Transcript
Hi, Dr Cris here with the Ask Dr Cris Show. Today’s question comes from Jill and she would like to know could I have allergies?
By this I am assuming she means allergic reactions whether a runny nose and watery eyes which is hay fever. It is super common. A lot of Australians suffer it in particular. We have a very high allergy count in Australia so that can trigger off particularly people that have hay fever. There are some things that you can do the first, I would say, is have an allergy test which can be a blood test or a skin prick test as arranged by your local Doctor and that can figure out exactly what you are allergic too. Once you know what you are allergic to then you can avoid that allergen in your environment. It might be dust mites in your pillows or your bedding, it might be pollen, it might be mould, it might be animals or it might be grasses from grass cuttings particularly in summer. So when you find out what you are allergic to you can then avoid it. The next strategy that often people employ to reduce their allergic response is taking a daily antihistamine. To date there is no long term side effects from taking a daily antihistamine and I would certainly say when the pollen count is high and when your allergies are through the roof, taking a daily antihistamine to settle everything down is a wise approach. You can also use a steroid nasal spray if you find you’re blocked up in the middle of the night and you can’t breathe through your nose and you’re having to mouth breath which reduces the quality of your sleep. This needs to be prescribed by your local Doctor. Decongestant nose sprays long term are not recommended. They are the ones that will unblock your sinuses short term but unfortunately it causes rebound problems where it no longer works and you can actually get worse situations. So don’t use those long term. They are often over the counter from your Pharmacy and can only to be used if going on a plane flight and need some immediate relief. So those are two strategies to reducing allergy responses. Do go and see your Local Doctor.
Thanks so much for your question Jill and if you have got any other questions please leave them below. I hope that you are loving the Ask Dr Cris Show and if you would like to see more of the Ask Dr Cris Show please press subscribe.
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Dr Cris
Holistic Medical Doctor, Author ‘Healthy Habits, 52 Ways to Better Health‘
