Allergy treatment: What works best?

Whether it’s peanuts, pollen, pets or plants, allergies can be a real drag.

Allergy symptoms can make you feel run-down. And itchy. And sneezy and watery-eyed. And, worst-case scenario, land you in the emergency room.

But there’s no need to suffer through it. Allergists recommend you do something about your symptoms.

“Unchecked congestion can, over time, lead to ear or sinus infections, so it’s important to try to clear that stuffy or runny nose,” said Evelyn Konsur, MD, a pediatric and adult allergy specialist with Endeavor Health. “Also, there’s no reason to suffer with symptoms when there are a number of effective treatment options.”

Typical environmental allergy symptoms feel a lot like a cold, and can include:

• Stuffy, runny, itchy nose
• Itchy, watery eyes
• Sneezing

When you’re allergic to a food or medicine, symptoms can include hives, swelling (particularly the tongue or lips), drop in blood pressure, trouble breathing and throat tightness.

Note: A food allergy is a serious medical condition that can cause a severe, life-threatening reaction. Highly allergenic foods include cow’s milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, sesame, wheat, fish and shellfish. A doctor can diagnose a food allergy through allergy skin tests and/or bloodwork and may prescribe an epinephrine auto-injector (e.g., EpiPen) for emergencies.

Over-the-counter medications can effectively treat many environmental allergens. Those options include:

• Nasal sprays to reduce swelling and reduce congestion
• Antihistamines, which help stifle symptoms by blocking allergy-triggering histamines

Immunotherapy is also available to some allergy patients, which includes shots and sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT).

Immunotherapy involves exposing someone to the allergen in small amounts that gradually increase over time, which causes the person to become less sensitive to the allergen. Shots inject the allergen while SLIT involves putting small doses of the allergen under the tongue.

"The type of allergy someone has determines whether and what type of immunotherapy is appropriate," Dr. Konsur said. "Shots work well for people with multiple environmental allergies and/or venom allergy, while SLIT works best for people who are only allergic to either ragweed or grass pollen or dust mites."

Immunotherapy doesn’t work for everyone, nor does it address every allergy.

Besides medicinal tactics, there are things you can do at home to make your living environment less aggravating to allergies:

• Run a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) air purifier. This helps clean the air of indoor allergens, such as dust, pollen and dander.
• Run a dehumidifier in damp areas. Mold tends to grow in damp areas like basements and bathrooms, while dust mites thrive in humid conditions like bedding and upholstered furniture.
• Vacuum weekly. Vacuuming once or twice a week will help keep allergens out of carpeting. Even better: replace wall-to-wall carpet with hard floors or a low-pile rug.
• Declutter. Keeping areas open and clean will reduce the places allergens can accumulate.
• Wash bedding weekly. Washing bedding, pillows and stuffed toys in hot water, then drying them in a dryer will kill dust mites.
• Keep pets out of your bedroom. Washing your pets’ toys and favorite furniture will help keep allergens at bay.

Allergy relief is possible. Tell your physician about allergy symptoms.