Allergic rhinitis is a common disorder which is characterized by spasmodic attacks of severe sneezing and nasal discharge. It affects young adults from the age of 15 onward, and also both sexes are affected.
The predisposing factors
Heredity is a main factor. If both parents are allergic, the risk of allergic rhinitis in children are high.
Hormonal factors.
Climate-humidity and atmospheric factors play an important role.
Emotional factors-psychological factors also have a role in allergic rhinitis.
Precipitating factors can also be-
1. External factors like-inhalants which can be dust, pollen, feathers, animal odor.
Food like eggs, fish, milk, citrus fruits.
Cosmetics and powders.
Irritants like fumes and smoke.
Infection like bacterial and fungal.
2. Factors within the body like -
Intestinal helminthes (worm infestations)
Tissue proteins.
Clinical features
Irritation in the nose is the starting symptoms.
Recurrent paroxysmal sneezing which exhausts the patient.
Copious watery discharge from the nose
Nasal obstruction due to venous stasis.
Anosmia (Loss of smell)-may be temporary or continuous.
Headache may be present.
Signs
Acute stage- the mucous membrane becomes pale with excessive watery secretions.
Chronic stage-the nose may appear to be normal or the mucosa is bluish or purplish due to venous stasis
Infection may occur along with it.
Polyps may be present.
Allergic salute-due to irritation to the nose with watering the patient frequently lift the tip of the nose upwards with palm. This is known as the salute sign.
Itching of the eyes, throat and ear. There may be a middle ear problem.
Asthma may be present.
CLINICAL TYPES
1. Seasonal- hay fevers due to pollen grains occur at the time of pollination.
2. perennial-affects the patient throughout the year.
Treatment
Keep away from triggering factors as mentioned above for a period of time.
Homeopathic treatment.
Since we cannot avoid some triggering factors like smoke and dust, complete cures with homeopathic medicines need a long time.
Medicines have to be changed frequently depending up the present symptoms, because symptoms' changes to the change of seasons, and also the type of predisposing factors. Once the acute symptoms' are controlled very well then the next step is to change the medicines to miasmatic level. Medicines like Ars alb, sabadilla, histamine, bromium , lemna minor, allium cepa are used frequently to control the acute episodes. This is followed by medicines like thuja, tuberculinum, sulphur, psorium etc; as deep acting miasmatic remedies. However, as long the patient is still in the surroundings of precipitating factors, complete cure is difficult.
