living with allergies/asthma with limited medications!

After having an anaphylaxis reaction to an antibiotic in 1997, my allergies went from minor sneezing, to asthma like symptoms, severe congestion, with hypersensitivity to pollens and mold. I tried several prescriptions (Flonase made me lose my sense of smell, Clarinex did nothing, Claritin D and Zyrtec both worked for about 2 years each, then I became immune to them, Allegra did nothing, Singulair raised my blood pressure, which in required blood pressure medicine to control, and this went on for some time) eventually I grew tired of trying new combinations each month, and spending the money, and decided to investigate other options to control my symptoms and make life more enjoyable. First, I cut out dairy, and noticed a significant reduction in mucus. I still eat ice-cream on occasion, and have found that some brands are not as bad as others. Switching to soymilk made a big difference. Cheese and other dairy products seemed to be fine, but the milk was the main one. Then, I started with the website www.aaaai.org/nab which is the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology. Their site offerred email alerts that told the pollen counts for my area on a given day. By tracking these updates, and charting my symptoms, I discovered that my worst days for asthma like symptoms were when the mold pollen was high. The mold claudosporium seemed to give me the most problems when it rose above a 3,000 count, and a quick google search on that mold provided information that it was known to cause allergies and asthma problems. Being an outdoor person, I couldn't just remain indoors, so I took several steps to breath easier. I began taking a quality multivitamin and vitamin C (as I have read that it helps reduce mucus production). I tried the generics out there first, but didn't find them successful. After adding some good vitamins, I borrowed a top notch air purifier from a friend, that was known for specifically reducing mold in the air. (I didn't really think it would do much, but borrowed it to humor my friend) It took about 3 days, but since then, I have not had an asthma attack at all, and my lungs are clear. Soon after making these changes, I became pregnant, and chose to battle my minor sniffles without decongestants and antihistamines, for the sake of the little one. Some congestion and sneezing followed, but nothing near what I had experienced before that time. This continued for the next year and a half. Recently I began taking a supplement that was designed to restore the good bacteria in the colon (thinking that maybe the anaphylaxis reaction had destroyed these.) I began taking them for another reason, but realized that since beginning them, I have not had any allergy problems, even when those around me are sneezing. I have never resumed antihistamines and decongestants and am currently doing better than those around me, as I am not sneezing or stuffy at all. I take the multivitamin, the additional supplement, and use the air purifier. The only prescription I take is Nasacort, and that is just a half dose each morning. No other prescriptions or over the counter antihistamines or decongestants. Life is good. Oh yeah, the site I order my vitamins from is www.shaklee.net/safeshopper