Fall is here which means Ragweed is high! What can you do to keep allergy symptoms away?
- Posted on: Oct 14 2020
It’s that time of year again when Ragweed pollen is at high counts almost daily throughout September and October. You may be trying to enjoy the fall festivities like pumpkin picking and hiking but your allergy symptoms are getting in the way. If you are suffering, there are a number of things you can do to feel better this year, and for years to come!
Avoidance
Of course, avoiding exposure to ragweed is an effective strategy, but it’s hard to be stuck indoors all day. Saline rinses assist in washing away the pollen after you’ve been outside all day, but can be messy.
Homeopathic treatments
You may have seen allergy drops at your local grocery store or pharmacy. Although labeled to be able to cure your allergies, they are much too weak to ever build up your immune system enough to fight allergies. You may find small relief while using them, but it would take years and years to build up immunity.
Medicine
There are many different types of oral antihistamines and nose sprays out there to reduce symptoms (Zyrtec Allegra, Flonase, etc), but these simply put a band-aid on symptoms and are costly to use for the rest of your life. People can sometimes have bad side effects such as drowsiness, dryness, nose bleeds, and more.
Subcutaneous Immunotherapy (SCIT)
You have probably heard of subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT), also known as allergy shots, as a way to treat your allergies. This technique has been around for decades, but it is not the best and most efficient way to treat your allergies. Not only is it painful and time-consuming (you often have to go in weekly or monthly for shots for 5-10 years), but it also is at a low concentration so it may not even treat your allergy effectively. Luckily, there is a newer, more efficacious, and painless way to treat your allergies called allergy drops.
Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT)
The best way to treat your allergy is to prevent the symptoms from even occurring in the first place. This can be done using high strength sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT), also known as allergy drops. These drops contain allergens you are allergic to based on skin testing. You simply place 3 drops under your tongue once a day and your body will build up its immune system against allergies. At about 6 weeks, you build up antibodies and at 6 months you will no longer have symptoms from allergies and need to take daily medications. With continued use for 36 months, people have lifelong immunity and cure their allergy! To have the most benefit for the Ragweed season, you would want to start allergy drops before the season begins.
If you are ready to enjoy fall festivities again without suffering, come see us so we can get you started on allergy drops from Sinus and Snoring Specialists. Contact us today at 512-601-0303 to schedule an appointment.
Tagged with: allergens, allergies, allergiest, allergy, Allergy drops, Allergy drops for kids, allergy shots, allergy symptoms, Allergy testing
Posted in: Allergies, Allergy Drops
