Sneezing Your Head Off?: How to Live with Your Allergic Nose

Running noses and antihistamines may not make for the most exciting of reads, but for someone suffering from allergies or a head cold, Boggs ( No More Running Noses ) has encouraging words. There's no need to suffer. Although no miracle drugs or cures exist, he emphasizes, steps can be taken by people whose physical well-being is temporarily distressed by pollutants, the environment or pets. Detailed chapters take on the causes of allergies, the benefits and down side of allergy shots, occupational rhinitis, house dusts, the various pollens that cause seasonal allergic rhinitis--and conditions that masquerade as allergic rhinitis. Although a series of questions and answers included in most chapters may seem gimmicky, the information will be valuable to sufferers and their families. Too often, Boggs claims, people take the wrong medication for their symptoms. User-friendly charts assess prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications. Equally important, the author provides lists of manufacturers of home air-filtration units, medications reported to produce nasal symptoms as an occasional side effect and sources for additional information. (Feb.)