Allergies

[Tee1]

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[National Jewish]

Antihistamines may help with itchy, watery eyes and a runny nose.  Blocked sinuses can cause headaches around the eyes and cheeks.  Decongestants may help with blocked sinuses.  A combination antihistamine/decongestant may help with all of these symptoms.  When these symptoms come and go the medicine is taken only when the symptoms are present.  When these symptoms are always present, the medicine is generally taken on a regular basis to keep the symptoms under control.

Your sinuses can be very important to your sense of smell.  When they are blocked, you may lose your sense of smell.  If you prefer a non-medicine approach, check with your doctor to see if doing nasal washes regularly would be helpful for you.  A nasal wash helps remove mucus and bacteria from the nose and sinuses.  This can temporarily relieve your blocked sinuses.  Please read our Nasal Wash MedFact at http://www.nationaljewish.org/medfacts/nasal.html for more information about this technique.

If you

[starion]

Are you under the care of a certified allergist?  S/he can help you investigate the CAUSES of your allergies (called triggers) and help reduce them.  To the extent your triggers are unavoidable, s/he can explore the other treatment options:  allergy shots, nasal steroids, nasal saline wash, and possibly a medication like Singulair which has helped some folks.

If you are anywhere near Denver, you may wish to consider having an evaluation at National Jewish Medical & Research Center in Denver, CO, website www.NationalJewish.org.  It has links & info about becoming a patient, as well as MedFacts about allergies and triggers.  Otherwise, you can ask your internist to refer you to a certified allergist.  A large teaching hospital with good allergy department may be a good place to try.

Aloha,
Starion