the kids (over 1)regional honey which helps build a resistance to allergies. i use the little noses on my daughter and claritin when it gets really bad. good luck!

I understand that Southern Georgia allergy season. It can be brutal. Have you tried singular? My daughter started out with the RSV virus and needed to use the nebulizer machine. Then they said that she had asthma and now she has allergies. She use to get this cough which was a sign that she was having problems with allergies and slight signs of asthma and the nebulizer gave her relief. She is much older than your daughter but it's a thought.

Good Luck from Southern Georgia.

Enviornmental allergies are usually brought under control after finding out what the main immune organ (the digestive) is struggling with. You can either have a food sensitivity test ran (generically called the IGG test or a brand that is sometimes ran called the Allisa food sensitivity test, also you can order it and have your doctor sign for it depending on your insurance through www.greatplainslaboratory.com).

My neice was on three different steroid type pharms before she took the allergens out of her diet. Within 1 month, she eliminated the need for 2 of them, within three months, she was free of them all. No more dark circles or puffy eyes, no more respitory issues, no more asthmatic type reactions and best of all, no more blowing her nose all night long keeping her awake.

The top allergens are wheat, milk, peanuts, and soy. There are many sites on going GFCF (gluten free casien free). I have a document on how to go GFCF in ten weeks with less stress if you want it. It can be a lifesaver for many kids. There are also some great yahoo groups of kids with allergies, you may search in groups and see if you can get on a couple of them to get great ways of healing those allegeries rather than living with them.

If you are a bit open minded, there is also a protocol of NAET, which deals with accupressure and some things I don't understand because I have not done it, but have read about kids with allergies and the great work thid did for them.

Best of luck, J

The best advice I have EVER been given concerning allergies is to buy a bottle of LOCAL honey and take 1 tsp daily. The reason it has to be local honey is because local honey is made up of all the local allergens, therefore, when you take a tsp daily, it builds up your immune system to the local allergens. The results are not immediate but I PROMISE if you do this the allergy problems will slowly disappear. I was told this by my primary care physician and also by Dr. Jan McBarron.

Believe me A., as a life-long spring-time allergy sufferer, if your child or you are allergic to different types of pollens -you're going to have some problems this time of year. Now I don't know exactly why your doctor prescribed the Zyrtec -was it due to pollen allergy or some other allergy? BUT, I have personally tried everything(and run a completely green household when it comes to cleaners), and still this time of year there will be runny noses and typical allergic reactions -red eyes, sneezing, coughing, congestion if your child is allergic to pollen. I have a great immune system and never get sick, but every spring -here it comes. Some things that really help -a good bath and hair-washing every evening before bed this time of year, and if it's not a total nightmare -some type of nasal rinsing/cleaning (NOT an OTC nose spray -ask your pediatrician for guidelines on what to use), and lots and lots of clear liquids -mainly water (keeps mucus runny instead of thick). Look forward to hard rains and May. Also, take her to the pool as soon as possible. My allergies always seem to disappear when I start swimming (basically due to time of year but also to the fact that the pollen is being washed away and swimming clears your nasal passages).

Go to a specialist! I've been on Zyrtec for years, but was told recently that it doesn't help with any kind of mucous. There are other medications that are better for keeping you dried out. Sounds like your daughter could use one of those. Good luck.

Hi, We have removed the Toxic Chemicals from our home (such as J&J, Parents Choice, etc Baby Shampoos and Washes, dish soap, laundry soap, softeners, Bleach and Lysol (Labeled Pesticides) air freshener, as well as all of the other cleaners and personal care products which contain carcinogens (cancer causing) formaldehyde, etc. This has helped our family of 7 in our home tremendously. We have also switched vitamins, Dental Care, etc. If you would like more info visit www.livetotalwellness.com/debbie6 and request info. These Toxic Free Products will change your life and save you money on not only the products, gas, time, but on Doctor Visits, Perscriptions, Dental Care, etc. You truly will not regret trying them.

hi! our daughter has allergies and we use liquid zyrtec too. i would definitely see a pediatric allergist, i am sure there is a different medication for her. she shouldn't have to suffer this day and age.
good luck
S. m

A.,

I would be VERY wary of giving your child Zyrtec, or any other prescription med. for that matter. This is not fizing the problem and never will. What you can do, is try to figure out what is causing her allergic reaction, and it may be food related. You have to be a good detective. There are some herbs you can try for her symptoms that would be a better solution than drugs. PLease email me if you want some more info on this. ____@____.com
Hugs,
C.

Find a local Bee keeper. Start giving her a little honey from his bees everyday she will develope amunities to the local allergents through the honey because the bee use it to make their honey. At her age you don't need much just a little on a cracker or something. You'd be surprised at the results after a few weeks of doing this.

Hi A.,
I would recommend taking your daughter to an allergy specialist to find out exactly what she is allergic to. My son is allergic to trees, grass, and dust mites. We went with the allergy shots, but I am not sure how old your child has to be for that. Other than medication, I would suggest some steps to reduce the exposure to pollen. (1)The weather is nice outside, but don't leave your windows open. Especially in rooms where she sleeps and plays. (2)After spending time outside, wash your daughter's face and hands. (3)Change bed linen often because it gets on her clothes and hair and therefore ends up in the bed.
I wish you all the best.

I did take my daughter to a specialist, but all he prescribed was a syrupy allergy medicine that tasted horrible and didn't work any better than Claritin. When her allergies are really bad, you can try giving her Benadryl.
We do a lot of hand and face washing especially if my daughter has been outside. Consider brushing her hair with a boar's hair brush as well to get out any pollen that may have settled in her hair. I put my daughter in a lighweight jacket with a hoodie that she can remove when she gets inside. Also, since she is in a gym with you (people are carrying in pollen and mold spores from outside all day long) consider buying a quality air purifier. The more effective ones are more expensive, but you get what you pay for. Hope that helps. And I have found that taking a daily multivitamin helps tremendously! Good luck!

Yes go to a specialist, if alergy medicine is not helping she may have another problem with the same symptoms. Sometimes acid reflux has the same symptoms as a cold, cough, runny nose and what sounds like ciongstion can be the stiomach acid comming back up on her. It may be that your child just has alergies, but I wouldn't tkae any chances if the meds arn't working. If she has alergies, I think it's obvious that the meds she is on an not right for her.

L.

A.,

I don't know how you feel about alternative therapies, but there are some for allergies that might help your daughter. Try looking online at NAET for a practitioner.I go to Dr. Phillip Crane in Peachtree City and he's great. He eliminated my daughter's allergies. She had a chronic stuffy nose for months and months. Once he worked with her, it went away and never came back.
Good luck!

Try benydryl. That almost always works, give it to her at night. And find a local honey source where you can get unprocessed honey. Give her one teaspoon of the honey a day, the unprocessed honey still has pollen in it, the pollen will get in her system and elemenate the need for allergy meds.

Hi A.! Have you looked into her environment? Do you have any pets that could be aggravating her symptoms? Carpets? Or has she been tested and they are purely outdoor related allergies? Honestly, I would go to a specialist to find out exactly what she is allergic to...it's hard to treat something when you aren't positive on what is causing it. I did hear that sometimes a teaspoon of honey (made from the bees in your area!)helps some people, maybe that would help? Good luck!

E.

My son's pediatrician said that I could give my son a dose of Benedryl as well. He said that as a antihistimine, it is very hard to overdose, and does more benefit than not. I would try maybe 1/2 tsp. before bed to see if that helps throughout the night. Also, are you using a vaporizer?