I seem to have increasing problems, year to year, and this year has been one of the worst. I get the generic 10 mg tabs of Loratadine (I think that's what Claratin is) which are supposed to be non-drowsey and 24 hours, and if you look down on the shelves (at least at Safeway) you can find a container with 60 tablets in there for a whole lot less per dose than the blister packs. I take one in the morning, and it seems to help.

Everyone I know is experiencing more and more allergies - kids, old folks, everyone in my family.

At this moment, there is a special on Discovery Health about allergies. They are talking about how modern standards of cleanliness may be partially to blame. And they are saying that high levels of the stuff that causes allergies would have been a benefit to people living in dirtier conditions - ex. third world countries - their bodies would have been able to fight off disease the best.

If I wasn't so afraid of developing allergies, my house would be cleaner. ;-)

Cheers,
Michelle

Hi Digit,

I dont have a cure for you, but I have something that might help! I recommend a sinus rinse to clean all the pollen, mold, pet dander, etc. out of your sinuses. It should at least help with the runny nose and any other nasal symptoms. ThatÂs all I really wanted to tell you, but if you want to know the whole story of how I got started with it, here it is!

For several years I had been needing to constantly clear my throatÂover and over and overÂit never got any better. My doctor thought I had acid reflux, so I wound up taking drugs for that. Not only did the meds not help, butÂpar for the course for meÂI had all those RARE side effects they talk about in the fine print, and some side effects they didnÂt even talk about. I discontinued the first thing I was taking and started a second one, but had even more side effects, so that one was discontinued too. I kept telling her I didnÂt believe I had acid reflux because of all the lists of symptoms I had found (isnÂt the internet wonderful!), the only one I had was the hoarse throat. I had also developed laryngitis that had gone on for over a year at that timeÂgetting so bad at times I could hardly workÂnot good when you might suddenly need to evacuate an aircraft! My PCP had also recommended I see an ENT because of the laryngitis, and he found there was only a mild irritation of my vocal chordsÂprobably from clearing my throat so much, so he gave me Nasonex (nasal spray) to use. I used it once the next morning, and was TOTALLY stuffed up and couldnÂt breath for that whole day. I really DO get weird, idiosyncratic reactions to meds! The ENT then told me to stop using the NasonexÂduhÂand to try a sinus rinse, but it all sounded pretty yucky to me, so I "never got around to it!" Finally, when I went back to my PCP the next time, I mentioned that when I was able to actually cough something up when I was clearing my throat, it was solid little yellow globs of phlegm. She immediately said I had asthma, and I had pulmonary function testing. Turns out I have chronic asthma. I always knew I had asthma, but never went to a doctor about it because I had figured out that as long as I donÂt eat dried fruit or drink red wine (sulphur dioxide) I donÂt have a problemÂnever knew chronic asthma could affect you that much----guess I never really even knew there was such a thing as "chronic" asthma. So now IÂm using Advair (inhaler), and donÂt seem to be having any weird side effects from thatÂand for the first time in years I can actually take deep breaths again. (The Advair is what my drug rant was all about on your catbird thread! I thinkÂseriouslyÂMedco might be getting what theyÂre shipping from Mexico or somethingÂit wasnÂt working all of a sudden. And they couldnÂt possibly care less if it works or not! THATÂS the kind of pharmacies we need around!)

So, back to the sinus rinse! The Advair (when it was working) made an amazing difference since I wasnÂt constantly trying to clear all the junk out of my lungs and throat, but I still was clearing my throat some from sinus drainage, and the laryngitis, tho greatly improved, still came and went. THEN I saw Dr. Oz on the Oprah Show, and one of the things he was talking about was a Neti PotÂand he actually had an audience member demonstrate how to use oneÂsomebody who had never tired it before! Seeing that convinced me that it wasnÂt yucky like I had imagined, and I went out and bought a NeilMed sinus rinse "kit." Rather than an open neti pot, itÂs a squeeze bottle that you use, and the original "kit" had little packets of salt with a little bit of baking soda in each one, which made it really easy when I first started. The day I started I noticed an amazing improvement in addition to the improvement from the Advair, and now, when I take the time to do it, I rarely need to clear my throat, and the laryngitis is virtually goneÂand I breath well and donÂt get all stuffy feeling over nite. (The laryngitis has come back a little bit recently, but IÂve been using the defective Advair for over two monthsÂand clearing my throat a lot again!)

I think either the neti pot or the NeilMed squeeze bottle, would work equally well, and I now just use sea salt rather than buy all the VERY expensive pre-measured little packets of salt. IÂve tried it both with and without a tiny bit of baking soda, and I canÂt tell the difference. As long as I get enough salt in it, and the water temp is right, I donÂt have any discomfort at all with just plain sea salt. I use a FULL quarter teaspoon in a cup of water. As Dr. Oz said on Oprah, it actually gets all the irritants out of your sinuses, which a medicated spray or a saline spray canÂt do. I think that would probably help you more than you might think. Oh! And drink a LOT of water! :-)

If you do decide to try it, IÂd be interested in your opinion since itÂs still pretty new to me.

Good luck,
Skybird

I'm like you. Never before in my 50some years have I even sneezed. My husband has allergies and asthma so I was always the one who did the mowing and outdoor stuff. Never a sniffle, sneeze or tiny tear in the eye.

I have never been as miserable as I have been this year. Cannot quit sneezing, can't breathe, permanent headache. I never had nearly enough sympathy for other people. NOW I know they weren't just whining!

I'm outdoors, all day every day, in someones garden. Doesn't seem to make a difference whose garden or what is growing, I'm miserable. Starting in April, I've tried every over the counter med on the market. Benadryl might help, but it knocks me out so fast I wouldn't know. I can't afford to be that out of it, especially when I'm driving all over town. That was scary.

The fake sudafeds are a joke. Not sure who the manufacturer thinks they are kidding, but whatever I'm allergic to laughs at it.

The only thing that has made life bearable has been the real Sudafed you get from the pharmacy. I have bought so much of it this spring and summer I'm afraid I'm going to have a visit from the sudafed police thinking I'm making illicit drugs in the basement, but it is the only thing that has helped.

So to all you allergy sufferers that I have snickered at and secretly thought you were whining, I'm very very sincerely sorry! You can now point and laugh at me.

I TOTALLY agree with you , Michelle.

The polio epidemics of the 50's were caused, at least in part, because after WWII, the sanitation improved dramatically and where, prior to that, people had been exposed to mild forms of the polio virus, and built up a natural immunity, they no longer had that exposure, and suddenly, without the immunity, many people started getting the "real thing." In a lot of ways I think the current wave of bacteria-phobia is going to do a lot more damage in the long run than its going to help anybody/anything. Bacteria is a normal part of life, and when you try to kill off all the bad bacteria, not only dont you develop an immunity to it, but you also kill off all the good bacteria. I dont understand at all the reasoning behind things like anti-bacterial soap and stuff like that. Not saying hand washing is a bad thingor covering your mouth when you sneeze! Ive also heard medical stories saying they think the sudden increase in kids allergies to peanuts could be partly because people have freaked out so much and not let their kids have/be around peanuts to such an extent that they react violently when they ARE suddenly exposed to them, and, again, that they would have developed a natural tolerance if they had been exposed more slowly. The degree to which human beings overreact to things is always amazing to me.

ButI dont think thats Digits allergy problem-----since hes olde like me! I bet he was exposed to lots of "stuff" when he was little! ;-)

Rolling in bacteria and lovin it,
Skybird

My mother was related to Adrian Monk. She would scream if there was a crumb, a dust speck, or a wrinkle anywhere. I spent most of my childhood doing housework. She would go into a fit if the bedspread hung down an inch and a half more on one side than it did on the other.

I developed severe asthma early on, so there went all of my toys. And I've always had severe allergies and respiratory distress. I think my mother being an OCD clean freak contributed a lot toward that.

Now that I'm an adult and I live alone in a cluttered house that I don't want anyone to look at, my allergies and COPD are much better. I don't even take my medication as much as I'm supposed to.

Hmmmmmm.

I think that the allergy problems today could also be related to the fragrance that they put in every product on the market. My grandma can't tolerate any sort of perfume due to COPD, and finding fragrance free cleaning products is really difficult. Everything has to smell Fresher! Cleaner! Spring Fresh! Mountain Meadow Scented! Like Jasmin! Lilac! Lemon! Yuck.

At some level, all of those things have to be chemical irritants for the nose to pick them up so well. It's like a chronic source of overstimulation.

Hah! Another reason not to clean house too frequently! I hate that perfume cleaner smell!! :-) (Though I have convinced DH that I don't clean often because I get too compulsive about keeping things clean, and then I am depressed when I can't keep things perfect after all. Yeah, that's the problem - I'm too clean!)

Cheers,
Michelle

I kind of have the idea that the more LIFE around us the better. It just shouldn't be scorpions and cobras and Mycobacterium tuberculosis sort of life.

David, I might try the Claritin again. It seems a shame to have to take something everyday in order to fight off symptoms that only get out of hand a couple times a week.

The dry air is a big part of the problem, I'm sure. And, sunflowers are my worse known "trigger" but I can still get away with handling them for a few minutes.

Careful with the pseudoephedrine, Shady. I, personally, can't use it more than a couple times before beginning to have side effects. Honestly, I think it is quite a bit more powerful than we are given to believe.

I bet I'd feel better if I could more thoroughly clear the sinuses, Skybird. Just the moisture would help, don't you think?

Part of life and living it (even if I've only got about 4 to 6 hours of outdoor tolerance but need to be out there much longer :o) - - digitS'

Hey, I am known amongst friends and family as the person with the best nose. Can use the olfactory even when I'm stuffed up and sneezing.

The other senses are impaired . . . could be the reason for the sensitivity to fragrances. I guess . . .

d'S'

Id sure recommend you try the sinus rinse, Digit. Ive been VERY happy with the result, and its very simple and inexpensive to tryand positively no side effects. I definitely think the moisture helps, along with getting any pollen and other gunk out. And I checked, and you can do it as often as you want without causing any problems, so you could do it whenever you come in from working with the sunflowers or whatever is really bothering you. (Ive also started rubbing a little bit of vaseline inside my nose overnite to keep the tissues soft and moist overnite, and I love that too.)

Neti pots and the NeilMed kit should be available at any major drug store. Got mine at Walgreens.

Id say your other senses are working pretty well,
;-)
Skybird

for me it is rinsing out the nose! I've never used the neti pot kit, I just cup tap water with my hands and snuffle it up, then spit it out!! Ew
I also like Ocean...it is just saline (yeah, I pay for salt water) in a nasal-mist-bottle. I like it if my nose is really irritated...that salt settles the membrane down awfully nice.
Also, I drink more water...somehow, that seems to help.
Oh, and I always have saline for eyes, called something like ... well, I forget, but I have bausch and lombe, or however you spell it, in the cabinet now.

I used Ocean for several months a couple years ago, J, and finally quit because it didnt really seem to do much or last very long. (I have a couple bottles of the Walgreens equivalent of Oceanstill sealedthat you can have at the swap if we think of it. I tried a couple different brands, and I couldnt tell the difference between Ocean and Walgreens. Didnt like the King Soopers version!) I bet youd really like the sinus rinse if you tried it. I admit I was surprised by how effective it is and how much I like it.

And, I agreelots and lots and lots of water helps!

Skybird

My youngest daughter has the worst allergies in the family, and she spends every waking hour outdoors, here in the middle of the countryside. At her last checkup, a month ago, the Dr. suggested that we try to knock her allergy level down by giving her, daily, the Claratin for 10 days, and after that, go by symptoms. We did so, and she hasn't had to take any since the 10 days.

Of course, that might have to do more with the onset of the rains.

Shopping tip:

I use Claritin every day, for allegies to cats and dogs (have 1 cat and 2 dogs - to bad there's not a pill for "stupid!").

I get "Walitin" from Walgreens. A generic Claritin. Watch the sale circulars and you can get 60 or 90 dose packages for almost the same price as a 10 dose packet of Claritin.

National Jewish told me that I was supposed to do the nasal irrigation, I canNOT stand getting water up my nose! So I just never did it.

A lot of what's helped me are the supplements that my chiropractor gave me. Before, I had awful bronchitis and sinusitis. I had this deep, barking cough that actually got me into trouble at work. But since the supplements, it's much better. And I don't cough nearly as much.

It really surprised me, but doing the nasal rinse doesn't at all feel like getting water up your nose like when you do swimming. I don't know what the difference is!

Okay, I picked up a Neti pot and some loratadine at the pharmacy this evening. The loratadine is a replay from a few years ago but I will try to do better at least for awhile until I can get an idea if it is helping.

The Neti pot may take some concentration since I've never tried anything like this before. Done some "snuffling" like J but will have to study and practice.

After the pharmacy, I came home to take statice, strawflower, and acroclinium down from inside the carport and hang up a boat-load of nigella. I couldn't figure out what to do with all the baby's breath and the millet hadn't quite dried so had to work around those two. Oh Goth, doan worry aboth me, Ayll be alrayth thoon, Aym thure . . .

Theve'th digits

Hi Theve,

You may have already tried the neti pot by the time you read this, but if you havent yet, heres the basics.

Use just slightly warmer than lukewarm water.

Be sure the salt is all the way dissolved. (Ive found that if theres any burning or discomfort at all, I didnt have quite enough salt in it. If youve got the right solution, you really shouldnt be able to feel it at all.)

Lean over a sink looking straight down into it.

Tilt your head slightly to one side.

Put the neti pot into the "uphill" nostril firmly enough that the water doesnt run out "around the edges."

With your mouth slightly open, slowly pour the solution into the one nostril, andafter a seconditll run right back out of the other nostril. The "second delay" is when its filling up the sinus cavitywhich is where it does the good work!

Then, without pinching either nostril completely closed, gently blow your nose.
Repeat! If Im at all stuffy feeling, I blow my nose before I start, then stop and blow it a few times after doing the solution. Havent yet not felt better when I was done.

You can also "snort" some of the solution up into the sinuses, but before I do that, I leave most of the water run out by itself and then stand up straight. When I tried it with a lot of water in my nose, it was getting into the back of my throat too much and choking me!

Also, if you tilt your head up a little bit more when youre doing it, some of the solution will actually run out of your mouth! Its really kind of interesting how everythings all hooked together! At least I think it is! Dont know if you will or not!

Ill be interested to see if you like it as much as I do,
Thkybird