Both of my children suffer from seasonal allergies. They both have been treated by an allergist who I felt was over-medicating them. His answer to everything was to increase the dose or add a new medication. I finally switched to a new allergist and spent 3 hours with him. I left feeling good with 1 medication in hand. Long story short he prescribed an adult dose for her and the effects of that were terrible for my daugher and as a mother I felt extremely guilty for giving it to her.
I had to wean her off of the meds and now she's on nothing which I know is not good since we're heading into her trigger season.
I've been looking into Homeopathic meds such as Adrisin by Heel and others by Boiron. Has anyone tried these or something similar? Any advice would be helpful.......
Thanks for all of the great advice. I guess I should have mentioned that my daughter was diagnosed at 2 w/ allergies so we've been dealing with this for almost 5 years and have yet to find an allergy medicine that is effective. We do all of the preventative measures such as air purifier, encased mattress & pillow, baths every night, limiting outside exposure during peak hours, etc.....she does have allergy induced asthma which leads to a lot of night time coughing. I have resorted to honey at night and cough meds w/ codeine when it gets really bad. The nebulizers were not effective. I'd like to try the daily honey regimen to see if that helps any and I'll continue to research the more natural alternatives. I do plan to keep their appt w/ the new allergist (April 26th) but I'm not sure about his take on more natural ways to treat allergies. I guess I'll find out. Thanks.
I love Hylands Allergy tablets. They even help my seasonal allergies! My kids take the tablets very easily and there are no side effects.
You can get some Hylands products at Wal-Mart or Target but you will have more of a selection at a health food store. You can also buy them at www.vitacost.com
Good luck!
Grapeseed extract, which you can usually find at the grocery store with the vitamins, is fantastic, so I have heard. I just got some and have started to use it before my allergy season. You can give it to kids if they can swallow, or just open the capsule and make a tea with it. It is supposed to help build/strengthen cell membranes to reduce irritation.
I work with a non-pharmaceutical company, and this is what we give to patients suffering from seasonal allergies. Pro-Vex Plus is a multi-vitamin supplement made from grape seeds that can be given to kids:
Researchers have found that in addition to strengthening your blood vessels, proanthocyanidins can attach themselves to important proteins, enhance visual acuity, and promote smoother skin.*
ProVex Plus contains a potent source of proanthocyanidins—standardized grape seed extract in a patented, chemical-free system that uses no sulphur dioxide that some people are sensitive to.
Proanthocyanidins, the active ingredients in ProVex-Plus, are found in grape seeds. These unique compounds help strengthen blood vessels. They also act as antioxidants to fight free radicals and contribute to your overall health.* (Free radicals are destructive molecules that can damage your cells.)
ProVex-Plus also contains ginkgo biloba, sourced from an ancient plant that helps you maintain mental sharpness and proper blood circulation. The last ingredient in ProVex-Plus is bilberry extract, a cousin to the blueberry that helps enhance night vision.*
Let me know if you have any questions. We also have a family physician on staff if you have any questions.
In addition, I have seen recommendations to switch to cleaners which are natural. I switched about a year ago and have not had the problems that I usually had twice a year for many years. The disinfectant that I switched to just had a patent approval and kills all sorts of bacteria including the H1N1.
I noticed that some moms said raw honey, although good, a better idea is actual bee pollen. You should only get it from local farms because then it treats local allergens. Example: Many people buy it from Arizona, but in less you live in Arizona with allergens native to Arizona it won't work for you. I see that you are from the Bethlehem area. You can get it at Bear Honey Farms in Bath. Start out small with 1/8 tsp and work your way up when you know she can handle it. Have her drink a glass of water with it. The stuff works wonders. Best wishes.
A tablespoon full of local honey helps! Because the pollen and local stuff in your area gets into the honey. When you eat it you get a small amount of it, enough to start building immunity. It works the same way allergy shots do. Except it's more tasty!
Try getting an air cleaner for them in their bedroom. Also, try putting casing on their sheets and pillows. I find that helps cut down on the amount of allergies I have!
I have heard FANTASTIC things about using LOCAL raw bee pollen or even local raw honey.
Frequent chiropractic can also work wonders, as can ear candling. If you live in the Easton/Forks Twp area, Dr. Robert Smith in Forks is PHENOMENAL and very knowlegable about herbal remedies.
I've used Boiron products on many, many occasions w/ my kids & for myself & have had very good results.
Will your daughter do a Netti Pot at all?--They have ones for kids now.
Hope you find something that works! Allergies suck.
Hi..I've tried Quercetin, neti pot, acupuncture all with minor relief. I'm determined to keep trying though! Good Luck!
It also could be timing of the meds and as another mom mentioned, controlling your environment during the worst of it. A pharmacist told me that allergy meds should be given in the morning as that's when pollen is worst, but we found that my daughter does better with her Zyrtec at naptime (2pm) and Singulair (her allergies have progressed to cough-variant asthma) at bedtime. That, combined with a daily bath during pollen season (she's usually 2-3x a week during the winter), and wiping her down with a damp cloth before nap helps a lot. We also put our A/C on early and just added an electronic air cleaner to our system, with the intention of opening our windows for fresh air when the tree pollens slow down mid-summer/fall. I also have seasonal allergies and have been on Flonase ever since I told my doc I wanted to have kids (keeps the dose low in the system). This is working for us - good luck!
I don't know how old you have to be to use a nettie pot, but I think that works best for allergies without using meds. Good luck!
do you control her enviroment?? if not go to about.com allergies and it will give you ways of controlling it. you still need meds but I went through 4 perscriptions before we found the right one. also give her vitamin c and echinesia (sp) they will help. I also take potassium.
I would go back to the second doc and say change the meds this aint working and make sure you get the dose right. if dose is to high your right shes better off without it. but you will have to work with doc to get right meds. I would take them and walk in and say this is making me worse its helping but not enough this still effects me etc. give the doctors a chance but I think you were right dropping the first doc. what works for one person isn't going to work for another. claritan made me worse. zyrtec helped a little. and then we found one that worked allegra but in a real high dose.. give the second doc a chance and benedryl works real well. I do it daily now instead of perscripitons. but I also controlled my enviroment. Also saline spray is a god send. and its just salt and water.
I've been told raw honey works! You can find it at trader joes or whole foods.
ironicically I just heard some advice on this from an RN friend. I have a 7 mos old adopted son and he is definitely already an allergy sufferer. She said that she was once told to buy local honey and take a teaspoonful a day. Obviously I can't try this yet with my ds. But your daughter is old enough. The reason it must be local is that the local bees will have made the honey with all the local flowers of the plants that cause these darn allergies. Taking the honey helps build an antibody of sorts. I have not checked into this further but plan to. The concept sounds like it make sense and honey is certainly natural. Maybe this will help!
