1. A BETTER PILL
If you’re among the many who need an antihistamine to survive tree pollen season, it’s time to branch out. The diphenhydramine and chlorpheniramine pills that mom used to give you do help fight the drippy, weepy symptoms, but who needs the daily drowsies? One Canadian allergist describes seeing patients feeling sleepy up to four days after stopping these pills.

To the rescue: there are second-generation antihistamines on pharmacy shelves that are far less sedating. These include the brands Allegra, Clarinex, Claritin, Zyrtec, plus generic versions. In Canada, the brands include Aerius, Claritin, Reactine and Allegra.

Here’s a hot tip: try finding more than one brand that works for you. New York City allergist Dr. Paul Ehrlich, author of Asthma Allergies Children: A Parent’s Guide, recommends switching between drugs if, after several weeks, you find your body stops responding as well to one of the pills.

2. CLEANSE YOUR GARDEN
Your worst hay fever foe could be planted right outside your window, warns horticulturalist and author Tom Ogren. Take stock of your plants: if one has fruit or berries, it’s not male and won’t release pollen (female plants don’t produce pollen). If you can’t identify a plant on your own, take a clipping to a nursery for help identifying its gender.

“If you’ve got a highly allergenic plant, particularly if it’s in proximity to your doors, you should replace it with the exact opposite,” Ogren says. “You will have just made a wonderful change in your yard.”

Some examples of allergy-friendly flowering plants are: peonies, hydrangea, roses, foxglove, fuchsia and poppies. Click to see more allergy-friendly plants.

3. TAKE THE STING OUT
Have you got a stinging insect allergy? Then it’s high time you reclaimed spring and summer. Any reaction to the sting of a honeybee, yellow jacket, hornet or other insect that turned into more than itching and swelling at the sting spot suggests you’re at risk for a serious reaction.

“Almost all the time, patients who had a slight reaction the first time then had a more severe reaction the second, and they’re going to have a real problem if they get stung a third time,” Ehrlich says. “Each sting is worse than the previous one.”

That is, unless, you get allergy shots. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology recommends that those who have had a systemic reaction to an insect sting, and who test positive to that venom, get immunotherapy. Doing so reduces the risk of a full-body reaction phenomenally – to less than 5 per cent. Dr. Paul Keith, a Canadian allergist, says an immunized person should be able to receive up to 50 stings at once before the body is overpowered by toxins.

Next: The Robot That Mows

What is immunotherapy?

Immunotherapy is a form of treatment, commonly known as allergy shots, in which a patient with allergic rhinitis gets controlled exposure to allergens through injections. It will not be the first course of treatment. In immunotherapy, a doctor raises the allergen dose in your shots over a number of months and years – the intent is that as the dose rises, you become less sensitive to allergens.

Who should get allergy shots?

First, your allergist will take a history, do an examination including skin-prick tests to determine what you are allergic to, and then will prescribe medications. If you’re still suffering even with medication, allergy shots may be the next step. Candidates for this treatment are usually people who are no longer helped by allergy medications and those who have serious rhinitis symptoms for prolonged periods of time.

If you haven’t had allergies for long, you are more likely to be responsive and experience longer-lasting benefits. Children, however, should have had seasonal symptoms for at least two years before being considered candidates, says Dr. Eric Leith, an allergist based in Oakville, Ontario, and chair of the Canadian Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Foundation. The child should be old enough to understand what’s going on, he says, “and if a reaction occurs, they must be able to express that.”

Allergist Dr. Harold Kim says about 5 to 10 per cent of patients receiving immunotherapy have skin, breathing or gastrointestinal reactions. Only about 1 to 3 per cent have more severe reactions. While anaphylaxis is rare, “immunotherapy can be life-threatening,” cautions Leith. “You should be waiting in the doctor’s office for half an hour [after the treatment] to make sure you are not reacting.” If you have asthma, Leith stresses that it must be under control or the shots “may accentuate the asthma.”

How long does immunotherapy treatment last?

Immunotherapy can take years to carry out. Patients receive one to two shots a week of minimal amounts of their allergen for about six months, until they reach their “maintenance dose,” which means symptoms have improved. Then, a monthly dose is required to keep the allergies under control. Treatment can take up to five years, but the benefit of immunotherapy is that it may have a lasting effect even after the shots have stopped. Leith says there have been cases in which patients have seen their symptoms disappear completely.

Related:
• The Hay Fever Handbook
• 10 Ways to Beat the Pollen
• America’s Top 10 Spring Allergy Capitals

From the Spring 2006 issue of Allergic Living magazine.
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