Treatment for Allergies and Mild Asthma

I would talk to the doctor about some other kind of allergy meds - perhaps Allegra - that seemed to work wonders for my son (who also is getting allergy shots - though we are up to 1x a month now - been doing this for over a year).

And also perhaps a different medication for his asthma - maybe albuterol or advair (I personally take both).

If my son has an allergy 'fit' I give him Alavert(over the counter medication) and it works fine for him.

Good luck!

I personally have horrible allergies and moderate asthama - I was always sick , had bronchitis every year, constant sinus infections, even pneumonia a couple of times. This was all while on prescription medecine. A friend introduced me to a product called OPC-3. after a few months on it - I no longer needed my inhaler and I even got through ragweed season with carely a sneeze. I have been using it for almost 5 years now and maybe have had ONE sinsu infection since. No more respiratory infections. This product is amazing. The company that makes it just came out with a version geared towards kids. you can find it at www.marketamerica.com

I am a walking testimonial - I never believed in supplements before this one - It really works wonders!

I had a similar issue - allergies, pneumonia, asthma with my son. His asthma was worse from Sep to Dec. I took him back to allergist and got the meds adjusted and now he is doing well. I would try another Dr if the new meds do not work or go back sooner than Dec 1st.

Hi T.,
I know exactly what you are going through.
My daughter who is 12 years old now had respiratory problems since birth basically. She was on inhalers, singulair, nasonex, nebulizers, you name it she was popping, puffing and snorting all kinds of drugs. It just kept getting worse. The doctors wanted her on prednisone and I refused. A friend of mine suggested I get rid of my household cleaning products, I did and within 3 months my daughters asthma was gone she is no longer on any medication. As a medical professional I strongly encourage all my clients now to check their environment and get rid of the toxins and chemicals before doing any other type of medication changes. It's amazing what the FDA allows companies to use in cleaning products and every day hygiene products. Become educated and start reading the lables and by all means go green and natural. God gave us one vehicle, we need to maintain it the best we can!

Hi T.,
I would echo Karen's response to you. You absolutely must get the toxicity out of your home. Little people are close to the ground and tend to inhale all the chemicals in rugs and carpeting, the out-gassing of chemicals under the sink and the pesticide-laden cleaners that I used to have when my kids were sick. Call me at ###-###-#### if I can be of help.
L.

Hi, T.

I have an 8 year old with tree and dust mite allergies as well as asthma. And, he has also had pneumonia in the past. But, for the past year we've managed to avoid constantly seeing the doctor even during flare ups.
After reading your post, I was wondering if he's only allergic to grass, pollen and trees because usually in the winter these things are not as prevalent as in the spring months. In the winter we have to deal with cold weather which is a trigger so we make sure his mouth is covered with a scarf outside to prevent breathing in cold air. The most important thing I've also learned is that you should catch the wheezing(coughing) early. My son knows that if he coughs, I start paying very close attention to how often and if I notice it increasing I give him the Albuterol. I have also enrolled him in swimming as I've read it could help strengthen his lungs. I also don't allow sports that call for too much running as the wheezing usually gets worse after that. We use ti take ingulair when flare ups were bad but have since stopped because it didn't seem to work after a while. And, I haven't tried Nasonex in a while either. We usually get Rynatan or it's equivalent for allergies.
HTH

T. I have some information about a natural product that might help your son. Here are some websites you can check out. Then if you want more information you can email me back. I had acid reflux for 12 years and was on perscription medication for it. I have been taking this product for three years now and haven't taken any medication since about a month on the product. You can look up Dr. Israel Brekhman on the internet and go to this website but don't sign up for anything on it. WWW.tigerteam41.com, go to Immume System and click on The remarkable little boy's story at the top right side.He had eczema all over his face. Also read some of the testimonies. If you want more information you can email me back at ____@____.com

I feel for you. My son has RAD (Reactive Airway Disease). He takes Flovent 2 times a day and if he gets a cold or his allergies bother him he gets Albuterol as a rescue medicine every 4 hours. We found out about RAD because he had a bad bout with bronchitis that would not go away completely for 6 months. I insisted on seeing a pulmonalogist (sp). He is much better and his behavior problems are gone since he is sleeping better.

Those months are also very bad for my toddler. She has never been on the nebulizer, we just treat w/Flovent and Albuterol (as needed). I was also advised by her pediatrician to give her immune system to kick in instead of giving her alot of medication, so our approach has been very deliberate. I did clean the house of all allergens...removed stuffed animals, carpeting, frequent laundering (which isn't easy as we have to drive to a laundromat) and as she has gotten older, she has been diligent about washing her hands. School has also been very helpful in teaching them about germs. I do have several friends that are using more aggressive approaches with the medications you listed and are currently rethinking because the behavioral changes were remarkably negative.

T.-

Hey. I know how frustrating the asthma part can be. My son does not have allergies but does have acid reflux(prevacid) and asthma(has both preventative and rescue inhalers) and is only 14 months old. The winter is not good for us either, as he was in the hospital last winter 2x and right now has the beginnings of pneumonia.
My only suggestion if you have not done so is to see a pulmonologist also. We see one for Joseph and he has been great finding good medications to control as much as possible the outbreaks so at least some of the time is peaceful. I know what you mean by high maint. My husband and I kid that when my son is older we will kick his butt for making us worry all the time!
If you do want to go to a pulm. tell me where you live because I know a good one by me if you're nearby. Either way good luck!! :)

T.,

Your poor son sounds like he has been on a lot of meds at such a young age. He doesn't need to be. There are natural alternatives.

Make sure you keep his gut healthy. 70% of your immune system is based from your gut. Keep up the good bacteria levels and along with some other natural supplements and a good air purifier his allergies/asthm can be controlled without drugs.

If you'd like some more info or help, please e-mail me back.
____@____.com
T.

Hi T.,

My daughter suffered from allergies for many years and her head was ALWAYS stuffed. It was so bad it affected her hearing. I started shopping from a company that has heathier, safer everyday products and she has not had any trouble ever since our family switched over. Cleaning and laundry products as well as shampoos and body soaps/washes have formaldehyde, phosphates and cheap preservatives in them. They can make famlies very sick due to these types of chemicals in them. I have to say that alot of allergies/asthma are due to environmental issues in the home.
Detergents are considered hazardous and are handled in factories by people who have to wear full body suits and gas masks. The drums that hold our cleaning and laundry products actually have skulls and crossbones on them.

The products are great and work really well. I also love the fact that they are not anymore expensive than grocery store brands! They also have a 60 day empty bottle money back guarantee.

If you'd like to here more, I be happy to share the information with you.

Thanks!

Hi-

I addressed my son's asthma (brought on I am sure by the repeated congestion and colds he was ws getting along w/ sinus infections- probably from too much dairy & the formula I gave him when he was a baby and I was working) through changing his diet and adding a couple food sources to strengthen his immune system. It didn't interfere w/ the asthma medication I had to give when it was needed. It was a good probiotics for kids and Nordic Naturals cod liver oil or fish oil for kids.
I consulted w/ a nutritionist in NYC- Dr. Sarah Cimperman who also has a website- drsarahcimperman.com. It helped a lot - looking at the diet too.
Havve you or are you able to also see a chiropractor & or acupuncture specialist? A chiropractor really helped my son as well. I didn't want to medicate over & over if I could alter a lifestyle & diet matter that could address the health issue. He has medication if it is needed but not constantly. When he shows signs of a cold or sinus infection, I start to cut back the dairy a bit, use saline nasal wash/spray for kids, take out the humidifier and give him homeopathic remedies- pulsatilla 6c if it looks greenish or yellow mucus this is also in the healthfood store. I basically try to address all contributing factors externally. I know the asthma is frightening and certainly do not take any chance w/ it. However where any controls exist in the environment (home & food) I do what I can.
You may want to check out another website on health info & issues- mercola.com. Very informative!
All the very best to you & your child!
C.

Hi T.. I can totally relate. My oldest son is 9 and was diagnosed with these problems at the age of 2. We lived in Rochester, NY when his suffering was worse. He took allergy shots weekly, both arms, for a couple of years. We moved out here to Athens and he suffers no more! He still has asthma and allergies of course but he doesn't even take his shots anymore. He was on all those inhalers and nose sprays too. He doesn't take any of that! He just has his albuterol inhaler in case he needs it, and he takes a claritin daily. That's it, no episodes and no coughing. He's only used his inhaler a few times in the past couple of years.

I also removed all stuffed animals (except one--which I wash constantly), buy new pillows often, new bed, wash walls and toys frequently (because of dusts), no strong smells either (perfumes, detergents etc.) because that seemed to set him off, and this all seems to help greatly. They have those allergen covers for pillows and beds too. I also destroyed the couch! Got rid of it...and got rocking chairs instead. I can wash those easily. Couches and chairs carry SO MUCH crapola! Disgusting. They can never truly be cleaned. They are also made with Formaldehyde! Can you believe that??

I hope some of my rambling helped. Good luck. Let us know if things get better for your little guy.

Namaste,
E.

I don't know if this will help you, but my older daughter developed allergies when she was about 5. She was miserable. She would go to school looking like I punched her eyes out, they were so black. Nothing over the counter was working, so I took her to an allergist. He was giving me adult allergy meds, they didn't work, then he doubled them, I couldn't give them to her, she was only 5, so the last time I went to see him, he asked me if I was a doctor, I said I was a mom and it didn't feel right. He suggested shots, I said no. She graduated kindergarten with no absences, and I gave her dimetap or benadryl, withn 2 years, she was fine. She still has allergies and takes an over the counter med. and the allergies are not so bad. Sometimes doctors just pump you full of pills and there is no guarantee it will help but may worsen everything. I used mother's intuition and it worked. She will be 26 this month and doing great.

I would recommend Dr. Greg Peechatt. He is a Homeopathic Physician and Naturopath practicing in Brighton. I had terrible allergies all of my childhood, and was treated homepathically when I was pregnant with my eldest daughter, who is 28. I have been allergy free ever since. Homeopathy gets to the root cause and is a wonderful gentle, harmless form of medicine. He lives in Brighton and I recently heard him speak at a Holistic Moms meeting in Pittsford. There were many testomaonials to him amongst the Moms in the audience.

I don't have all of the facts, but I know that Singulair is a very dangerous drug. Watch for changes in behavior, eating habits and depression. I have two connections to people who have found great asthma relief from Singulair - one is a 27 year old male who no longer could find joy in his infant daughter or his work as a church organist - taking himself off that one med caused a complete turn around. My other connection is a friend's son who was on it for 2 years. THey looked everywhere for something to affect his allergies and thought Singulair was the miaracle cure. Changes in the family routine, with mom going back to work, coincided with severe depression and lack of interest in previously loved 7 year old activities. When they took him off Singulair based on a suggestion by a doctor, they found their little boy.

I feel for your struggle with asthma and allergies, but don't lose sight of who your little boy is - watch for any and all changes with all the meds you try.

Hi T.
Sorry I didn't see this sooner.
I have had 4 very allergic children and have learned a few things along the way.
First Vitamin B is lacking in all allergic people. The best way to get Vitamin B into the diet is to take extra Vit. C. Vit C makes Vit B in proper balance in the body. It builds the cell walls so that allergens can not get through so easily.
I didn't check to see where you lived but we lived in KS when our oldest was small. He too went on shots for a very long time. They did help, but not as much as moving to NY did. We are still in the country on a farm, but the ragweed is not so big, and the season not so long.
What are they going to do long term for the acid reflux? Are they talking surgery? I had surgery for Achalasia which presents itself much like acid reflux. Do you have the head of his bed elevated enough? Is he able to use lots of pillows? They truly help me. Eating often also helps. Keeping the esophagus functioning. Chewing Gum worked for me in my worse times. Cabbage juice, cabbage water==water that cabbage is cooked in is apt to settle stomach trouble.
We have dealt with lots of issues for lots of years. Would love to visit with more details and stay focused on what you are really interested in. Write me if you want more thoughts.
Old enough to be your mom, always mention talking to moms because they usually have lots of stories to tell, and you might find out lots of things you never knew.
God bless you and your family
K. SAHM married 38 years--- adult children 37 coach; 32 lawyer married and father of our only grandchild; & twins 18 now in college after homeschooling---one majoring in fine art and the other in journalism.

Hi T.,
I feel for your little boy. I get bad allergies this time of year as well. What helps me most is local honey. If you take a teaspoon of local honey a day ( the bees should live as close to your home as possible) year round it can help you build up a resistance to local pollen. It works the same way vaccines do... through mild exposure you build up a tolerance. It won't help him right away but if you start now you should see a difference next year.
Also: Try drinking local milk as well. it works on the same principle. My husband gets a horrible chronic cough if he drinks milk from dairies that aren't local. He is apparently allergic to something the cows eat but if he drinks local milk he already has a built up tolerance to the grasses in our area.

Best of luck,
M

Dear T.,

I have a friend who has two sons that were allergic to everything, and spring and winter were their worst times. They were hospitalized many times even with at home treatment. She used to have to give them breathing treatments with an nebulizer( not sure of the spelling) twice sometimes three times a day to help them breathe. Sometimes they would cough the entire night and poor things would get no rest. I know it was not the best for them but at times they would have to do a three day treatment of steroids and that was they only thing that helped them. I know there are risks with steroids however with such severe allergies, and asthma it was their only relief. I remember in the spring their faces would blow up to almost where their eyes were closed, their skin would also react in constant rashes. Keeping the air conditioner on and an air purifier for their rooms helped. Cover his mattress and pillows with plastic, and no stuffed animals as well. They did not have carpeting just hardwood floors and that would help also. If this is any consolation they did get much better as they grew. They are now teenagers and have been able to control their allergies and asthma with medication and no major problems. I am sure it is terrible to see your child suffer but you are doing all that you can right now just keep up the good work!!

T.,

Instead of loading your son up with all sorts of allergy medications, which don't seem to be working very well, I would ask your son's doctor about the possibiity of his taking weekly allergy injections to build up his immunity against what he's allergic to.

Is he seeing a regular pediatrician, or an actual allergy specialist? If your pediatrician is the doctor which is treating him, I would ask him for a referral to an allergy specialist as soon as possible.

Hi T.,
My heart goes out to you big time! Allergies in the most part are big imbalances in the body. The drugs do not work because they treat symptoms,not the causes. Hence, the need for stronger and different drugs-THEY DO NOT WORK!!! FEAR keeps us from listening to our inner voices about healing ourselves.
OK now that we got that out of the way! My company has a drink that is a "sea Plant" that is high in fucoidins and trace minerals. The lack of TRACE MINERALS is one of the BIG reasons many and too many people have allergies. Think about it...if your car runs only on Hi test gas and you can not afford it-the car starts to run badly, less good gas millage and on and on. Our bodies can heal themselves if THEY HAVE THE PROPER Nutrients needed to function. First the farmers raped the soil of nutrition and then the Gov said add the minerals back into the soil...OK they did that, but not the trace minerals. So you have to supplement or eat sea weed every day. It is not IN anything else you eat. Not even the fish have trace minerals in them. So you were probably trace mineral "starved" when your baby was in your womb and he came out lacking those nutrients...How else would he have a condition at birth like this. It makes perfect sense and to drink a whole food that contains these elements-may very well help the body balance and correct this health challenge.
My company has a Health Challenge going on for an extended week.They are giving away one bottle of this LIMUPLUS and one box of VitaOnes that are a one a day with 7 tablets of nutrition needed daily for free when one joins the company for only $29.00 and purchases ANY product they offer on the website-there are 46! It can be a $10.00 one or $5.00.So for about $57.00-$62.00 shipping included (my friends orders so far)-you get the free products worth $80 and actually one bottle alone of Limu is $45 so this is a great deal for trying it now. Your commitment is to try it and report after you finish up the bottle!Many of my friends are trying this and everyone should be on a trace mineral food daily too. The LimuPlus taste great and it has also Aloe Vera juice and de-caf Green tea as well. This is their flagship product-seems to balance so many different ailments in people's bodies from allergies, asthma, fibramyalgia, inflamations, stomach disorders....all it did was balance the body to correct the weak points! It is worth a try if you really want to help him. Call me or email me :
____@____.com ###-###-#### before Sat-last day for the free products for try. PS I have two gorgeous twin daughters now 27 and I rarely used the Drs drugs healing them when young. We would go to the Dr to find out what it was and then, I would do my herbal and natural remedies on them. They are super healthy and beautiful. Just a thought to note.

I have been through the same exact issue. You have a long road ahead of you trying to figure out the best solution for your child. My daughter was on Pulmicort for a year and her asthma doctor realized her asthma was worse than suspected and they put her on Symbicort. It took a few weeks before it started working but it finally did and now after 4 years we have her asthma controlled(are you deligent in giving your son his inhaler?)
She was put on Zyrtec and it does stop working after a while. You just have to keep trying other antihistimines to see if one works because not all of them work on everyone.
You have to keep his environment the best controlled as you can. Keep animals out of his room and put protective covers on his pillows and mattresses.
Also, I swear by Sinupret and try saline nose sprays on him.
Once he gets sick, even a sore throat or the sneezes you HAVE to start his nebulizer three times a day or if he doesn't like that then have him do his emergency inhaler three times a day(Same medicine). This will dramatically help with the length and severity of the cold.
My daughter did not tolerate the albuterol in the nebulizer but she can tolerate it in the inhaler. So she takes Xopenex in her nebulizer and albuterol in the inhaler.
When her asthma wasn't under control and she would get sick it would get so bad her asthma doctor always put her on Orapred.
My daughter was on Singulair too but it gave her awful headaches so they took her off. She use to take Veramyst which worked good.
I wonder if your son had an X-ray of his sinuses. My daughter had chronic sinus infections which made her asthma alot worse and she coughed continuously. I would suggest a peak at his sinuses and believe me all the signs are there for your son. My daughter did not have your typical green snot pouring out all the time because her sinuses were almost completely blocked from her adnoids.
She had to have her adnoides removed and her tonsils and even her left sinus needed surgery to widen it.
I wonder who your asthma doctor is. My daughter sees doctor Sotomayer and he is great and really smart.
Good luck to you.

Hi T.,

I suggest you buy the book, "Gut and Psychology Syndrome" by Natasha Cambell- Mcbride. It sounds like your son may be able to help his issues through diet change rather than drugs. I have seen remarkable results.

Best,
G. B.

my son takes a liquid steroid omnipred which helps in the bad months.

Hi T., noone has mentioned cleaning the air filters in your heating system. They may need to be vacuumed or even washed. Also, if you have a humidifier, make sure to replace the filter and clean the unit frequently as per manufacturer's instructions. If the allergies worsen in the winter, it may be the house making him sicker.

D.

Hello T., I feel your pain. My daughter has allergies and Asthma. She was on the singulair as well, plus the pulmicort and accuneb nebulizer treatments at night. She was also taking the flovent and proair HFA inhalers plus the Nasonex during the day. If she had a bad allergy day to take the Zyrtec. However, I did some research on the Singulair and I wasn't pleased. Plus my daughter was having bad night terrors, couldn't concentrate, and was very angry all the time. So I took her off the singulair. And continued with the Pulmicort and Accuneb nebulizer and it seemed to work for her. She is allergic to Cat, dust, mold and0 pollin. Bottom line. You have to test these things out before YOU know what works for your son. The doctors are there to make the suggestions.