Archive for the ‘Allergies’ Category

Ragweed allergies commonly run from late summer until frost begins. The actual trouble with ragweed is that the spores of ragweed are very light, can travel great distances with air and are spread easily by the wind. Ragweed can mostly be found in the mid-west and east coast and generally the wetter and windier the weather the worse the conditions will be for ragweed sufferers.Diagnosis Ragweed is not the only allergenic problem for people especially with allergies in the fall. In many different ways fall is actually the opposite of spring. Where the beautiful season spring brings about life as flowers bloom, in fall vegetation begins to die and rot. When in combination with the damp and windy environment that season fall brings, the conditions can be ideal for mold growth.

Mold spores in this season often can lead to a trip to the emergency room for those who badly suffer from asthma.

Though the span of fall is short; it’s important to know the triggers and people must avoid them as much as possible. Eliminating allergens of the fall all together may not be a realistic goal but making good decisions can help reduce the exposure. If the allergies are severe people should try and change clothes after they come in from that beautiful fall walk in the park. People should never have to stay indoors and miss all that fall has to offer. In fact the cities Lexington and Kentucky have been named the worst city for spring or fall seasonal allergies for 2008 or the allergy capital of the United States as the city that is named number one is often called. Last year the city Lexington came in at the rank of 52 but the year 2008 has been a very wet spring and propelled Lexington to number one this year. Lexington was also ranked number one in 2005 but had better years in 2006 and 2007. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America generally considers four factors when ranking their list of cities; allergy prevalence, seasonal pollen levels, allergy medication use per patient, and the number of board-certified allergy specialists per patient.

Most of the top names for fall allergies this year came from cities on the east coast and mid west. The top city,Diagnosis in this ranking, on the west coast was San Diego which ranked as the 10th worst in the United States. West coast cities generally suffer more seasonal fall allergy problems in the summer and fall months when the weather becomes very hot and dry.

The changes in season for most Americans do not only bring different temperature and atmosphere, but also each of these seasons brings its own sort of irritants. For allergic people, these pollutants can cause post-nasal drips, coughing, sneezing, and many more allergic reactions. Furthermore, such changes can bring with them fatal, or near fatal, risk for those who are allergic to bee stings or who suffer from allergic asthma.

Whilst life threatening allergies should be treated as a major concern and therefore should be discussed with a health professional, there are several simple yet effective home remedies with time-tested process and day-today materials for ordinary allergies, that can ease some of the sniffling and sneezing.

Allergies can be compared to an extreme over-reaction within the immune system. The normal job of the immune system is to protect the body from suspected harmful substances such as bacteria and viruses that may intrude upon it. However, if you are an allergic person, your immune system exaggerates its reaction as you ingest, touch, or breathe substances that are otherwise harmless to non-allergic people. The culprit – dust, pet, pollen, etc., that triggers this overreaction is called an “allergen”.

Becoming allergic to a substance is dependent upon frequency of exposure. The more exposed you are to a specific allergen, the more your immune system is likely to react. On the lighter side, most types of mild and seasonal allergies or allergic reaction to animals such as cats can be treated by over the counter antihistamines together with several strategies to lessen the tendency of exposure to allergens. Let us look then at some home remedies that should help you avoid these allergens and relieve the symptoms if you should be exposed.

1. Stay away from the instigator. Once aware of the substance that causes your allergic reaction, the best way to avoid that particular allergic discomfort is to plan ahead to ensure you limit future exposure. If you are allergic to cats, avoid visiting homes of friends or family that own one. Where this is not practicable, then consider reducing your length of stay.

2. Rinse your eyes. When your eyes are irritated and itchy and there’s no allergy medicine available, simply rinse your eyes with cool clean water which will help soothe them. Although this remedy does no harm, do remember that antihistamines are usually more effective.

3. For congested sinus passages, a warm wash cloth is worth a try for making things flow easier. Put the cloth on the nose and upper cheek area and let it rest there for a few minutes.

4. Use of saline solution (salt water). For upper respiratory allergies, irrigating your nose with salt water can help, as it takes away irritants lodging in the nose that cause inflammation. Saline solution can also be used to irrigate some inflammatory cells. Saline solution is available in drugs stores, but you can make your own by mixing a teaspoon of salt in distilled warm water with a pinch of baking soda. Sniff a bit of solution into your nostril and allow it to drain back out through your nose or mouth. Do it twice a day. For those with a history of asthma, consult your doctor before trying this remedy.

5. Wash your hair after spending longer hours outside in the pollen season. This is to avoid allergens that may have collected on your hair falling on to your eyes.

6. Take an occasional hot shower throughout the day if you have your first coughing or sneezing attack of a known allergy condition. This will help keep you free of pollen deposits on your body throughout the rest of the day.

7. Wear sunglasses when going out in the windy pollen season. It can help shield your eyes from allergens present in the air.

8. Implement a NO-SMOKING Policy in your home. Smoke coming from tobacco is a significant irritant that can trigger irritating respiratory allergies.

9. In Spring, keep your windows closed. Whilst a fresh breeze is usually welcome, it also contains pollens that can be bad for allergy suffering people.

There are many other ways that help alleviate cases of allergic attacks. The tips mentioned here are some of the best home remedies for allergy symptoms and hopefully can prove beneficial to most people.

Wheat intolerance is a condition wherein your body has difficulty in digesting wheat. It isn’t the same as an allergy to wheat, where your body’s autoimmune responses produce allergy symptoms. Wheat intolerance is a chemical reaction, and this type of intolerance is actually more common than allergies, although you don’t hear about it as often.

In intolerance or more commonly in allergy, often called Celiac diseases, there is a defect in an enzyme, which results in your body not being able to digest wheat gluten. The tissue toxicity that results can produce swift cell turnover, damage parts of the small bowel, and increase epithelial lymphocytes.

Although not widely heard about, Celiac disease affects about one of every 133 people living in the United States. It results from a genetic predisposition and from environmental factors.

The exact mechanism that causes wheat intolerance is not known. There is a strong association between this disease and the antigen haplotypes DQw2 and DR3. The disease could also be caused by your body’s autoimmune system malfunctioning. This disease affects twice as many women as men, and is frequently seen among relatives, especially brothers and sisters. Wheat intolerance primarily affects Caucasians and those whose ancestry traces to Europe.

Symptoms are:

Watery or itchy eyes
Unexplained runny nose
Unexplained cough
Lethargy and tiredness
Swollen tongue or throat
Irritable Bowel Syndrome effects
Sneezing
Skin rashes
Psoriasis
Palpitations
Nausea or vomiting
Muscle and joint aches and pains
Feeling faint or dizzy
Eczema
Diarrhea
Mood swings or depression
Chest pain
Bloated stomach
Arthritis

Treatment

Medications, such as antihistamines, may reduce signs and symptoms of wheat allergies. These drugs can be taken after exposure to wheat to control your reaction and help relieve discomfort.

Know how Relieves Itching

If a food allergy or intolerance is suspected then a visit to the GP is the place to start as he can refer you to an allergy specialist who can make a correct diagnosis (as detailed earlier). Once the diagnosis of food allergy has been made, avoidance of the causative food is essential. Occasionally complete elimination of the food for 1-2 years may result in a loss of clinical symptoms, but allergies to fish, peanuts usually persists for life.

In intolerance or more commonly in allergy, often called Celiac diseases, there is a defect in an enzyme, which results in your body not being able to digest wheat gluten. The tissue toxicity that results can produce swift cell turnover, damage parts of the small bowel, and increase epithelial lymphocytes.

Complete avoidance of the offending food is often difficult due to the presence of very small quantities in commercially manufactured foods. Progress towards comprehensive labelling of food allergens has led to better management of allergies, but cases of malnutrition resulting from the mismanagement of diets due to fear and lack of knowledge have been reported.

These external reasons are basically factors which are outside the body like polluted air, certain kinds of fabrics and other related materials. The body also reacts to certain kinds of internal factors and these include the food that we eat and other related components, which affect the internal organs of the body.Diagnosis There are various kinds of treatments available for these allergies also although getting a permanent solution for the same is usually difficult. The basic causes of these allergies should be understood to stop these reactions and hence you should try and implement methods for the same.

A vital factor to understand here is that the immune system of the body is set up to protect our bodies from harmful and foreign substances.

These substances include viruses and bacteria that can enter the body in the form of dirt and germs and during this time if the immune system is not developed properly or oversensitive to a substance then you get an allergic reaction to the same. It has been seen that in such instances the immune system reacts to things that aren’t harmful and don’t usually cause people any problems then these things are called allergens.

These allergens can be defined as the substances or things that cause allergies or result in allergies. When the oversensitive or improperly developed immune system catches or witnesses these allergens then it releases chemicals like histamine, which cause the symptoms that are common with allergies. Usually the most common symptoms of allergies are itching, watery eyes, runny nose, swelling, hives or rashes and different people have different symptoms for the same causes.

If you breathe in these allergens then it can result in various kinds of allergies and these include pollen or dust, which cause coughing, wheezing, stuffy or runny noses and an itchy nose and throat. Some people are prone to skin allergies while there are others who easily get affected by food allergies. Certain kinds of foods like Kiwi fruit, apples, pickles and apples lead to allergies in some people at a very fast rate.

There are some people who may also get reactions from certain kinds of drugs and these allergies can be defined as immune malfunctions,Diagnosis which occur when your body is oversensitive to certain substances. Hence the best way out here is to avoid these food substances all together so that you can remain free from the usual hassles of allergies and problems caused due to the same. Medication can also be taken in cases, where the body is having too much problem in coping up with the allergy.

Other names for Promethazine drugs included Promethean, Phenergan, and Phenadoz. When people suffer with wheat allergy symptom there is a good chance that their Doctor will recommend this drug because it is so good at reducing symptoms. Of course eliminating wheat from the regular diet is the ultimate goal to treat the wheat allergy symptom. If people suffer from a wheat allergy symptom their doctor is likely going to prescribe a drug such as Promethazine. In some of the countries such as Switzerland or the UK it is greatly available over the counter.Diagnosis An antihistamine drug will reduce itching and swelling. The drug is also effective for treating hay fever. When taking an antihistamine drug like Promethazine people may experience some symptoms such as drowsiness.

People should not operate or drive equipment or perform tasks that require alertness or concentration. People may experience dizziness, blurred vision, dry mouth, or mild confusion. A small price is to pay for the relief form those wheat allergy symptoms. If people prefer to get to the root of the problem of their wheat allergy symptom consider removing wheat from their diet. People may think this is easy but it is rather a daunting task as wheat is in many of the products people eat. It does not, however, hurt to start small and gradually increase the number of wheat products people eliminate from their diet.

Majority of the people have wheat allergy or have most likely experienced its symptoms at one point of their lives. Watery and itchy eyes, runny nose, sneezing and coughing are just some of the most common symptoms of an allergy attack.

Other more serious allergy symptoms may include dizzy spells, the sudden appearance of hives, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. Some people even experience behavioral changes as a reaction to an allergy attack. Allergy symptoms should not be taken lightly. There are instances when the wheat allergy attack triggers severe reactions, which can ultimately lead to death.Diagnosis The symptoms of wheat allergy attack can sometimes be very hard to differentiate from those of other ailments. The symptoms of the allergy can be erroneously diagnosed as those from the common cold or a food intolerance, to name a few. Most doctors, due to these reasons, advocate that allergies be properly diagnosed by an experienced allergist to avoid taking in the wrong medication.

People should not even try to self-medicate since it is known to cause more harm than good. People have actually nothing to lose and a lot to gain in going to the doctor. Not only will they get the correct diagnosis for their ailment but they will also be prescribed with the appropriate medications to ease and eliminate the discomforting symptoms as well.

Itchiness, watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing, and redness are some of the common symptoms that majority of the people experiences as allergy symptoms.

The most effective way to fight against particular allergen is immunotherapy or allergy shot, but some people will get frightened to get allergy shot.

Allergy shots hold a little amount of substance that fights against the particular allergen. For example, if the person is allergic to pollen, a small amount of substance called pollen will be added to the shot.

A small amount will be given so that the body will get used to fight against the allergen and if the body comes in contact with that substance next time, body will be familiar with that. Who are not eligible to take allergy shot? Allergy shots are not safe for everyone.

Although most of the people experienced positive results from these shots, they are not suitable for all. People who are suffering from asthma, heart attack, and respiratory problems, pregnant women, and children under age of five are not recommended to receive allergy shot.

Alternatively, certain individuals are experiencing some side effects such as: • Feelings of shock when the shot is initially injected • Lightheadedness • Nausea So, for these reasons, the patient should stay in the doctor’s office for at least fifteen to twenty minutes after receiving the shot. Benefits of allergy shots: • Allergy shots improve allergic rhinitis, hay fever, bee sting allergies, drug allergies, and eye allergies. • In some cases, allergy shots improve asthma symptoms also. The most common reaction to allergy shot is swelling at the place where the shot is given.

The success of this immunotherapy varies from person to person depending on the severity of the person’s allergy and the number of substances the person is allergic to.

In addition to the traditional allergy shots, there are new approaches to immunotherapy procedures to treat allergies.

Oral immunotherapy works similar to the allergy shot. In this method, increasing doses of allergen will be given to slowly build up the patient’s tolerance. The only difference with oral immunotherapy from allergy shot is with oral immunotherapy extract of allergen is used as drops. In this method, generally the drops are placed under the tongue and then swallowed.

Intranasal immunotherapy method involves intranasal administration of grass and house dust mite allergen extracts, which reduces the nasal symptoms such as “nasal allergy”.

The side effect with intranasal immunotherapy is nasal irritation. When compared to the traditional allergy shots, intranasal immunotherapy has no long lasting benefits.

Rush immunotherapy involves quick build up to the maintenance dose of extract. In this method of treatment, during early phase increasing doses of allergen will be given every few hours rather than a few days. Since there is a great risk involved with this rush immunotherapy, this should be done in hospital under close supervision.

Some people will experience severe reaction to the allergy shot, which is called “anaphylaxis”. In case of bad reaction with this shot, physicians will do appropriate treatment to stop this reaction.

Since allergy shots are not good for everyone, talking to the physician before taking this shot is more advisable. Visit http://www.allergyasthmazone.com>Allergy Symptoms

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Allergy Asthma blog helps you learn everything you need to know about allergy relief. Know more about asthma control & protect yourself to improve your quality of life. Visit http://www.allergyasthmazone.com

May 2012
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