Originally Posted by 'nother
There is another more correct train of thought that if these exposures are not carefully controlled and monitored, you can actually worsen the allergy. Eventually most people get used to their own cat? Hogwash. Eventually most people (who are allergic) get rid of their own cats because it becomes increasingly difficult to deal with the symptoms. This is confirmed by my own doctor, and a friend who has a cat and is now taking Benadryl + Claritin every night before bed and it's still barely enough to get through the night. When she first got the cat she had no problems; it has worsened over time.
Yeah, they all told me that too, and hogwash nothing!
My allergies were not just severe--they were life threatening! I went to every doctor, allergist, and took every pill on the market--and if any of it worked, I'd have just kept right on with it--but nothing worked!
Oh, the asthma/bronchitis? Yeah, it was bad, but an inhaler turns all that into a minor inconvenience. In my case, it was the edema--where my allergies would cause water accumulation in various parts of my body--most severe when it went into my throat, and cut off my breathing, and in the corneas of my eyes, which would swell to where I couldn't see, and was warned that one day, my corneas could pop and I'd go blind! Almost didn't make it to the emergency room more than once.
I just didn't feel like laying down and dying so I took responsibility for my own health and life. Threw out the pills, fired the doctors, and oh, lowered my stress level by quitting my job!
So changed my diet, started my own business, and against all medical advice, started exercising fanatically as if my life depended on it--because it did!
No more doctors, no more pills, no more allergies, and now hardly work outside of tax season--and my earnings have skyrocketed.
And oh, my cat? She came into my life with an infectious desease, FIP, which is 100% fatal--I almost came to blows with the vet to keep her from being put down. The vet gave her 2 months to live and told me I was being cruel keeping her alive--that was 5 years ago and she's as healthy as I am, and sleeps on my head!
And most people I know who are also allergic to cats do eventually get used to their own. Alternatively, allergists can treat severe cat allergies by giving you a series of shots--those shots are nothing more than concentrated cat dander! The logic is that by increasing your exposure to the allergen, your immune system will automatically build defenses against it. It doesn't work for everyone though.
Children who grow up on farms rarely develop allergies, while an increasingly higher percentage of those who grow up in sterile environments do-this is currently attributed to the belief that the lack of exposure to allergens prevents their immune systems from developing the proper defenses.
It is this "train of thought" that drove my decision, and hey! For me, it's been working amazingly well! I believe that pills may have their benefits, but should only be used as a last resort, not your first option.
You of course, can believe whatever you wish.