糖心视频

Allergy & Asthma Associates
of Murray Hill

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I avoid allergens?
- You have an allergy when your body overreacts to things that don鈥檛 cause problems for most people. These things are called allergens. Your body鈥檚 overreaction to the allergens is what causes symptoms (see the box below for a list of symptoms). For example, sometimes the term 鈥渉ay fever鈥� is used to describe your body鈥檚 allergic reaction to allergens in the air.
  Your doctor may want to do an allergy skin test to help determine exactly what is causing your allergy. An allergy skin test puts tiny amounts of allergens onto your skin to see which ones you react to. Once you know which allergens you are allergic to, you and your doctor can decide the best treatment. Your doctor may also decide to do a blood test, such as the radioallergosorbent test (called RAST) or the ELISA test.
How can I avoid allergens?
- Pollens. Shower or bathe before bedtime to wash off pollen and other allergens in your hair and on your skin. Avoid going outside, especially on dry, windy days. Keep windows and doors shut, and use an air conditioner at home and in your car. Mold. You can reduce the amount of mold in your home by removing house plants and by frequently cleaning shower curtains, bathroom windows, damp walls, areas with dry rot and indoor trash cans. Use a mix of water and chlorine bleach to kill mold. Open doors and windows and use fans to increase air movement and help prevent mold. Don鈥檛 carpet bathrooms or other damp rooms and use mold-proof paint instead of wallpaper. Reducing the humidity in your home to 50% or less can also help. (A dehumidifier can help you do this.) Pet dander. If your allergies are severe, you may need to give your pets away or at least keep them outside. Cat or dog dander often collects in house dust and takes 4 weeks or more to die down, so a short-term trial of removing your pet from your home may not help. However, there are ways to reduce the amounts of pet dander in your home. Using allergen-resistant bedding, bathing your pet frequently, and using an air filter can help reduce pet dander. Ask your veterinarian for other ways to reduce pet dander in your home. Dust and dust mites. To reduce dust mites in your home, remove drapes, feather pillows, upholstered furniture, non washable comforters and soft toys. Replace carpets with linoleum or wood. Polished floors are best. Mop the floor often with a damp mop and wipe surfaces with a damp cloth. Vacuum regularly with a machine that has a high-efficiency particulate air filter. Vacuum soft furniture and curtains as well as floors. Install an air cleaner with a high-efficiency particulate or electrostatic filter. Wash carpets and upholstery with special cleaners, such as benzyl benzoate or tannic acid spray. Wash all bedding in hot water (hotter than 130掳F) every 7 to 10 days. Don鈥檛 use mattress pads. Cover mattress and pillows with plastic covers. Lower the humidity in your home.
What medicine can I take to help relieve my symptoms?
- Antihistamines help reduce the sneezing, runny nose and itchiness of allergies. They鈥檙e more useful if you use them before you鈥檙e exposed to allergens. Some antihistamines can cause drowsiness and dry mouth. Others are less likely to cause these side effects, but some of these require a prescription. Ask your doctor which kind is best for you. Decongestants, such as pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine help temporarily relieve the stuffy nose of allergies. Decongestants are found in many medicines and come as pills, nose sprays and nose drops. They are best used only for a short time. Nose sprays and drops shouldn鈥檛 be used for more than 3 days because you can become dependent on them. This causes you to feel even more stopped-up when you try to quit using them. You can buy decongestants without a doctor鈥檚 prescription. However, decongestants can raise your blood pressure, so it鈥檚 a good idea to talk to your family doctor before using them, especially if you have high blood pressure. Cromolyn sodium is a nasal spray that helps prevent the body鈥檚 reaction to allergens. Cromolyn sodium is more helpful if you use it before you鈥檙e exposed to allergens. This medicine may take 2 to 4 weeks to start working. It is available without a prescription. Nasal steroid sprays reduce the reaction of the nasal tissues to inhaled allergens. This helps relieve the swelling in your nose so that you feel less stopped-up. They come in nasal sprays that your doctor may prescribe. You won鈥檛 notice their benefits for up to 2 weeks after starting them. Your doctor may prescribe steroid pills for a short time or give you a steroid shot if your symptoms are severe or if other medicines aren鈥檛 working for you. Eye drops. If your other medicines are not helping enough with your itchy, watery eyes, your doctor may prescribe eye drops for you.
What are allergy shots?
- Allergy shots (also called immunotherapy) contain small amounts of allergens. They鈥檙e given on a regular schedule so that your body gets used to the allergens and no longer overreacts to them. Allergy shots are only used when the allergens you鈥檙e sensitive to can be identified and when you can鈥檛 avoid them. It takes a few months to years to finish treatment.

What are warning signs of a primary immunodeficiency?
- four or more ear infections in one year two or more sinus infections in one year two or more months on antibiotics with no effect two or more pneumonias within a year failure of an infant to gain weight or grow normally recurrent deep skin, tissue or joint infections persistent thrush or fungal infection on skin need for IV antibiotics to clear infections two or more deep seated infections including sepsis family history of immunodeficiency multiple cancers or autoimmune diseases
How can I diagnose if I have an Immune system deficiency?
- A board certified immunologist will take your history, examine you and run some blood tests to see if your immune system is working properly.
How can I treat an immunodeficiency ?
- Treatment of immunodeficiency varies depending on the part of your immune system that is affected. Your doctor will discuss treatment options based on your immune system problem.

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