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How do I get Rid of Allergies?
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Unfortunately, there is no medical cure for allergies. If you want to get rid of allergies, you typically have to concentrate on relieving your allergy symptoms and avoiding allergens rather than ridding yourself of allergies altogether. Some people do grow out of allergies, especially those involving food, but many people deal with allergy symptoms their entire lives.
When you want to get rid of allergies, you may focus on symptom control. There are many allergy medicines on the market called antihistamines. Antihistamines work by blocking chemicals called histamines that are naturally released in the body in an effort to fight allergens. It is histamines that are responsible for many of the symptoms that occur in allergic reactions, especially sneezing and itching. While antihistamine medication will not get rid of allergies altogether, they may help you feel more comfortable for a few hours; there are even some that are supposed to help control allergy symptoms for an entire 24-hour period.
![Eliminating pet dander can help minimize allergies in some people.](http://images.wisegeek.com/slideshow-mobile-small/cat-shedding.jpg)
Besides medication, avoiding allergens may help you to minimize your allergy symptoms. If you are allergic to cats or dogs, for example, you may choose to avoid them. If you plan to have them as pets despite your allergies, however, there are still ways to minimize your allergy symptoms. For instance, you may vacuum and clean frequently in the hopes of getting rid of pet dander. You may also keep your pets out of your bedroom, so you won’t be surrounded by allergens when you go to bed each night.
![Avoiding allergens will help alleviate symptoms.](http://images.wisegeek.com/slideshow-mobile-small/woman-with-tissue.jpg)
Taking steps to minimize your exposure to non-pet-related allergens may also help you stay more comfortable. For example, if you are allergic to pollen and other allergens found outdoors, you may minimize their presence in your home by removing your shoes as soon as you enter your home. By doing so, you can avoid tracking allergens throughout your home and suffering from effects long after you have gone inside. You may also find that showering and washing your hair after spending time outdoors helps to minimize your allergy symptoms.
![Immunotherapy is one treatment for allergies.](http://images.wisegeek.com/slideshow-mobile-small/allergy-injection.jpg)
There are also medical treatments that may help you to get rid of allergies or at least minimize your symptoms. For example, you may submit to immunotherapy in an effort to get rid of allergies. Immunotherapy involves injections with allergens in the hopes of stimulating your immune system. Over time and with increasing levels of injected allergens, your immune system may become more tolerant of the allergen, and your symptoms may diminish.
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Discussion Comments
@iluviaporos - There have actually been some breakthroughs in modern medicine when it comes to food allergies in particular. They have had some success with one of those cures where they slowly build up resistance to a particular allergy by feeding the person with minute traces of the allergen over time until they can eat a lot of it without a reaction.
But this is something that needs to be done with a doctor. The amounts they give people are so small it's not possible for a person to measure them without special equipment and even then there is a risk.
@browncoat - It's never a bad thing for someone to try and improve their health, but I will warn that if you have a severe allergy, particularly a life threatening one, don't try to solve it on your own. For one thing, natural remedies for allergies are almost certainly not going to make enough difference to your condition to risk it.
For another thing you have no idea what will work and what won't. Most things won't and you'll be risking your life if you don't use conventional medicine the way you're supposed to. Unfortunately, most people with real allergies just have to learn how to live with them and take preventative measures, rather than trying to find a cure.
Another thing you might want to try is just becoming healthier in general. I've noticed that my allergies become much worse when I let myself get into a more unhealthy state, like when I don't exercise enough or get enough of a particular vitamin.
This isn't going to be true for all allergies, of course, but if you are bothered by a mild allergy or one that seems to come and go you might give it a try and see if improving your health helps at all.
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