Environmental Allergies Support Group

There are a couple of harmless things you can try. Eat lots of garlic, and if you don't like it, take garlic pills. Take fish oil, or cod liver oil. Buffered vitamin C powder. Won't cure, but might help with general overall inflammation.

Thanks lobeliapeppergrass (what a name that is). I will definitely try that. Immunotherapy takes a year to kick in at the very least, so it's something to do in the mean time I suppose.

To anyone looking for medication:

I've tried a million different nasal sprays (allergy and steroid) and the only one that has ever worked for me is Azelastine. Most doctors don't prescribe it because it's relatively new, but give it a go. It's specifically meant for allergic rhinitis.

I have the same exact thing I'm 19 years old and it started when I was 15. My allergist kept saying I had severe allergic rhinitis and there was no way to cure it an lucky me I'm allergic to antihistamines. I went from doctor to doctor to try to find a cure and every medical doctor said oh well there’s nothing I can do. Finally I started going to naturopathic physicians and my allergies have improved so much. There is a reason you are allergic to all of those things. It could be a food sensitivity (a regular doctor will rarely diagnose food sensitivity only food allergy), a vitamin deficiency, a preservative allergy, or living somewhere with mold. My allergic rhinitis was triggered after I wore braces (I later found out I was allergic to them- I had no clue I just thought I felt sick because of regular allergies) because my immune system was suppressed during that period of time it created other allergens to everything. Also a skin test will come back positive to tons of things like that when you are having an allergic reaction to something (even not on the skin test) it could be anything. Now I avoid everything I'm allergic to including preservatives, food dye, food sensitivities, any chemical smells and it had made so much of a difference. Last of all I had experienced really painful sinus headaches and sleep difficulties and I went to this massage therapist that did cranial sacral therapy and I only get the headaches every once and a while.

Have you tried kenalog shots?

ay-yi-yii! I suffered for years; finally took allergy shots; just tested again & I'm down to only two inhalent allergies so starting shots again for those; they really helped as I used to be allergic to almost everything. Now, its the food culprits I'm after; much harder to diagnose; just had blood test (RAST) and will get results on Thur. Plan to eat only the ok foods from that list & add one food every 4 days on a rotation diet. I started the rotation diet without knowing what I was doing for sure; am reading like crazy & think I have a better handle on it now. Am much better on some days, but one day in particular is a problem; only a journal of what you ate & what symptoms you had will let you discover this. As soon as I get test results, I'll check to see if anything I'm allergic to is being eaten on that day's rotation; if so, I won't be eating it again. You have to start somewhere; start with foods while you wait to see an allergist if the doc you saw wasn't one or another allergist if he or she was. I didn't realize Canada's medical system was such a problem; hope we don't end up with one like that; with Medicare & a supplement, I can go to anybody anywhere whenever I can get an appointment, although that is sometimes weeks or months with some specialists. Good luck.