Asthma - Could Allergy Shots Help With Your Asthma

Asthma is a very scary condition for anyone to be diagnosed with. Young and old people alike can experience this particular condition. Often times one may not even know they have this condition until they are exposed to some sort of allergen or high impact sport or exercise. But, when an asthma attack does come on, a person must be prepared because you could wind up in the emergency room or worse. An asthma attack is a very serious experience that must be taken seriously because it can be fatal if not treated properly.

Since having an asthma attack means that the airways to the lungs are constricted you will not be able to breath if you are experiencing one. An attack can range in severity from very serious to a mild reaction. But, no matter what it must be treated properly. This means you will need an inhaler to assist your breathing. Getting through an attack with an inhaler is really the only effective way to bring the airways back to their normal condition.

Those of whom who are prone to attacks must carry their inhaler at all times because you never know when an attack may present itself. A visit to a friend's house with a cat, or a really dry cold winter day can bring on a sudden attack that can leave the affected person wheezing and gasping for air. This can be especially scary if the affected person is a child.

One such way to treat asthma, besides carrying an inhaler and taking your allergy medicine during the high allergy season, is taking allergy shots. Allergy shots can be a very effective way to treat this condition as they will lesson the reaction an affected person will have. Allergy shots are usually a four year program that an allergist or doctor will administer. The patient will undergo testing to find out just what they are allergic to the most. Once this is determined, a shots will be made with that exact allergen. The patient will be given small amounts of their particular allergens weekly.

The main purpose for undergoing an allergy shots treatment is that slowly the patient will build a tolerance to these allergens. This means that they will experience allergic reactions much less often and the severity of the attacks will also be lessened. Patients who receive treatment with an allergy shot program will experience a relief in their seasonal allergies as well.

And, although doctors will say an allergy shot program is not a cure for this kind of condition, patients are usually very pleased with the results of an allergy shot program. Doctors or allergists usually tell a patient that they will experience an eighty percent relief to their symptoms.

However, a patient will still need to carry their inhalers at all times. And allergy medicine will still be needed to get through those tough times to relive some symptoms.