Thursday, August 14, 2008

Receiving Allergy Shots

By Dorothy Medlum


Living with debilitating allergies can be most painful for millions of people because their quality of life revolves around irritating symptoms caused by their allergies. Some of the symptoms that they may experience may include: sinusitis, skin disorders, gastro-intestinal upset and chronic ear infections.

It becomes a real struggle to find effective treatments for these allergies, as many therapies are only for short term.

One treatment that many people have employed is taking allergy shots. These shots contain a small amount of the allergen to which the patient is allergic. The efficacy of this method is still not known, but many swear by it and have stated that they have had good results over a period of time.

One treatment that many people now are relying on is allergy shots. These shots contain a small amount of the allergen to which one is allergic. These allergies may range from trees, ragweed or pollen. The efficacy of this approach is still uncertain, however; many believe that good results have been achieved with their usage.

When a person first receives the allergy shots, the body starts producing antibodies to that particular allergen. This helps your body fight the allergen. Then, the next time you come into contact with the allergen, these antibodies help to block the effects it would normally had had on you.

When a person receives an allergy shot, the body starts producing antibodies to that particular allergen. By helping your body fight the allergen, strength against the allergy is then created. Thus, it blocks the effect to the allergy you would have otherwise had.

The most common reason a person takes allergy shots is to have relief from pollen allergies. These can be found in hay fever or allergic rhinitis. Some have said that asthma can also be improved by using allergy shots.

If someone suffers form severe asthma or heart disease, allergy shots are not recommended. If pregnant, you must consult your doctor to see if you can continue your shots. Children who are under the age of five years old should not receive these shots either.

If you and your doctor decide the shots are the correct method of treating your allergy, you will need to have her give you an allergy test to find out what the exact causes of your allergies really are. The skin test is usually done to see what your skin reacts to. Also, a blood test can also be performed. The shots usually start about twice a week, and then after six months, one can start maintenance shots once a month. Making a decision to receive the allergy shots should be a decision made through careful planning of both you and your doctor. Just imagine, you can begin living a better quality of life, right away!

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