Environmental allergies

“It makes little sense to try to treat a problem when you can completely get rid of it by getting rid of the source,” says Dr. Bradley E. Chipps, Medical director of the Cystic Fibrosis Centre, Capital Allergy & Respiratory Disease Center in Sacramento, California. So do everything you can to keep pesky allergens away from your child. For tips on how to do this, see Avoid allergy triggers.

When avoiding the allergen is impossible, or your child’s symptoms won’t subside, you can turn to medications like antihistamines or decongestants. Nasal sprays and a steamy bath can help relieve sinus congestion. But make sure to speak with a physician before giving any medicine to your child.

Immunotherapy, or allergy shots, are another form of allergy treatment. A shot containing a small dose of an allergen (i.e. cat dander) is injected under the skin. Over time, the dose is increased and the child’s body builds up a tolerance to the allergen. “It’s a way to educate the immune system to really help decrease the allergy,” says Virant. Another added bonus: “allergy shots have been shown to decrease the chance of children who already have allergic rhinitis of developing asthma,” says Chipps.

The shots must be administered once a week until the child’s allergies improve (about two to three months). Then, depending on the child’s symptoms and reactions to the shots, the child can receive an injection less frequently – once in two to four weeks or every three to six months, says Chipps. But this can take anywhere from three to seven years or more, depending on the child and the severity of the allergy. And there’s no guarantee that your child will be immune to the allergen forever.

Food allergies

“The most effective management of allergy is identification of the offending agents and then avoiding them as much as possible,” says Bahna. Read food labels and become familiar with other names for that allergen. Those allergic to milk, for instance, must also look for key words such as whey and casein (the protein in milk) and those who can’t eat eggs should look for words like ovalbumin, ovomucoid and ovomucin. Consult your doctor for a list of products you should avoid.

If a trigger food is eaten accidentally, an oral antihistamine can be used to treat mild symptoms such as stomach upset, rash or hives. More serious anaphylaxis reactions, however should be treated with epinephrine and followed immediately by a visit to a physician or hospital.