Seasonal Allergies

[Guest Susanna]

My son has pretty bad seasonal allergies, which are a trigger for his asthma. The fall is much worse than the spring so he's having a pretty rough time of it these days....no asthma attacks yet, thank God!

 

Anyway, for the past few years upon his regular pediatrician's recommendation we've been giving him Claritin daily, during allergy season, to give him some relief. A few years back before we started this he was taking Singulair for asthma attack prevention...it was working but we didn't like the side effects so we discontinued it. We also tried Zyrtec last year...it worked comparable to the Claritin so we decided to stick with the Claritin.

 

This fall I have been reluctant to give him anything due to the colors and flavorings in the meds. His homeopathis pediatrician also suggested we try to get through this allergy season without the Claritin. (I haven't discussed this with his regular ped. at all) The poor child really suffers some days. If he is having a really bad night I will occasionally give him dye-free Bendryl so he can sleep and get some rest.

 

Does anyone else's child have a similar issue? What works for you? I do make sure his windows are closed in his bedroom but it's pretty difficult to avoid the allergens at other times. I welcome all suggestions.

[Claire]

Susanna,

 

We have had threads on allergies. Do you use a HEPA filter?

 

I had TERRIBLE allergies--would give me coughing attacks. We keep a quiet HEPA filter on in my son's room 24/7. He used to wake up so stuffy I thought he had a cold.

 

Also, reducing exposure to dust and mold help with other allergies, so we have all the allergy proof coverings and wash his entire bedding weekly. National Allergy supply sells a non-crinkly/noise kind, and Chemar said Walmart has some cheap one.

 

Same with me and I do beautifully now. I never took Claritin--refused

 

I take allergy shots too, but some parents said they gave their kids tics. It varies.

 

Some here (Nancy and Jean) are trying energy methods--they can tell you about those.

 

Claire

[Claire]

Oh yes,

 

I use a HEPA filter also.

 

We also pulled up all carpeting and have only hardware floors--we did this for me, well before my son was born, thank goodness. We also have only leather furniture now, as cloth is a dust mite haven. Of course I tested for dust mites plus a million seasonal allergies. My son was never tested, but we know he reacts with stuffiness to dust.

 

My allergist says having a good night's sleep in a 'pure' breathing environment makes a big differrence in tolerating daytime exposure. For me this advice was right on--thus my focus on the sleeping environments.

Claire

[Guest Guest_LuluGirl]

Claire,

 

What do you think about the allergy medications like Claritin? Do they make tics worse? Any ideas about cough medicine? Dimetapp? Sudfed Childrens? My son has allergies and I'm also afraid to give him anything. However, he's had a cough for the last 4 weeks which the doctor thinks is the result of allergies. He suggested Claritin but I've been afraid - things are looking good around here and I don't want to mess with it!

 

Lulu

[Guest Susanna]

LuLuGirl

 

I have given the dye-free Benadryl for my son's allergy symptoms on a few occasions with no noticeable side effects. I only administer it at bedtime if he's really having a difficult time....it is not a nightly (or even weekly) thing. Of course, every child is different and your child's reaction may be different than mine.

[Claire]

Lulu,

 

I just don't know. I avoid these all myself, but just because I don't like medications on a regular basis, versus occasionally. I know a couple of times when my bronchitis was horrible, antihistamines at bedtime was the only way for me to sleep--I would literally cough all night otherwise for days on end, it was just awful.

 

I have no idea of the impact on tics, other than if they have artificial colors which could be a factor. I didn't see Claritin etc on the Latitudes trigger list that Chemar posted, which is a good sign.

 

I will defer to others here on this one. If your son's tics are better, then unless other's children had a reaction (anyone??) maybe you could try it at night for rough nights and seeing if there is a reaction. Some triggers do take a couple of days to 'build up' impact, but you would know soon enough.

 

I think a good night's sleep is so important for tic reduction, that if it is the only way to get a good nights sleep, then I might probably try it.

 

But for me, it would be ONLY if other methods (e.g. HEPA filters, etc) don't do the trick. I am always for trying to eliminate a 'trigger'--even for allergies vs tics--before medicating the symptoms.

 

I know that carpeting is dusty and can set me off. So when we used to have carpeting, I found that vacuuming it in my bedroom before bed helped. Do you have a HEPA filter in his room? I really really recommend one, it makes a big difference for my son, my husband, and me!

 

How does your doctor know it is allergies vs bronchitis? I am not big on antibiotics these days, but I am just asking. I am glad he is looking at allergies. I always hear people talk about coughing 'tics' and as someone who coughs when I am around something I am allergic to, I always wonder if they are mistaking an allergic reaction. I would think the child would need to be old enough to understand the difference.

 

By the way, to what do you attribute that your son is doing so well? I am very interested, and it is always helpful for others to hear what worked for you.

 

Claire

[Guest Susanna]

My understanding regarding Claritin is that it needs to be administered daily in order for it to be effective. That is why I have stayed away from it...I'd rather not have to give my son a daily med if I can help it. The Benadryl can be used on an as needed basis.

[Guest Jean]

Susanna,

 

Just want to drop a quick note to you (as we just started our home project and

our house is mess now).

 

I meant to write our recent experience of NAET (do intenet search on NAET), but I

still haven't had chance. My son has similar problems as your son. He had on all meds (both allergy and asthma) that your son had. Like you, I don't feel comfortable to have him on these meds. long term. Lately, he's on NAET treatment and it seems working form him. I'll see how he'll be doing this fall. Regarding Benadryl, I have read people's post that may make tics worse. I've never given my son Benadryl though.

 

I'll share more later...

 

Jean

[Guest Diane]

Susanna

 

A couple of things I find made a difference, over and above what the others have mentioned, is putting an Ultra-Allergen filter (3M) on your furnace. I'm sure a HEPA filter is much better, but to be honest, we couldn't afford one (here they cost about a thousand dollars). The ultra-allergen filter costs about $19 cdn and is supposed to take some of the most minute dust/mold/virus's from the air. We found it made a difference. You replace it about every 3-4 months depending on your furnace usage.

Also in addition to washing bedding frequently, I replace the pillows regularly, with new pillows (you don't have to spend a lot on pillows - I pay about $4 - $6...(no feather pillows though).

Lastly, because we have carpets and can't afford to change at the moment, I vaccuum regularly and keep a vinyl covering on the mattress at all times, in addition to the mattress pad. I just bought a fitted vinyl covering and mattress pad-in-one made by Beautyrest for all the beds.

All these things seem to have made a big difference. And I always keep windows closed at night, during all seasons.

[Guest Guest_efgh]

Claire

 

Can you please give me the link to the brand/type of hepa filter that you have for your son's allergies? I am interested to buy the same. How exactly does it help? Would appreciate more elaborate details on that.

Also, I heard sleeping on a firm mattress is good for back problems, allergies etc. What kind of mattress do all of you have?? Is it natural one or the futon one? What is the futon mattress generally made of ( I mean, which materials?).

 

thanks.

[Guest Lulu]

Claire,

 

In answer to your question about why my son is doing so well I can say, "Praise be to the Lord!" And also, I have kept him away from the foods he's allergic to (we all did the IGg blood test for allergies - we don't stay away 100% of the time though by any means - more like 75%) and I tweaked his calcium intake and added mag taurate to his vitamin regime (multi, b complex, c and zinc). I give calcium and mag to him in the ratio that Chemar suggested of 2:1. UNLESS he's in a long waning phase. I don't know how long they're supposed to last but since he's been on the mag taurate (about a month) I have seen HUGE improvement.

 

I will look into the possibility that his allergies are coming from his own bedroom though. How scary is that?!

 

Lulu

[Claire]

efgh/diane/lulu

 

efgh/diane,

 

I have a furnace filter too (something electrostatic) and my advice there is: clean it often! I was having racking allergy coughs cuz I didn't know our old house had one and it hadn't been changed in years. Replacing it was incredibly helpful.

 

As for HEPA filters--I meant for the bedroom only, and they are not nearly the price of the home filters. Here is a selection--I bought mine here, but you can search the internet in case there are cheaper sources

 

http://www.natlallergy.com/allergy/product...filtration.html

 

I got this one: (quiet enough, and filters easy to change) for $139 for 12x16 room

http://www.natlallergy.com/allergy/product...r_Cleaners.html

 

I also got this more portable one for $89 to carry on trips. My chest is no longer tight on trips--the filters get dirtier in one week on a trip, than in our home for 3 months! I think it is a little louder than the other one, but not bad.

 

http://www.natlallergy.com/allergy/product...r_Cleaners.html

 

Worth every penny. Even my husband, who denied having allergies for years, turns it on and is less stuffy.

 

Lulu,

I hear you re 'Praise the Lord!' He is absolutely a guiding force on this path. And this message board helps us all with the details--Sheila Rogers is doing God's work in her own way by putting this board together--for those who don't know where to begin. As I have said before, I would never have associated foods with fidgetiness (other than candy of course) had it not been for this board and our DAN doctor--who I found through this board.

 

And even my husband is finding new energy--he said he has not felt this good in a long time, because my vitamin research has uncovered things that seem to fit his symptoms. My own sleep has never been better due to zinc at night--no more waking 3-4 times a night. I tried the zinc at night when reading about pyroluria for my son and that Dr. Walsh recommended that zinc be taken at night.

 

I felt strongly about the allergen proof bedroom for coughs and sinus issues because of the drastic difference it makes for us. (others say dustmites can aggravate tics, but my son only has the CRT screen sensitivity). My son would seem stuffy and I would remember that I didn't wash his comforter.

Even if dust mites aren't a problem, they are often an irritant, and of course the HEPA filters remove all the antigens to 99.7% or something, not just dustmites. I am allergic to 30 or so non-food things--grasses, weeds, cat hair, dog dander, pollens, molds...not just dustmites.

 

If you only did the HEPA filter plus the the pillow coverings (or mite proof pillows) and a mattress cover, it is about $200 total. You can get a cheaper filter, but to me the noise level was important for my son to want to leave it on. The mattress cover isn't cheap--if you had to you could put a normal mattress cover on and wash it alot I guess. But no side effects from these (vs drugs). You do need to do laundry more often, which can wear things out faster. If you leave the filter on 24/7, you may need to vacuum less.

 

 

Efgh,

 

We got a firm mattress with a pillow top for comfort. We love it.

 

Claire

[susanna]

Claire

Would you happen to know how the HEPA filters compare with the Ionic Breeze type air filters?

[Claire]

I don't remember the specifics...I know our allergist recommended the HEPA for inside the bedrooms, but that was over 10 years ago.

 

We use an electrostatic one in the basement, but we had limited choices.

 

Claire

[susanna]

This link actually explains about the different type of air cleaners/purifiers.

 

http://www.natlallergy.com/newsletter/aug2004.html#st4

 

Apparantly the ozone-type cleaners can be unsafe for those with asthma.

 

Claire, do you run your Hepa filters 24/7? How often does the filter need to be changed. Do you only use the filters in the bedrooms? How about other living space? I'm thinking of getting a filter for each of the bedrooms and wondering if I should get one for the family room as well....after all we could probably all benefit from cleaner air!