My recollection is that each visit cost like $50, and visits were weekly, so yes, I think that “expensive” is the right word. It took several visits before I felt any effects.
However, I understand that more and more health plans are covering these types of things. Check your plan for details.
Disclaimer - I consider myself a skeptic, but I swear that I did feel somewhat better after consistent visits. Whether it was the placebo effect or not, I have no clue, but I did get some relief. OTOH, the conventional treatments do work better for me.
But this type of test has not even been run on thousands of folk remedies, herbal medicines, and treatments used in various places around the world for centuries. The fact that something isn’t accepted as conventional Western medicine may mean that no one has gotten around to testing it properly rather than meaning it failed such testing.
I can’t believe I’ve cast myself in the role of defending alternative treatments since I’m a confirmed skeptic about such things, but the OP has tried the conventional treatments available and they’re apparently insufficient. Ridiculing her request seems a little petty when she’s just asking for alternatives which might help.
Yep, I have them every two years. My allergist keeps me pretty closely monitored; he says I’m one of his worser cases, aside from some unlucky food allergy folks. The things I reacted to, which I mentioned in my OP, are the same things I’ve reacted to for the last 25 years. From when I was about 6-12, I also reacted to weird stuff like horses and sheep (I was never around those); those went away when I reached my mid-teens, but not as a result of the shots, b/c there’s no serum developed for those.
I assume you’ve tried the newer medically approved things, like nasal sprays and the newest antihistamine-type pills?
I have very up and down hayfever in season, so it’s hard for me to tell what works, but the pills I was taking last time seemed to do the trick better than anything I’ve ever tried before.
And of course, the beautiful thing about not knowing which homeopathic remedy to take is that it doesn’t matter, as none of them have any active ingredient left, anyway!
I’d suggest Cold-fX. It is made by a Canadian company whose principals are professors of pharmacology at the University of Alberta. I’ve used it for various immune issues and it has worked for me. Players on 25 NHL teams are taking it to keep from getting sick during the season.
There are numerous clinical trials showing efficacy as well -
"A Health Canada authorized randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted on 279 healthy adults from the general population (18-65 years of age) with a history of at least two upper respiratory infections (colds) in the previous year. COLD-fX (2 X 200 mg/day) taken for four months was shown to significantly reduce (26%) the average number and frequency of upper respiratory infections per person versus the placebo group. The incidence of recurrent infections was reduced by 56%. A reduction in the total number of days suffered with cold or flu symptoms from 10.9 to 6.0, and a 31% reduction in the severity of symptoms, was also observed with COLD-fX treatment. COLD-fX was shown to significantly stimulate the total number of T-lymphocytes and T-helper lymphocytes, as well as Natural Killer (NK) cells. The safety analysis indicated that COLD-fX was safe and well-tolerated. "
Yep - been prescribed all sorts of sprays and pills. The last time I was at the doctor (just a couple weeks ago) she noticed that I sounded like Kermit the Frog and looked through her Big Book o’ Meds, and declared, “Well, I’ve tried you on just about everything that’s out there…we’ll just have to wait till something else comes out and try that.”
The last thing I tried was a new pill called Aerius. Everybody raved about how great it was, and it hardly worked for me at all. And that was on extra strength.
Since there is not likely to be a factual answer which will come forth, let’s move all of these opinions over to IMHO. In general we don’t like medical advice threads, but I don’t see where there are life-threatening questions or answers involved, so I’ll let it stand. I don’t automatically vouch for the IMHO mods.
I sympathize deeply, Amazon Floozy Goddess. I, too, have a boatload of respiratory allergies that don’t respond very well to treatment or to preventive medicine. The only bright note I can offer is that, in my case at least, things have gotten a lot better as I have aged. Menopause did wonders for my sinuses, if not for the rest of me.
Have you thought about getting a second opinion? If your allergist has run out of ideas, maybe another doctor could think of something.
As for alternative treatments, I’ve been taking quercetin along with my other allergy meds. It doesn’t do much on its own, but it helps clear up the symptoms that the meds don’t always get. I’d also recommend checking out acupuncture; it’s worked for me when I had an injury that modern medicine couldn’t fix.
I’d suggest considering consulting an allergist/immunologist at a teaching hospital/medical school. Go armed with all your past medical records, tests results, list of treatments and meds tried, and see what happens.
If you’re not far away from their sites, both Mayo and Johns Hopkins are pretty good in these areas. Otherwise start at your local teaching institution.
Why do people do this? Do they get their jollies scaring people needlessly?
Actually, there is some evidence that people with allergies are less likely to get cancer. Their immune systems aren’t “comprised”, at least not in the sense of being deficient. The problem is that the immune system is over-reactive. One hypothesis is that the over-excited state of your immune system that leads to such misery also makes your immune system more effective at targeting defective cells. But not proven, at least not yet.
My experience is that avoidance is really the best option. No natural therapies worked for me. If you’ve been on shots for several years, that means you probably aren’t getting the right dosage or formulations. (I too was on shots for years, then decided to quit, since they didn’t help much.)
Have you tried Singulair yet? It really works. Antihistamines barely touch my allergies, but I seem to respond to this. Personally, I take a cocktail of the powerful Flonase nasal spray, Allegra (antihistamine), Singulair (a leukotriene modifier–it blocks inflammatory cytokines), and occasional Patanol eye drops during my worst allergy season. I love the fact that I can finally go outside for short periods in April through July!
I heard that there is a move to get away from recommending antihistamines only as a first solution, since histamines are only one part of the inflammatory cascade of allergies. I have found that once I allow myself to get really bad (by exposing myself to allergens without taking medication before hand), my body will respond even more aggressively the next time. Now, I never let it get that far, and it’s amazing.
The allergy field is rife with quacks and charlatans. There are also lots of worthwhile methods out there. It is easy to try ten things at once and pin the success on one of those.
Keep in mind:
If you try a cure near the end of a pollen cycle that drives you right to the wall, your success might be because of the end of the annual cycle.
Dust mites (Oo, google dust mites, it’s scary,) dust mite poop actually, are the root of many folks’ allergies. How often do you wash your sheets? vacuum? dust?
Do you have a cat? Often, it takes 5-7 years to develop a cat allergy (according to my respiratory therapist.)
Do you have a male (fruitless, pollenating) tree right outside your window? That might mess with you in the spring.
Have you had a baby yet? My mom had terrible allergies and while pregnant with me was so worried about how she’d deal with no medication while pregnant.
Nine months later, I pop out and she’s much better! But guess what? I got the bad allergies now. I’m not having any babies.
I’ve done the shots, all the pills, right now Rhinocort seems to help. It seems my allergy problems goes in phases. I have good years and bad ones. I definitely avoid all milk (but cheese on pizza), and I’m terribly allergic to oranges and animals. Make sure to wash sheets at 1000 degrees with bleach (I forgot the real temperature number, really hot).
You might try the local honey thing. I know it sounds a little weird, but I learned about allergies (a little) in an immunology class. There are different immunogloulins in different parts of your body. The ones secreted in mucous are IgA and the ones in you bloodstream are IgG (IIRC, is there a Dr. in the house?). Therefore, depending on the route of exposure, the reaction varies. I didn’t pay alot of attention in that class, but I remembered that part (vaguely) cause it sounded like allergy shots were mostly quackery. My prof went on to explain that when a mother kisses a baby, they are sampling the bacteria around the baby’s mouth. Once in Mom’s digestive tract, Mom’s body makes IgA’s and secretes them in her mucous and breast milk. Baby drink milk and gets the IgA’s specific to the bacteria Mom sampled from baby’s face that can protect the baby from the bacteria.
I’m definitely getting the right dosage/formulation, since I just got tested a year ago and continue to get tested every 2 years. As I mentioned, the shots do help - they just aren’t gradually eliminating my reactions, as immunotherapy is intended to do. Just helping me to control them.
My doctor prescribed me Singulair a few years ago, but I didn’t notice a difference in my reactions. I tried Allegra a few years back as well and unfortunately it didn’t help much.
I wash my sheets once every 2 weeks, in hot water, with fragrance and dye free detergent. Between washings I spray the sheets with the Febreeze allergen reducer. I vacuum and dust once a week, and I have an air filter in the bedroom.
I just got a cat last Sunday, actually. I used to be allergic to cats as a kid, but that allergy faded away over the years. I haven’t noticed any change since she moved in.
There are a lot of large trees outside our apartment building. I’m allergic to birch, oak, and elm, and we have those all over the city, unfortunately.
I have bad allergies too - food (fruits & veggies), nuts and pollen etc … so I really sympathize.
This is the first summer in my life I haven’t been miserable - I’m pregnant and I guess the effect of my pregnancy on my immune system has worked to my benefit. I’m assuming my body is no longer ‘attacking’ the perceived allergens. But I really have no idea …
I have a friend who swears by the raw honey technique - the downside is he ate it for about a year before he saw any benefits. Raw honey should be available at most health food stores, farmers’ markets, etc.
Another thing he swears by is a herbal detox.
I have also heard that thistleweed (?) is an effective, natural remedy - you could ask about this at any health food / natural store.
