Kids and Allergies

Hi L.. I firmly agree with Sherry S. about the honey and the neti pot. My son was on allergy meds. The doctor just kept adding a new med on top of the old one each season. He was up to taking to by mouth and one nasal spray. I started giving him honey in tea in the morning. I believe tea has a lot of great benifits overall. We also do the neti pot when he has a bad allergy day. When he is really irritated, I put a few dros of tea tree oil in warm water in the bathroom sink and put a towel over his head to allow him to breathe in the steam. Also, you mentioned her eyes. I've talked to the eye doctor about this and he has said that pills don't effect eye allergies. He said it is a different receptor all together. We have allergy drops, Pataday, that work great. Visine Allergy drops have helped him in the past too. Good luck.

My little guy has the same thing. We did do the scratch test - which I highly recommend - because it gave me ways to treat it naturally. I thought it was dust and spend hours every day cleaning - ugh! Anyway, turns out it was ragweed and other outdoor issues. They recommend a drug but I chose something called a Netti Pot. Looks like a teapot, fill with warm purified water and some of the "salts" it comes with. He "rinses" his nose out with it each Am and PM - especially when he has the running nose and it works like a charm! I swear by it and even do it myself. I took a little while for me to get him to do it but I bribed him with a treat and tons of praise after he did it and now he does it no problem. They sell Netti Pots at CVS and most health food stores. HE has been doing it for about a year now and has not had a runy nose yet! Plus it has cut down on the number of colds that we all seem to get all year round. Hope it works for you! Good Luck!

If your child has allergies there is something in the body that needs a little immune boost - you can treat it naturally with whole food supplements. A great person to see is Doc McCullen - you can get the details at: docmccullen.com. She also has a nutritional analysis you can take.

L.,

I am a chiropractor at Fit for Life Health Services in Naples and we treat many children with allergy issues. It does depend on what type of allergy she has and if it is environmental or food related but standard process supplements have 2 great products: Allerplex and Antronex. Both are for allergy related issues and depend on the person for the right one but they are kid friendly also. Other than that I would just start keeping track of when the symptoms flare up and see what changes have occured in her environment or food during that time.
Warmly,
Dr. Jennifer Borgert, DC

We also just went to a pediatric allergist and had the 'contact' test done with my 14 mo old. It does not hurt nor break the skin, my son didn't even know it was happening when I held him on my lap - and he is a HUGELY sensitive baby. The entire test takes about 2 minutes to do, then wait 20 min for the results, that's it. I would recommend it as opposed to the blood test, as it has been proven to be far more accurate and you will then have the knowledge as to what exactly to avoid and treat.

As for seaonal discomfort and symptoms you could look at natural or homeopathic remedies including the nedi pot and natural honey, Hylands Allergy relief for kids and other brands make allergy and antihistimine products. Chiropracty has also been known to improve allergy symptoms, and my chiro is also a nutritionist as well, so lots of good natural recommendations. She also sells a kids allergy formula there (not her own, but a natural brand).

Good luck and feel free to email me if you want the Pediatric Allergist or Chiro name....

You can go to your pediatrician and they can usually drawn a bit of blood for allergy testing. She won't have to go through the scratch testing that way. I have a daughter with seasonal allergies and we give her medication starting about 3 weeks or so before her syptoms usually start in the late winter. She takes them at night time so they really don't make her drowsy or anything like that. She also sleeps with a cool mist humidifier in her room during allergy season. That helps a lot as well. Hope this is helpful to your situation. Good luck.

We had our daughter tested for allergies by a pediatric allergist when she was 4, nearly 5. The doctor did the skin test, but not a "scratch" but rather a skin "contact" test. It didn't break the skin. Turns out it was a good thing we did. She ended up having a severe food allergy! She is allergic to CORN (corn syrup, corn meal, corn flour, corn starch - etc.) and cats. She is allergic to dust, but it wasn't a huge weal like the food and cats were in comparison. She has been on a doctor controlled corn-free diet (that is tough, let me tell you) but her eczema and temperament are much improved. She was always fussy as an infant and suffered from various skin ailments! There is corn syrup in baby formula ... who knew! She has been diagnosed with asthma also since all this testing occurred, but we manage her symptoms with singulair daily.

Long story, but I am happy knowing what she is truly allergic to and Dr. Patricia Martin was a great find for us! Good luck.

Hi L.,

Our family isnt into drugs either
(though I admit when it's tough, we use benedryl).
Some folks fall asleep with Benedryl.
I never did, and the docs put me on it at 7
(my folks thought a pill was the greatest answer
to all the worlds problems). I used it as an excuse
to go sit in the cozy corner in class, and read.

I've found great success now, with using a neti pot.
Using the neti keeps the entire nasal cavity flushed.
You dont say how old your kids are, but most over 5 would think it's cool, once they get the hang of it.
(saline is poured in one nostril,
and pours out the other...great lessons
and had an "eww gross" kind of appeal to my son)

If your kids allergies are pollen related,
many folks find great success with administering
a spoon of LOCALLY harvested honey each day,
(during pollen season)
which builds a resistance to the pollen.

I applaud you for teaching your kids
to be wary of drugs of all forms.

:)
S.

My daughter has had allergies and eczema since she was born and we didn't find out what the allergens were 'til she was one. If you have your daughter allergy tested, it makes it so much easier to prevent, or even eliminate, flare-ups. They can do a prick test and/or blood work to figure it out. You may be surprised to find out what she's allergic to and may be safeguarding her from the wrong ones. My daughter takes a Rx antihistamine, that does not make her drowsy, called Atarax (generic is HydrOXYzine HYDROCHLORIDE). Benadryl works fast, but also typically makes you very drowsy, so I personally do not give it to her.

Best of luck to you and your daughter. Allergies can be hard to deal with, but once you get a handle on it, quality of life for our children is so much better and worth all the work.

I have horrible allergies and have been a loyal Zyrtec user for years, even when it was prescription only. They have children's Zyrtec and I would highly recommend it. I take Zyrtec daily and do not feel "drugged" as I have with other medications. Zyrtec can make you a little sleepy, so I take it at bedtime and have no problem. It's 24 hour release and if I have symptoms, I notice they calm down within an hour of taking it. I did allergy shots for years since I was 3 and no shots or drugs ever compared to the relief of Zyrtec. I am allergic to plants, damp night air, outdoors, animals, dust, pollen and have serious food allergies. I would irritate the lining of my lungs and cough up blood. So when I tell you this works for me, I mean it. Good luck.

Children's Zyrtec seems to work well, and my 7yo does not appear drugged, sluggish, etc. He hasn't said that it seems to affect him (unlike Benadryl). Also, you can look on pollen.com (enter your ZIP code) to see what the major allergens are each day & maybe keep tabs on what exacerbates her symptoms. Good luck -

I have allergies as well and benydral helps tremendously. I am sure you can purchase it in child strength.