But the good news is that this nagging problem can be kept under the leash. So, let’s take steps to be in control of this.

You can do this in the following ways –

1. Seek the advice of an allergist or fix an appointment immediately, if you have been consulting one. With their special knowledge, they would be able to specify the allergy triggers. Moreover, they also aware of the latest available treatments of nasal allergies.

2. Prepare an ‘Allergy Action Plan’ after thoroughly interacting with your medical experts. In case you have asthma like many others, who suffer from nasal allergies, then you should develop an ‘Asthma Action Plan’. These action plans are basically documents that lists your allergy triggers and common symptoms, as well as the recommended measures that should be taken up to alleviate them, depending upon their degree of intensities of the asthmatic or allergic attacks.

3. Be part of the decision making process concerning the mode and treatments. Since it is your body, you should be able to do the most precise and objective analysis of the allergic condition. So, in order to manage it effectively, try to be enlightened about all the different facets of the allergies and interact with doctor actively about it.

4. Develop the knack to notice the allergy triggers. You can notice them only if you are aware of them. By this, you can even minimize the doses of medication needed to check the allergy. You should be particularly cautious of the most common allergy triggers like tree/weed/grass pollens, dust mites, mold, dust mites, insect dropping etc.

5. Take your medicines promptly. If you happen to take it throughout the year, then probably it is not a problem. But you may only suffer from it seasonally. In such cases, by the time you take your dose of medicines, chances are that, you are already afflicted by it. In order to effectively control your seasonal allergies, you should start the course of medicines one week prior to the beginning of the allergy season. This gives the required time for the medicines to have the effect on your body before the manifestation of the allergy triggers. For instance, if you suffer from tree pollen allergies, then it is better to be under the medication at least from the beginning of the month of March. Hence, consult your doctor much before that and be ready with some medicines.

6. You may also try some alternative treatments in order to check the allergy symptoms. Although they are not always dependable as compared to medicines, still they are much easier and less invasive options. And they are not as costly as medicines. Even if it wouldn’t fully cure the allergy, it may obviate the need for taking a full course of medicines. So, it is something worth trying. You can know more about the different alternative treatments for nasal allergy here.

7. Try to discern the different symptoms of common cold, allergies and asthma. Many of these symptoms are alike, but since the treatments are different, it is important to differentiate them to take up the right treatment at once. You can get to know more about them here.

8. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation has come up with certificate program to test the different products like toys and validate that they do not contribute towards the manifestation of the allergies. So, you can use some of the ‘allergy products’.

9. Know about things that can aggravate the allergy. Some of the most common allergy triggers have been enumerated in the 4th point. But there are some things that even though do not activate an immune system change like the allergies, can surely deteriorate the prevailing allergy symptoms. They include:

• Aerosol sprays
• Air pollution
• Cold air (outside or from air conditioning)
• High humidity
• Irritating fumes
• Tobacco smoke
• Wind
• Wood smoke

10. If unfortunately, your children suffer from allergies, try to educate the teachers and other staffs in the school about it. Tell them regarding the allergy and asthma triggers to make the class rooms and school surroundings safe for children suffering from it.

This original article is presented to you by MyHealthToday.com © 2010

It is not advisable to follow health rules blindly. The age-old advice of health experts like drinking lots of water, doing heavy work-outs, devouring tons of green salads may not hold true for some people and they may not even know it. For instance, take the case of Elaine Monarch. Her natural affinity for whole wheat bread and other cereal products got a boost, when her physician advised her to consume more of them, after a bout of bloating and diarrhea.

It almost proved fatal. She had celiac disease. Her immune system reacted to the glutens from the grains and in the process; tissues in her small intestine were distressed. Now, she avoids taking grains and instead, gets her share of fiber from nuts, fruits and food supplements. She has been working as the founder of the Celtic Disease Foundation.

The health rules that every American gets perennially from the health experts are indeed, right for most and the advices to quit smoking or to avoid foods trans-fats should be diligently followed. [quote]But some of the other general health rules may not be beneficial for everybody, as can be viewed from the fact that even the USDA has not placed a section for celiac disease, in their recommended food pyramid. The advices are based on the results of surveys, which may not always be all-encompassing. Even the success rate of a staggering 94 percent of the sampling studies, still leaves aside 6 percent of people, which may be a sizable population.

Dan Rod, MD, assistant vice chancellor for the personalized medicine at Vanderbilt University says in this regard, “The recommendation made by the health experts, may not always hold true in some individual cases.”

Hence, we analyzed some of the established health rules and sought the advices of the health experts about the precautions, just in case; they may prove to be otherwise.

Health rules about your exercise regimen

Recommendation: Excessive exercise is more beneficial than moderate ones

Be cautious, if you are fighting obesity. By indulging in vigorous exercises, you would feel exhausted too soon and as result, wouldn’t be able to burn sufficient calories to attain weight loss. Studies showed the amount of weight loss was around 15 to 18 pounds in women, who took up a lengthy but moderate exercise regimen as also with those who did strenuous workouts for shorter spells. In fact, a study conducted among 184 women in 2003, revealed that women who walked for two and half hours each week at a moderate speed and those who took up a more elaborate and vigorous exercise regimen, achieved the same level of weight loss. So, to fight obesity, take up such exercises that you can do for 30 to 40 minutes without gasping for air.

Recommendation: Walking is the easiest and best exercise

Do it in moderation if you have any cardiac ailment and on smoggy days. The dust particles present in the air on a smoggy day can accentuates the risk of a cardiac attack. So, on such days, it is better to do your workouts indoors, preferably in an air-conditioned room, as it can reduce the level of air pollutants by half.

Recommendation: Routine household activities like gardening can make you healthier

Be cautious, if you are suffering from any cardiac ailment and want to prevent a cardiac attack. While any sort of physical activities helps, the routine household works like cooking and washing may be too light and of short duration in order to prevent the risk of blockage of arteries and cardiac attack. On the other hand, the risks of cardiac attacks can be significantly reduced by doing moderate to heavy exercise 30 minutes every week. A brisk walk for two hours each week can reduce the risk of cardiac ailments by 50 percent, as revealed by a study carried out on around 40,000 women.

Recommendation: Swimming is the perfect aerobic exercise

The chlorine present in the swimming pool can lead to various allergies and disorders. This is more so in the case of children. People with asthma and children under the age of seven with any form of allergy, should also avoid getting into the pool and settle for some other form of aerobic exercise. Contrary to popular belief, swimming does not lead to a substantial weight loss, if you are fighting obesity.

Recommendation: Devouring lots of leaf green vegetables

Be careful if you are taking warfarin (Coumadin), the blood thinner drug, which is taken to prevent the harmful blood clots. It restricts the action of vitamin K, the vital component for blood-clotting. But taking high amount of vitamin K-rich leaf green vegetable like spinach, kale and Swiss chard can inhibit the effect of the drug. Hence, don’t eat too much of them. Thus, the common health rules of eating more leaf green vegetables can do more harm in this case.

Recommendation: Taking eight glasses of water daily

Be cautious of this health rules if you have bladder control problem. By moderating your fluid intake, you can avoid leaks. Take the advice of your doctor about how much water you should drink every day. If it is less than eight glasses, do not worry, as in any case, around one-fifth of the body’s water requirement is from the food, as per the National Health and Nutrition Examination survey. And if you pass light colored urine every eight hours, then in all probability, you are drinking sufficiently.

Health rules about the drugs you take

Recommendation: Low blood pressure is always better

This health rules may not be true if you have coronary artery disease (CAD). It is advisable to keep your blood pressure at 120/80, so as to prevent a cardiac attack or stroke. But very low blood pressure is risky, as the flow of blood through the narrowed vessels gets restricted. Study conducted among more than 22,000 patients who had CAD, revealed that a diastolic pressure of below 70, have twice the risk of cardiac attacks and deaths. Thus the health rules of having low blood pressure is not always good in every case.

But, for patients who had angioplasty or bypass surgery to clear blocked vessels or for the passage of the blood via another healthy vessel, having a low blood pressure is not risky.

Recommendation: Use of acetaminophen is safe and ideal for relief from pain like arthritis

Be cautious, if you regularly take wine (alcohol). Acetaminophen, in combination with alcohol, can damage the liver. So, the label of acetaminophen contains a warning to people who take three or more drinks regularly when using them. Donald Jensen, a board member of the American Lever Foundation warns that light drinks can also be damaging. According to him, you should take only 2 mg of acetaminophen on days when you drink; the recommended dose of 4 mg/day notwithstanding. The health rules of taking drugs have to be taken seriously and in accordance to what your physician prescribed.

Recommendation: Whole foods are better source for nutrients than pills

This health rules may not apply if you eat only vegetarian foods. You have to depend on pills to supplement your needs of vitamin D and B12, if you avoid taking eggs and milk. Recent researches propose that the recommendation for vitamin D should be 1,000 to 2,000 FU to be on the safer side than the presently recommended 200 to 600 IU. Though one can get enough iron from vegetarian foods, it needs a sensible planning. You should get your hemoglobin test done, if you tire easily.

Recommendation: In case of chronic pain, anti-inflammatory, non-steroidal medicines like Ibuprofen or prescription drug like Indocin are the safest and most effective

Be careful if you are above 65 years old. NSAIDS can lead to stomach ulcers and internal bleeding, especially among the elderly people. Experts say that deaths due to NSAID-related bleeding mostly occur among the aged persons. The best thing for persons over the age of 65 would be to consult their doctor. You can take other drugs like acetaminophen, corticosteroids or narcotic like Demerol, while diligently following the instructions of the doctor to take care of any side-effects or over-dependence.

Health rules are not to be followed blindly, consult your physician whenever you have doubts.