Allergies/ Asthma and Allergy Shots

Dear S. - I have done very well with shots. I also have had a 50% reduction in my symptoms by removing all the chemicals in my home. It must be due to decreasing the insults to my respiratory system. Happy to share more. Feel free to contact me directly. Good luck! N.
____@____.com

I didn't get allergy shots as a child, but I have been getting them now for over 10 years as an adult. I wish I had gotten the shots much earlier because I suffered so much when I was younger. They make such a world of difference to me!

I assume your allergies are airborne. That is hard! At least with food allergies, you can stop eating the allergen food and then you are fine. Regardless of what kind of allergies you have, the best defense to lesson symptoms is to strengthen your immune system. Do so with the 8 laws of health:
1. Get plenty of sleep
2. Drink lots of good water
3. Get some sunshine daily on your skin
4. Get some fresh air (tough if you live in a polluted city)
5. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables and whole grains
6. Exercise daily, get the heart rate up for 20 minutes
7. Avoid the harmful and use moderately what is good
8. Don't get over stressed. Trust God to take care of you.

I have food allergies and allergy to dust. The greatest boost to my health has been eliminating dairy products from my diet. Cow milk is mucus forming. Also there are too many chemicals fed to cows that go into the milk making it the number one food allergy and probably not healthful to anyone. AF

I take Clear Lung, for me 4 tbs 3 times a day, if you'd like I ask ask my nurse practitioner for the dose for an 8 year old. It actually heals the lungs! http://www.naturalypure.com/ClearLungs.htm

I had to take it for months and now I don't need it at all!!
I take Elderberry with it to dry up drainage and helps immune system.
Now I am on the allergy NSI-24 to boost my immune system, and with any immflamation. http://www.nsc24.com/nsc24.htm
More healing supplement!

S.,
I know you've gotten some great advice. I just wanted to encourage you with my personal experience. I've had bad allergies all my life and suffered with asthma as a child. Eventually, my doctor recommended allergy shots to control my allergy symptoms and decrease the (allergy-related) asthma problems. I've been getting shots for years and they've made a tremendous difference for me. I've had no negative side effects.

Also, you mentioned that someone recommended saline/nasal wash and I would highly recommend it. Talk to the doctor/allergist about how she should do it, but it's not medication and can be very effective. I use saline rinse most mornings in the shower.

Good luck with everything.
B.

hi S., my younger kid had allergies almost as bad as your daughter's, so we followed the pediatrician's advice and got him the shots. now at 18 he's down to once a month and his seasonal allergies have improved dramatically. no bad side effects except for one, which the allergists don't admit so i'm going solely on my observations and intuition here, so bear that in mind. he had zero food allergies going into his teens, but as he progressed through the shots he has developed them one by one. first watermelon and apples, then most fruit, then peanut butter (but not peanuts, weirdly), now corn. he can eat fruit and corn cooked, but not raw. of course, allergies can and frequently do develop spontaneously, but i tend to be a 'walks like a duck' kind of gal.
my son says it's worth it, but the fact that his allergists so forcefully and immediately shut down investigation of it, (and the fact that after my inquiry a notice was posted in the waiting room asking that all post-vac food allergies get reported immediately) makes me think he's not the only one.
to get your daughter off all those big meds, it's probably worth it. but watch carefully, and not just for what they warn you about.
khairete
S.

My daughter had coughing like this that started when she was 5. She had a sinus infection. The problem was it would not go away. She was on antibiotics constantly and would only clear up when we headed to the beach each summer. When she started 2nd grade we took her to the allergist, but tested negative for everything (despite the fact I am allergic to everything outdoors). Next was an ENT who looked up her nose with a long scope. He said her adnoids were very enlarged and that was the cause of her coughing and multiple sinus infections. He recommended surgery. When I asked why the adnoids were swollen, he said he was not sure. But, he did tell me they shrink as we age. I asked if there was a natural remedy. He recommended trying Dr. Mehti's nasal rinse. He gave us a starter kit and it worked! It took about 3 weeks of using the rinse morning and evening, but her cough disappeared! I was shocked she would even put the solution up her nose (I tried it first and it is a very odd sensation) but my very fussy child did it without complaining. The amount of yellow and green stuff that came out of her nose was horrifying! My daughter immediately said,"I can breathe." She only uses it now when she is getting a cold or begins with her cough. I consider it a major success because we avoided surgery and got rid of her horrible cough. The nasal rinse can be found at CVS or any pharmacy. Target will order the pediatric version if you can't find it. I hope your daughter finds relief soon.

have you thought about getting a 2nd opionion from an allergist/asthma doctor?
M.

I have two kids with ashtma/allergies and one of them has it so bad that her whole life has been doctors, hospitals, and specialist. They had to eventually put her on allergy shots and it was the best thing ever for her. They take a while to kick in but it was for the best. Don't worry your daughter will be fine. They give her the shots in the office and then they make you wait for 20 min before you can leave because they say if anything is going to happen after taking a shot it will happen in that time frame. As far as her going to see a pulmicort specialist that is a good thing because they specialize in asthma/allergies and they will make sure she is getting the right care for her cause asthma/allergies effect people in different ways. So don't worry everthing the doctor is telling you is for the best wellfare of your daughter.

I had terrible allergies when I was a kid and thankfully I received allergy shots for about 10 years. My allergies are remarkably better because of those shots. Without them I wouldn't be able to be comfortable or survive in or outdoors! My allergies would flare up and then that would also cause my asthma to go haywire and I was a wheezing, sneezing mess. Who wants to live like that?! The risk of the shots is minimal and you'll be providing your daughter with quality of life. Remember, medications are much more sophisticated today than they were 20 years ago when I was getting the shots. Keep in mind that the allergies can cause her asthma to flare and that, too, has a very high risk of death. Ask the doctor enough questions so you'll feel good making the right decision for your daughter and seek out a second and/or 3rd opinion if you want. Just make sure you've done all your homework before you make a decision either way. I'm sure you guys will be fine. Good luck!!

I am not a MD but I have worked in the healthcare field for 18 years. The effect of Rx drugs on children are not good. My daughter who is nine has had a difficult year also but her MD advised me to put her on 3000mg of vitamin C. I have also been giving her Omega 3 or cod liver oil to reduce the phlegm in her chest. In addition, reduced the dairy intake as this causes congestion too. I research the internet for NATURAL methods instead of Rx from MD since the problems will grow as the prescriptions are administered as well. Predisone is the worst med to give to a child, it is known to cause food allergies and major side effects. Try to avoid the meds if you want your child to be side effect FREE.
Hopes this helps....I am fortunate enough to have a pediatric MD that rarely prescribes drugs to my kids...I have 3 healthy kids 24, 17, 9 due to my knowledge of the healthcare industry.

i have read a few of the response, so pardon me if I repaet some things. First, get a shower filter! Many people have reactions to the chemicals that are in the water, and there are quite alot of chemicals in there. No one I know takes a cold shower on purpose, so the chemicals get aersolized with the steam and get absorbed at a higher rate and more readily than any other way.
Second, get the toxic cleaning produts out of your house! In the cleaning supplies that you buy at your local store there are many harmful chemicals, in fact, there are more chemicals in most peoples kitchens than in a well stocked chemistry lab in the 20th ccentury.
If you would like to try products from a well respected company, that's been in business for more than 20 years, e-mail me at ____@____.com
I hope this helps.
E.

I am 28 and just started the shots about 3 months ago. I have been told that serious side effects are very rare if you have a good allergist giving the shots so make sure you choose a great doc. So far at 3 months in I have been able to stop one med and will be stopping a 2nd one in another month. I have allergies and asthma and mine had gotten to the point where I had to do something in order to breathe.

Has she been allergy tested? If not that would be the first step and it maybe that depending on what she is allergic to you can make enviromental changes in your home, etc. and the shots won't even be necessary.

Best Wishes!

This link is for a brand new product (currently only available on-line). I have ordered it for my daughter who is 4. She also has been on Albuterol inhalers/nebulizer, Pulmicort, Zyrtec, etc.

If this new thing works...wow what a blessing it will be. It is all natural, safe for kids and adults and is designed to stop the reaction before it starts.

http://www.prehistin.com/allergy-education.html

S.,
Are you positive the cough is being caused by the allergies? We thought my daughter (who will be 8 in October) had allergies because she had a persistent cough, to the point of vomiting, and complained of a sore throat all the time. We tried everything (including antibiotics, Claritan, Zyrtec and other allergy meds & had a chest x-ray & CAT Scan too).
When we had her Tonsils and Adenoids removed, the cough stopped. The sore throat persisted and she still had occasional vomiting, so I kept taking her to different doctors - Ped, Allergist, ENT, and finally a Pediatric Gastroenterologist and after running and Upper GI Series and having an Endoscopy, Biopsy & PH Monitor, it turns out she has Acid Reflux (she had 77 episodes of Reflux in a 48 hour time period!). The throat pain is a symptom (and the only symptom she had) of Acid Reflux in children! It took us over a year to get it all figured out, but she is now on a prescription strength Zantac (& still on the Zyrtec for another condition) and she has been doing remarkably well.
Good Luck! You are the best advocate for your daughter, keep at it until you find relief for her.
~B.

S.,

I also have a daughter that has terrible asthma and allergies. She is 9 and just went thru her 2nd round of testing. This time they found 11 new allergies. She has been sick all of her life, when I say all I mean that she was hospitalized at 14 days old with RSV for 2 weeks. and from there it was bronchitis and pnumonia every other month. At 2 they put her on Zyrtec. at 3 they added cingulair, at 4 they added flovent. finaly at 5 she had the allergy testing done. I refused to let them keep giving her meds untill i knew what was cousing her to be sick everyday of her life. the testing revealed allergies to dog, cat, alder trees, and birch trees. so now we add flovent and flonase. I thought for sure they did something wrong because she was always sick. 4 months later she had an anaphalaxis reaction to a horse. we had her re tested at a different facility and they came up with the same stuff but added horse to the mix. how ever her allergies to all 5 things were bad enough to cause the anaphalaxis. so now we added an epi-pen to the list.

4 years goes by and I have noticed new allergens affecting her. like when we are sitting at home she will sneeze uncontrollably. so I take her back in and they found 11 new ones. Beech tree, Oak, pine, sycamore, 4 kinds of grass, ragweed, the mold found on fruits and veggies, cockroach, and dust mites.

her Dr is strongly advising shots now. I just don't want her to be miserable any more. He said that just because we give her the shots for this doesn't mean that she wont develop more allergies in the future. since she has developed so many so quickly she is prone to develop more. so he said I have 2 choice. I either give her the shots and wait and once she develops different allergies again they can do more shots or we can continue to give her meds everyday. I am going with the shots. I am tired of her being sick and tired. I do feel for you tremendously. I know exactly what you are going thru and If you want to chat I would be more than happy to . and if you are in the Virginia beach area maybe we can get the kids a bubble they can play in...LOL we always joke around that she needs a bubble and the other day she couldn’t stop sneezing and she asked her father " did you order that bubble yet? this is getting ridiculous!" I couldn’t stop laughing. If you need anything please don’t hesitate to ask.

~Annie