If you’ve tried allergy medication and eliminating allergens as much as possible from your life but continue suffer with allergies, you may want to consider immunotherapy.

Understanding Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a process of receiving injections with your particular allergen(s) so that your body will produce antibodies to ward of your reaction to them. The doctor will start with a small dose and increase it until you start to show a reaction. This can mean that you receive two injections a week for a month. Once at the proper dosage, you may have to return for an injection weekly for a certain amount of months determined by your doctor.

The Benefits of This Allergy Relief

Immunotherapy can save you a lot of grief and money because once you have built up the antibodies; you will no longer have a reaction to your allergens.  You’ll finally find relief from the allergies you suffered with for years. However, for some people, a booster injection is required a few years later.

The Cost of Immunotherapy

Unfortunately, since immunotherapy isn’t considered pharmaceuticals, many insurance companies will not cover the cost. To pay out of pocket, you are looking at about $1,000 for the first year and the second year in which you only get a couple injections a month may run you about $350. If you are not able to afford immunotherapy, shop around because doctors vary in pricing. Also, you can contact your state’s allergy society for information on low or no-cost immunotherapy in your area.

Photo: Sarah G

Around 40 percent of allergy sufferers use different alternative and natural treatments to relieve allergies. These treatments are not approved by the FDA, but are sometimes recommended by doctor and allergists. Butterbur, honey, quercetin, stinging nettle, and sodium selenite have different advantageous benefits to relieving allergy symptoms.

My family health insurance doesn’t cover some..no make that lots, of the things that my doctor tells me I need. Yes, they cover my medication. Well, my prescription medication. Now that one of the meds I take is over the counter (and I h*have* to have it) my insurance doesn’t cover it. Nor does my family health insurance cover the pillows, filters, special vacuum, and covers that I’m supposed to use. Yowza. Let’s not even talk about alternative therapies that are reported to help allergy and asthma sufferers like yoga. No chance at all that I could get a partial payment on that. I have been told that it is theoretically possible to get a portion of chiropractic care covered, but the amount is very tiny and the amount of hassle is very huge. Kind of depressing. I mean, they are ok with drugging me but not with more natural remedies..odd.

Part of me really hopes all of these health plan reforms that are floating around will help people get better preventative cares (yeah, not a lot of preventing for allergies) and more natural options. If money were less of an object what types of allergy remedies would you want to try?

Photo Credit: Swim Parallel  http://www.flickr.com/photos/swimparallel/3174754333/

This article really helped me understand the philosophy of acupuncture. My boyfriend got excellent relief with acupuncture treatments. Unfortunately, he had to stop because it was so expensive he could not afford it. I don’t understand why health insurance doesn’t cover acupuncture treatments! They will pay for all kinds of dangerous and invasive procedures, but not something safe, natural and effective.

I hate how I can never seem to go outside during the spring without sneezing and having itchy eyes, yet my best friend can be outside all day and never have any symptoms. Why do some people experience allergies, while others seem to be fine during pollen season? And what can I do to control my runny nose, itchy eye and sneezing without taking medications?

In any case there are some interesting points in this article.

I’ve had mold allergies for years. I feel really torn after reading this because running the air conditioner and dehumidifier all the time would definitely cut down on the mold in my house, but it would use so much electricity and really raise my carbon footprint. I don’t want to contribute to global warming but I don’t want to feel sick either!

Ugh, hay fever! Every spring it’s the same: itchy eyes, runny nose and lots of sneezing.

Did you know that it’s not the pollen that causes hay fever symptoms? It’s actually your immune system releasing chemicals called histamines because it (wrongly) assumes that the pollen is a threat. The histamines are what actually promote those icky symptoms. Read this for more interesting info about hay fever.

Hay fever is not a viral infection like a cold. That means it requires different types of treatments, but first – it’s important to get an accurate diagnosis. Some hay fever attacks occur at certain times of the year while others can last all year long. It’s amazing how many different allergens are out there just waiting to make us miserable. This article has more information on diagnosing hay fever.

I suffer from hay fever, but I’d much rather treat my symptoms naturally than put myself through medication. I’d never realized that there were so many alternative remedies available for my allergies. But are they as effective as traditional medications?

This article had some interesting alternative treatments: http://www.hayfeverremedies.info/articles/alternative-treatments/index.php

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/theogeo/3488436184/

No, olive oil doesn’t cause skin rashes. In fact, it is just the opposite. A friend of mine has really bad rashes, sometime doctors tell her she has eczema and other times she’s been told it is ‘just’ allergies. Seriously, if you could see what her skin sometimes looks like you’d want to smack the doctors for that ‘just’ comment too.

Anyway, because these skin rashes can be pretty severe, I’ve taken to looking for homeopathic ways to help her out. I look because I’m the book/magazine/internet worm. She just isn’t into the research like I am. On to my latest discovery. I just read that putting straight olive oil on your skin can help reduce eczema. I know, it sounds a little weird and she thought I’d gone off my rocker (she’s a sweet southern girl) but she usually humors me and gave it a try.

Can you believe that it worked? Her skin rash/eczema got better after about a week. The patch she used treated was on her hands and she put on little cotton gloves at night afterwards so it was easier to treat than say a spot on an arm or a leg. She’s pretty hopeful overall and is going to continue trying to find ways to use it.

Have you successfully used olive oil to treat skin problems??

Photo Credit: Foodistablog