3 Nasal Allergy Symptoms that need ENT Specialist Attention

If you sneeze all the time and nasal congestion seems to be an unending problem, you are probably suffering from nasal allergy. Fortunately, a person doesn’t need to live with nasal allergy all their life. Whether a person is allergic to dust mites, pollens, or animal dander, they can find relief from nasal allergy symptoms, provided they pay attention to the symptoms and take the help of an expert. The post discusses three common nasal allergy symptoms that should not be ignored.

1. Runny or Congested Nose

A runny or congested nose is one of the most common symptoms of nasal allergy. An effective way to get rid of a runny nose or congestion is to treat its cause. A person suffering from nasal allergy needs to start by avoiding allergy triggers. An allergist or otorhinolaryngology nurse practitioner can help in identifying the allergy triggers. Avoiding allergy triggers completely may, however, be difficult, but efforts can be made to minimize exposure to the allergy triggers. If a person is allergic to pollens, for instance, covering the nose when they step out can provide some relief. Nasal sprays such as antihistamines, decongestants, and cromolyn sodium can also help in controlling nasal allergy symptoms, but these shouldn’t be used for more than three days. Read the instructions given on the label before using any over-the-counter drug.

Read: 4 Most Common Reasons to Visit an Allergy Specialist

2. Sinus Pain or Pressure

Sinus pressure is another symptom of nasal allergy. Mucus build up in the sinus cavities because of nasal allergy, leads to sinus pressure or pain. Putting a moist warm cloth on the face, or inhaling steam a few times a day can help in reducing sinus congestion. Use a saline nasal spray if the sinus pain lasts for more than a week.

3. Episodes of Non-stop Sneezing

Some people have a constant sneezing problem that creates a nuisance in their daily life. When non-stop sneezing episodes become daily phenomena, it is a sign of nasal allergy. Allergens present in the environment cause the problem of non-stop sneezing. People suffering from the problem of non-stop sneezing can use over the counter medicine. If over the counter medicines don’t help, it is advisable to consult a doctor who will prescribe a steroid nasal spray.

The Bottom Line

There could be any source or allergen causing you nasal allergy. Identifying the allergen is the first step towards avoiding the problems of nasal allergy. If a person is unable to identify the allergen, consult an ENT specialist before the problem increases. A person can also take the help of specialist nurse practitioners in Houston or any other area who can help to get rid of the problem in an appropriate manner.

Asthma and Allergy Prevention in Infants: Taking Smart Steps is the Key

It isn’t uncommon to see allergy and asthma symptoms prevalent in some families for several generations. The reason behind is that both these disorders are genetic in nature to a large extent. Children who have a biological parent suffering from allergy or asthma are more likely to develop these diseases.

There are, however, steps that asthmatic parents can take to prevent the development of such disorders in their children. Let’s take a closer look.

Breast Feed to Prevent Food Allergies

Infants who have a sibling or either of the parents a sufferer of allergic symptoms are at the risk of developing food allergies, especially if they are already asthmatic or suffer from allergic rhinitis or atopic dermatitis. The smartest way to prevent this development is regularly breastfed infants during the first four to six months. Mother’s milk strengthens their immune system, which helps infants get rid of any lung infections that are common triggers of asthma. Additionally, it is easy to digest and can mitigate the chances of early eczema and wheezing in infants.

Must Read : 5 Simple Ways to Keep Your Child’s Asthma Under Control

Note: Foods such as tree nuts, peanuts, cow’s milk, soy, wheat, and others are common triggers of allergic reactions. Restricting a pregnant mother’s diet of such allergens, however, is not recommended as a means to prevent allergies, as information suggests that there are no apparent benefits of taking such a step. 

Introduce Single-Ingredient Foods

Introduce single-ingredient foods such as apples, bananas, sweet potatoes, green vegetables, rice, and oat cereals when the infant is four to eight months old. Ensure, however, that you give these foods only one at a time in every three to five days. By feeding them, single-ingredient food after long interval, helps you identify if your child is allergic to any of these foods and consequently eliminate them from their diet.

Introduce Food That Triggers Allergic Reactions

Once the infant can tolerate the less allergic reactions triggering foods, parents can introduce peanuts, eggs, dairy, fish, shellfish and other foods that usually trigger allergies, whenthey are four to six months old. This action is required, as delaying the step can increase the infant’s risk to develop allergies. In the case of an allergic reaction such as eczema, consult an ENT or allergy specialist in your area.

Preventing Exposure to Dust Mites not Pets

In the case of dust mites, research suggests that preventing a child’s exposure to these substances early in life can reduce or prevent their risk of developing allergy or asthma symptoms. If you talk about the exposure to pets, the case is a bit confusing. Earlier research points out that children with a parent who has allergies or asthma should not be exposed to pets. In contrary to the above statement, the newer research suggests that children who are exposed to pets and other animals early in life are less likely to develop any allergy issues.

Must Read: 4 Most Common Reasons to Visit an Allergy Specialist 

Conclusion

These are some of the steps parents can take to mitigate the development of asthma and allergy disorders in their children. However, as the food and environmental conditions that may trigger allergic symptoms in both infants and children can be different from case to case, it is recommended to consult an allergist or ENT specialist, whether you live in Houston or some other city. Allergists, with their experience in pediatrics and internal medicine, can both suggest the right steps to prevent allergies and asthma in children as well as prescribe an effective treatment plan for it.

 

5 Simple Ways to Keep Your Child’s Asthma Under Control

The instances of the asthmatic problem among children are increasing sharply and causing concern among parents. Regardless of whether it is moderate or chronic asthma attack or flare-up, the very sight of troubled breathing their kids suffer makes parents worried. They are often clueless for not being able to find the root causes that trigger asthma. Fortunately, with the right measures along with quality allergy and asthma care, controlling this critical respiratory condition is possible.

Here are five simple yet effective tips to control your kid’s asthma.

1. Keep an allergen free indoor environment

The first step towards preventing your child’s asthma attacks is to ward off the common elements that trigger asthmatic symptoms. In this endeavor, ensure that your home is free of dust and pollens. Vacuum the carpets, or discard them if it traps a lot of dirt that can worsen your child’s respiratory condition. Pet dander is another reason that may trigger asthma attacks. All in all, make efforts to learn what elements cause allergy symptoms in your child.

Tips to prevent asthma attacks:

• Monitor and identify the irritants that worsen your kid’s respiratory condition
• Avoid smoke, room deodorizers or air fresheners
• Close windows during the pollen season
• Keep rugs clean or remove them
• Consult an allergy and asthma specialist and keep the prescribed medicines handy.

2. Maintain detailed records

Besides learning about the specific asthma triggers, maintain a detailed file of everything related to the problem. This approach can help the doctor better understand your child’s problem and suggest the optimal treatment. Here’s what you should track on a regular basis:

• The wheezing instances your child suffers in a day
• Particular allergens that aggravate the problem.
• List of current preventive medications and their effect
• How many times your child requires rescue medications for treating acute asthma issues

3. Keep a stock of quick-relief medicines

Always keep a stock of quick-relief medications, besides inhaled corticosteroids (that help block the inflammatory response in the lungs) with them; though different asthma patients require different types of medicines. It is, therefore, recommended to consult an asthma and allergy associate in your area who can immediately begin with an effective treatment plan.

4. Educate your child and their caretakers

Besides having an effective treatment plan for your child’s asthma, it is also important to educate other caregivers in the family, to control this disease. In addition, make your child learn about things they need to avoid and take care of daily to prevent asthma attacks.

5. Assess the results after seeing a doctor

The easiest way to keep your child’s troubled respiratory issue at bay is to monitor the results after consulting a doctor. Note if the there has been any decrease in the symptoms or the problem has gotten worse. Either way, monitoring how well your child has been able to cope with their asthma symptoms after seeing a specialist helps you learn about the precautionary measures. It may also give you an indication that, perhaps, you should consult another doctor for better results.

Conclusion

Approximately 60 to 90 percent people in the US suffer from asthma due to allergies. While identifying asthma triggers and avoiding them can keep it under control, managing asthma can be difficult, especially in the case of children. In addition, as every child is different, it is necessary to talk to a professional asthma & allergy associate and explain the symptoms of your child to get the right asthma treatment.

4 Most Common Reasons to Visit an Allergy Specialist

There are different types of allergies that people suffer from that can range from mild reactions to life-threatening ones. Some allergy problems such as hay fever appear in a mild form. They usually do not require any treatment, while others may need to be controlled with the sparing use of over-the-counter medication. If your allergies, however, begin to interfere with your daily activities and decrease the quality of life, you need to find get in touch with an allergy specialist. On that note, let’s take a look at some of the most common scenarios wherein you may want to get in touch with an allergy specialist.

Unsure About Allergic Reactions

An allergy is the body’s reaction to a foreign particle. When a foreign substance enters the body, the immune system dispenses chemicals, known as histamines, to attack the substance and discard it from the body. The histamines can lead to various unpleasant symptoms such as a runny nose, coughing, itchy eyes and more, leading you to believe that you have been hit by a cold or virus. But taking medication to treat a cold or virus does not treat the allergy. It is, therefore, imperative to find an immunologist who can accurately identify the allergic reaction and treat it with the right medicine.

Falling ill Around the Same Time Every Year

One of the most common allergens known to mankind is pollen. During spring, summer or fall, the presence of pollen is extremely heightened, thus resulting in allergic reactions around the same time of the year, year after year. If you face this problem or find yourself feeling sick several months out of a year, it’s time to find an immunologist.

Ineffective Medication

Often, over the counter medication to treat the symptoms of an allergy aren’t enough to control the allergies. Alternately they may also produce unwanted side effects such as drowsiness, hypotension, impaired thinking, dizziness, and constipation. An immunologist or an allergist will help you identify the source of the allergen and meticulously help treat it.

Chronic Sinus or Asthma

Asthma and chronic sinus tend to decrease the quality of life of the person suffering from it. If you find yourself experiencing any warning signs such as struggling to catch your breath, wheezing or coughing repeatedly or breathlessness along with tightness in your chest, please find an immunologist to treat you correctly.

Conclusion

Controlling asthma and allergies requires a great deal of planning, patience and skill and your allergy specialist would be the right person to guide you in that direction. Usually, a visit to an asthma or allergy specialist begins with an allergy test to identify the allergies, medication to subside the symptoms and preventive education on how to avoid such allergy triggers. In extreme cases, however, immunotherapy or allergy shots are administered to patients to decrease their allergic reactions.

Assistive Listening System: All that You Need to Know

The degree of a hearing disorder varies from mild to profound, and while people have the notion that only the mild or moderate cases can be treated with the help of ALSs (Assistive Listening Systems), it is not true. The ALS can take care of even the most profound hearing issues. In this blog post, our discussion will revolve around the ALS, its types, and how they affect people. To have a better understanding of this hearing system, you can also find an audiologist in your area.

What is an ALS?

ALS can be compared to an amplifier that improves speech to noise ratio by separating the sound that people want to hear (such as speech), or from the less-wanted sounds such as background noise.

What are the types of ALS?

There are three major technologies that ALS utilizes. They are as follows:

1. FM Systems – Frequency Modulation, or FM for short uses radio broadcast technology and offer mobility and flexibility when used with portable transmitters. This system is often used in educational institutions to help students with a hearing disorder.

2. Infrared Systems – These systems work on the light-based technology. They are often used in situations such as court proceedings as they offer privacy benefits.

3. Inductive Loop Systems – These systems use an electromagnetic field for delivering sound. Users prefer inductive loop technology as it does not require body-worn receivers.

How does ALS help?

ALS helps increase the signal to noise ratio (in other words a volume increase) by 15 to 25 dB to help people with hearing disabilities to having the same level of understanding as people with normal hearing ability.

Some of the major issues that ALS addresses are below:

• Minimize background noise
• Reduce the distance effects between the sound sources, and
• Overriding poor sounds such as echo.

These features make ALS useful in various settings such as home, places of entertainment, education, and employment. However, one important point to note here that in case hearing aids and cochlear implants users ALS work differently in different situations and have their performance limitations.

Conclusion

People often neglect their hearing issues until they get complicated. This is not the right approach, and therefore, it is advisable to take care of hearing issues in their initial stage itself. Simply put, find a good audiologist, who can diagnose and treat your hearing issues before it’s too late.