Debra asks:<\/p>\n
Hi Doug,<\/p>\n
Why is it so difficult to find treatment info. on food<\/a>\/drinks that cause skin reactions? When I drink coffee, tea, or certain red wine my skin itches and gets bumpy. I look for relief and all of the overcounter meds. say Itchy eyes, runny nose, etc. nothing refers to “itchy skin”. What helps for it?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Note:<\/b> This is my opinion and is not to be taken as qualified medical advice.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n You are right, Debra, this is very frustrating!<\/p>\n I will take some work and research to confirm this, but I suspect that allergy relief medicine<\/strong> concentrates on the symptoms that are most easily managed. The skin is a very complicated organ, and probably is harder to manage with allergy medication. <\/p>\n There is also the issue of over the counter medicine<\/strong> vs. prescription allergy medicine<\/strong>. The medication that addresses skin may tend towards prescription medicine.<\/p>\n An over the counter antihistamine<\/strong> may help with your symptoms. I also suggest you talk to your doctor about what allergy medication may be appropriate for your symptoms<\/p>\n Having said this, I would like to suggest that you address the root cause<\/strong> of your allergies rather than the allergy symptoms.<\/strong> Taking allergy medications and drinking more coffee is a band-aid solution that may not serve you well. Countering some allergy symptoms<\/a> does not necessarily eliminate all the symptoms. <\/p>\n For example, one common allergy symptom is fatigue<\/a>. As much as coffee may wake you up, it may also cause fatigue if this is one of your symptoms.<\/p>\n A better approach is to cut down or eliminate the foods that cause your allergies<\/a>. Try cutting out coffee, tea<\/a> and red wine<\/a> for three months, then try yourself an just a little occasionally and see how you do. Providing your body with this kind of allergy relief may eliminate the problem. Or you may find you can do without these foods and therefore skip on the allergy symptoms.<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\nDoug’s Allergy Answer…<\/h2>\n