Lesser Known Facts About Allergy-Induced Asthma And How To Treat It

Posted on: 30 September 2017

You can have an allergy. You can have asthma. You can only have asthma when an allergy triggers it, but you cannot trigger an allergy with asthma. Strange, is it not? That said, there are some lesser-known facts about allergy-induced asthma and how to treat it.

Rate of Occurrence 

Believe it or not, allergy-induced asthma occurs in one out of every thirteen people. That is a lot of people who get asthma attacks when their allergies flare up! The really strange part about this type of asthma is that people who have it do not get asthma attacks the rest of the time. It is only when an allergen activates a histamine reaction in the sinus passages.

Prevention of One Condition Prohibits the Other

If you are wondering how to treat this condition, it helps to know that preventing the one condition prohibits the other. If your allergies are completely under control and you are on regular medication for allergies, you will not experience an asthma attack. Of course, this only applies to people who have allergy-induced asthma, not just asthma by itself.

Oddly enough, this also works for people who frequently have panic attacks and have anti-anxiety medication to control the panic attacks. Treating the anxiety with medication stops the panic attacks (or at least decreases them significantly). By arresting the anxiety and medication, these people also arrest the asthma that can follow a panic attack.

Minimal Exposure Therapy

Besides pills and inhalers, one treatment for allergy-induced asthma that has shown to be successful is minimal exposure therapy. Your allergist and asthma specialist exposes you to very small amounts of an allergen, wait for a reaction, and then try to extend the length of time to which you are exposed. The idea is to prolong the exposure and reaction time, learning to breathe slowly to prevent an asthma attack rather than to go into a state of panic, breathe faster, and immediately treat it with an inhaler.

This treatment method is a good idea for anyone that does not like the side effects of medication, or who would rather handle the attacks and allergies with more natural approaches. It works best for those with a mild to moderate reaction to their dual condition. For people with much more severe allergies, medication may be the only treatment that can help. Talk to your doctor to see if you can try this approach with your allergy-induced asthma treatment.

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