When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, I didn't know what I was going to do. After the devastation subsided, I decided to take a very standard, western approach to my healing. Although initial efforts were successful, my cancer recurred a few months later. I endured many additional months of treatment before I started focusing on myself. I decided it was time to incorporate complimentary alternative treatments into my healing regimen, including massage therapy. I can't even begin to tell you how much it changed my life. My healing became a process, instead of something I simply had to endure. I hope that the articles on my website can inspire you to stay open-minded about your own healthcare.
When you are at home, you know exactly what causes you to have an allergic reaction. However, traveling is another matter altogether. Plants you have never been exposed to before may now threaten the fun you have, or exotic animals may create a new allergic reaction in you. How do you deal with that? Do you simply suffer through it because you are on vacation? That is no way to travel and have fun, but if you talk with your allergy specialist before you leave you can prevent these things from happening. Here is how.
Tell Your Allergist Where You Are Headed
When you talk to your allergist, tell him or her where you are headed. Many plants to which you are already allergic have cousins in other parts of the country. For example, you may be allergic to certain flowering plants in the Northern half of the U.S., in which case you may be seriously allergic to the magnolia trees that dot the Southern half of the U.S. To confirm that there may be some possible issues, your allergist can run a new series of tests based on the plant and animal species you may encounter while you are on vacation.
Allergy Tests for Exotic and Foreign Plants and Animals
Your biggest concerns while traveling with allergies are going to be plants and animals that you have never been exposed to before. (Dust and other common allergies like cat dander are tested for most often, so you will already know that you have these allergies and know how to deal with them.) Because of these new experiences, new plants and new animals, you can ask your allergist/allergy specialist to test for anything exotic or foreign that you may encounter in the surroundings at your destination. Then you will know if you need to pack extra medications to combat these previously unknown allergies and can deal with them when the need arises.
Do Not Forget About New Food Allergies and Contact Dermatological Reactions
Also be sure to test for food allergies and dermatological allergies. What you may encounter at your destination may not be just upper respiratory allergies, but food allergies or contact dermatitis reactions. Some people are quite shocked to learn that they are allergic to foods they have never tried before when they try them for the first time on vacation! You do not want to be that far from home and in a hospital because you swallowed something that caused an anaphylactic response! Contact a business, such as The Regional Allergy Asthma & Immunology Center, PC, for more information.
Share26 May 2016
