Keep in mind that high exposure to your allergens can really impact your asthma, even if your asthma is not related to an Allergy. Why? The issue is that histamines (your body’s reaction to an allergy) also affect the respiratory tract, just like your asthma does.

The gold standard of treatment for most persistent asthma includes taking an inhaled steroid medication. Research shows that the bulk of hospitalizations due to an asthma attack are related to improper usage of their inhalers.

Adherence is the issue: you have to take the medication, as prescribed, in order to ensure effectiveness. Missing doses can actually mean a 50% increase in your chance of ending up in the hospital!

Unfortunately, if you don’t take your inhalant steroid properly, it can mean taking oral steroids. Oral steroids are associated with a higher degree of side effects, so you don’t want to end up on these kinds of drugs.

For most patients, the issue is control of the breathing problems. However, you can also have an ideal quality of life. If your asthma is well controlled, you should be able to enjoy all your desired activities, and have normal lung function.

This goal is even possible with the combination of allergies and asthma.

A key component to your ideal quality of life is to avoid your allergens. This strategy can include barriers to keep the pollen away from you, such as keeping windows in your home and car closed. However, you don’t always want to stay in. As a result, avoiding your allergens may also mean using products that help you to keep pollen out of your nose, such as Nasaleze.

Nasaleze is a spray of powder that you use in your nose. The powder is extremely fine cellulose and you use it just like any other nasal spray. It helps to create a natural barrier in your nose between you and your allergen. (For more information on how to avoid inhalant allergens, check out this article.)

In addition to avoiding your allergens as much as possible, you’ll need to see the right professionals to help you manage your condition. When you combine allergy and asthmatic symptoms, most people will need to see an allergist or immunologist who is also an asthma specialist.

This kind of professional will be able to determine a combination of drugs that will ensure the best treatment and control of your allergies, as well as the right protocol for your asthma. You will have to work with this professional; without good feedback from you on the efficacy of the medications, your doctor cannot fine-tune your regimen to the best program for you.

Having an allergist doesn’t mean that you can’t make use of alternative medicine to manage or support your condition; it does mean that you’ll have to be more careful. If you are already on steroids and other powerful drugs, you are never recommended to stop drugs cold turkey.

Further, you should always work with a trusted alternative medical professional that understands herbal and other remedies. Ideally, your alternative medical practitioner would work closely with your open-minded conventional doctor – but most of us will not be in this utopian situation.

Even the most conventional doctor will tell you that research into natural ways to manage allergies and asthma is underway and promising. One of the most promising herbal remedies for dealing with allergies is butterbur. In fact, Swiss researchers found that one dose of butterbur four times a day can be as effective as a popular antihistamine for hay fever.

Further, butterbur doesn’t cause drowsiness! Even if this herbal doesn’t completely control symptoms, it can help some to reduce the amount of other drugs that are required in order to control symptoms.