J. Douglas Bremner
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 Since they have active ingredients that work on other brain and body functions, even the most benign of these drugs (such as antihistamines) should be used with care if not caution.
ANTIHISTAMINES
Drugs developed for the treatment of allergies have also been found to have sedative properties that are useful for treating insomnia, and there are versions available both by prescription and over the counter. The most commonly prescribed antihistamine for insomnia is hydroxyzine (Atarax, Vistaril). |
Bottom Line Health
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| Also, antihistamines are not as effective as nonbenzodiazepines.
Best if you: Experience occasional insomnia.
Caution: If you start to experience insomnia regularly, discontinue antihistamines. See your doctor for a prescription medication that treats insomnia effectively and quickly.
•Melatonin is a hormone that affects the body's sleep-wake cycle. A recent review by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) showed that it is not an effective sleeping pill but is useful in changing the timing of sleep.
Best if you: Have trouble getting to sleep before 3 am or 4 am and then sleep until noon. |
J. Douglas Bremner
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| Side effects are similar to those of the older antihistamines. With all of the antihistamines, drowsiness is dose dependent. It is best to start with a low dose and work up.
One of the best-selling allergy medications on the market is deslorata-dine (Clarinex), a newer-generation antihistamine medication that is marketed as a magic bullet for allergies. What most people don't know is that Clarinex is merely an old drug, loratadine (Claritin), that is being marketed by the drug company as new and improved. |
Gerald E. Markle and Frances B. McCrea
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 ALTERNATIVES
For many years, I took antihistamines for allergies to grass and pollen. I'm not sure if they helped, but they did make me drowsy and dull (and gave me an excuse for the latter). For the past few years, I've taken an extract of nettle leaves. It seems to relieve my allergy symptoms. Fran wonders if the benefit results from a placebo effect. If so, it's fine with me. I'm all for placebo healing. |
Herbert Ross, DC with Keri Brenner, L.Ac.
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 Avoid alcohol, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, and antihistamines in the evening. These can relax throat muscles to the point of collapse.
Restless Legs Syndrome
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is an unpleasant sleep disorder in which sufferers often feel creeping, crawling, prickling, burning, itching, or tugging sensations in their legs while resting or sitting for extended periods of time. Sometimes the arms may be affected as well. At night, the sensations can be so bothersome that people with RLS feel the need to move their legs and often cannot get to sleep until the discomfort subsides. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
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 That's one reason why a side effect of antihistamines is difficulty in achieving orgasm.) According to the Tropical Plant Database website, a prohistamine like maca might have exactly the opposite effect of an tfTzr/histamine. It might make it easier for men and women who have trouble reaching orgasm to achieve it.
Natural Prescription for Impotence (Libido)
Horny goat weed, standardized to
10 percent icarlin: 2-4 500 mg capsules
Maca: 1,800-2,500 mg
L-arginine: 1,000-2,000 mg
Zinc: 25 mg
Note: All dosages are daily dosages and come in pill or capsule form unless otherwise noted. |
| Antihistamines like Benadryl and Tavist D can help, but they can cause drowsiness (no wonder the labels tell you not to use them while operating cars or machinery!). Nasal decongestants can help, but they're also not without possible side effects (restlessness, irritability, and insomnia are among the most common). And while most of these are probably safe, I can't help remembering that one "safe" nasal decongestant—phenylpropanolamine—was pulled off the market a few years ago after it was found to be linked to an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke in women aged 18 to 49. |
| Symptoms will improve gradually, and you'll very likely see a decreased need to use antihistamines.
Bugs That Make You Well
Now for the bugs. Probiotics is the name for a general class of "good" bacteria that are absolutely essential for the proper functioning of the digestive system. If digestion isn't working properly, the body is more prone to allergies and skin disturbances.
A 2007 Swedish study published in the American Journal of Allergy and Clinical
Immunology reported that probiotic-supplemented children of mothers with allergies experienced significant reductions in eczema. |
| The arsenal of conventional medical treatments pretty much consists of symptom-treating steroids, antihistamines, and even antibiotics. These treatments will most definitely provide short-term relief, but they in no way address the root cause of the eczema. Moreover, and especially in the case of antibiotics, they will probably do more damage to your health in the long term.
If you want to heal eczema naturally, a great place to start is by examining possible food triggers. |
Bottom Line Health
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| The medications Kim has the most trouble obtaining for her patients are nonsedating antihistamines and Xolair (omalizumab), an injectable medication that is used to treat severe asthma, she says.
"The problem with preferred drug lists is that it's all about the dollar. It's not a list that's preferred by physicians or by patients" based on what works best, says Sander.
THE SECOND STUDY
The second—and more alarming—study detailed reports of the improper substitution of nebulizer medications. |
Andreas Moritz
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 The ban applies to decongestant use in children under 2, and antihistamines in those younger than 6. The products include approximately 800 popular medicines that are sold in the U.S. under names like Toddler's Dimetapp, Triaminic Infant and Little Colds, according to a report in The New York Times. It is expected that all infant cough and cold products will eventually be removed from the market. Until then, make sure to avoid any and all cough syrups and decongestants for your children, regardless of the age group. |
| Taking analgesics or other pain-relieving medications such as antihistamines and antacids can cause irreversible damage in your body. They not only fail to address the real problem (which may be dehydration), but they also cut off the connection between the neurotransmitter, histamine, and its subordinate regulators, such as vasopressin, Renin-Angiotensin (RA), prostaglandin (PG), and kinins. Although the action of pain-killing drugs can relieve localized pain for a while, it also precludes your body from knowing the priority areas for water distribution. |
Brigitte Mars, A.H.G.
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 Urtication energizes the nerves, muscles, capillaries, and local lymphatic system and causes the body to secrete antihistamines. It can help relieve the pain of arthritis, coldness in the extremities, gout, lumbago, muscular weakness, multiple sclerosis, neuritis, palsy, rheumatism, sciatica, and tendonitis (chronic).
Topically, nettle can be used as a hair rinse to treat dandruff and hair loss, a cleanser for oily skin, a sitz bath for hemorrhoids, a wash for sunburn, a douche for vaginitis, and an enema for detoxification. |
Bottom Line Health
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| Medications, such as antibiotics, narcotics, barbiturates and antihistamines, can trigger a fever as well. Cancer, especially leukemia or lymphoma, can cause a persistent fever of 100°F to 101°F.
Myth 3: Fever should always be treated.
Most of the time, you don't need to do anything to reduce a fever. Unless it goes quite high (above 104°F in an adult), it causes no permanent damage—but you will feel uncomfortable. Some doctors suggest letting a fever run its course. That way, you won't undermine your body's natural defense process. |
| Caution: If you start to experience insomnia regularly, discontinue antihistamines. See your doctor for a prescription medication that treats insomnia effectively and quickly.
•Melatonin is a hormone that affects the body's sleep-wake cycle. A recent review by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) showed that it is not an effective sleeping pill but is useful in changing the timing of sleep.
Best if you: Have trouble getting to sleep before 3 am or 4 am and then sleep until noon. This is most common among the elderly, adolescents who have insomnia and travelers who have jet lag. |
| Don't take over-the-counter (OTC) antihistamines or decongestants. They dry mucus and impede normal drainage.
•Ask your doctor about sumatriptan (Imi-trex). This medication, typically prescribed for migraines, can relieve sinusitus symptoms, postnasal drip, nasal congestion, a sense of fullness or pressure in the face, etc. This drug is effective in approximately 75% of cases.
•Irrigate with a weft' pot. Available in natural-health stores, a neti pot looks like a small teapot. It is used to flush a saline solution through the nose, nasal passages and sinuses. |
Joerg Gruenwald, Ph.D.
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 Drug Interactions: Enhancement of anticholinergic action by tricyclic antidepressants, amantadine, antihistamines, pheno-thiazines, procainamide and quinidine.
OVERDOSAGE
Because of the high content of scopolamine in the drug, poisonings lead at first to somnolence, but then also, after the intake of very high dosages, to central excitation (restlessness, hallucinations, deliria, manic episodes), followed by exhaustion and sleep. Lethal dosages carry with them the danger of asphyxiation (for adults starting at 100 mg atropine, with an alkaloid-rich drug at 30, considerably less for children). |
J. Douglas Bremner
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| Waiting to Inhale: Medications
Treatment for allergic and nonallergic asthma is similar, with the exceptions that removal of allergens is not part of the therapeutic approach toward nonallergic asthma and that antihistamines do not have therapeutic benefit. In addition, individuals with nonallergic asthma may need to take medications more long term, whereas those with allergic asthma may only need treatment when they are exposed to allergens (such as during springtime, when exposure to pollen is unavoidable). |
Andreas Moritz
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| Among these are antibacterial agents such as Sulfa; the aforementioned PABAs and other sun lotion ingredients; hypoglycemic agents used by diabetics; diuretics for control of high blood pressure; tranquillizers and anti-depressants; broad-spectrum antibiotics; anti-arrhythmic Quinidine used to suppress abnormal heart rhythms; halogenated, antiseptic compounds used in cosmetics; many types of soaps; synthetic ingredients in most commercial beauty products ; and antihistamines used for colds and allergies. |
Joan Liebmann-Smith, Ph. D., and Jacqueline Nardi Egan
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 The most common culprits are blood thinners, antihypertensives, antihistamines, steroids, asthma medicines, antidepressants, diuretics, and high doses of vitamin C.
A hoarse voice may also signal iron deficiency anemia, as well as a host of serious autoimmune condi-
. , ,. , . SIGN OF THE TIMES tions including myasthenia gravis, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome, and sarcoidosis. (See
A popular myth in China is that if a pregnant woman eats chicken or rabbit, her baby
Appendix I. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 Which common ailments and "diseases" are actually caused by dehydration
Why many doctors use water-regulating antihistamines to alleviate pain
How Dr. Batmanghelidj unintentionally discovered water's healing properties
Why most people are chronically dehydrated and suffer from symptoms of dehydration that are labeled "diseases"
Which ingredients in soft drinks deplete the body's water reserves
Why thirst is not a reliable indicator of dehydration
Why the body produces cholesterol and how water keeps it in balance
Why Dr. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
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 Well, of course, it is the prescription of antihistamines, or drugs that are designed to counteract the histamines produced on purpose by the body in order to conserve water. These antihistamines then open up the capillaries in the lungs, making breathing seem easier. As you can see here, then, the conventional medicine approach treats nothing but the symptoms, and in doing so it counteracts the body's own intentions and strategies in trying to conserve water. What patients with asthma really need is lots of water on a regular basis, not histamine prescription drugs.
As Dr. |
Hyla Cass, M.D.
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 Side effects: They can cause dangerously high blood pressure if taken with decongestants, antihistamines, or foods containing tyramine, such as cheese or red wine.
Nutrients depleted: Phenelzine (Nardil) depletes vitamin B6.
Needed supplements: Vitamin B6 (25-50 mg daily); sufficient amounts may be part of your multivitamin. |
Linda B. White, M.D.
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 Blend a few drops of peppermint essential
Antihistamines: No Antidote for Sinus Trouble
Beware over-the-counter sinus remedies because many contain antihistamines. antihistamines thicken mucus, making it harder to expel, and can cause drowsiness. Commonly used antihistamines are diphenhydramine, brompheniramine, chlorpheniramine, and phenyltoloxamine. Studies have failed to find that combination antihistamine-decongestant drugs do any good for sinus infections. oil in a tablespoon of vegetable or nut oil and rub this blend into your temples (don't get it in your eyes). |
Marshall Editions
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 They may be given salbuterol to treat wheezing, and an intravenous steroid such as methylprednisolone. antihistamines, which are commonly used to treat allergy symptoms, and epinephrine, a hormone that can combat the chemicals released by the body in an allergic reaction, may also be given intravenously. Some or all of these measures may be needed depending on the severity of the reaction. Moderate allergic reactions are also treated with epinephrine, which can be given with an "epi pen" (available by prescription). |
| Medications such as epinephrine and steroids may be given at the hospital, and antihistamines and steroid creams may be prescribed when the patient is discharged.
TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE
Herbs: Combine 15 g of Jin Yin Hua (honeysuckle flower) and 15 g of Jing Jie (schizonepeta stem and bud). Boil the ingredients in 5 cups of water for five minutes, strain the liquid, and add it to a container that is large enough to bathe the affected area. Soak the bite in this herbal bath once a day for as long as required. The herbs are available from Chinese pharmacies or online. |
Dr. Timothy Scott
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 When he experimented with antihistamines (commonly taken today by those with asthma or allergies), he found the class of drugs he needed.
Antihistamines block the effects of histamine, a chemical our bodies produce as an immune system response to any plant or substance to which we are allergic. When histamines are released, our nose runs, eyes water and sneezing and itching begin. These are discomforting effects, but they are not life-threatening. However, a surge of histamines is also released when a serious wound occurs or when the chest is opened during surgery. |
Joan Liebmann-Smith, Ph. D., and Jacqueline Nardi Egan
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| For example, hypohidrosis and anhidrosis—which can affect small or large areas of the body—can be a reaction to a number of medications, especially antihistamines or the drugs used to treat excessive sweatangina, psychiatric disorders, and tify us, according to a recent study in muscle cramps can cause these Austria. The researchers also found that nonexistent sweating can be evidence of damage to sweat glands from burns and other injuries, as well as various skin diseases. |
Marshall Editions
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| Oral antihistamines: This class of drugs, also called histamine one blockers, such as Benadryl® and Atarax®, can relieve itchiness. Calamine used topically is also useful.
Hydrocortisone cream: For moderate cases, this topical corticosteroid, should be tried first. It is available over the counter. It should not be used over large areas of the body.
Potent topical corticosteroids: Stronger potency topical corticosteroids, such as clobetasol or betamethasone dipropionate, are used for more severe rashes. |
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