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5 Things You Must Know About Allergies

1. An Invader An allergy is about an individual's immune system reacting badly to a certain substance that entered their body and sees it as an invader. It can enter one's body either by breathing, eating, skin pores and others. When the immune system sees a particular substance as an invader it will produce anti-bodies and histamine to try to destroy it. Allergy symptoms are then the result of these chemicals that can be observed on various parts of an individual's body such as their skin. The two most common method of testing for an allergy are blood tests and skin tests.

2. Food Allergy versus Food Intolerance Do not confuse food intolerance with a food allergy because those two are not the same. A food allergy activates a response from an individual's immune system whereas a food intolerance does not. There are eight primary food that are the causes of most food allergies. They are fish, peanuts, milk, wheat, soy, shellfish and tree nuts. In general, if an individual has a food allergy then it will be only to one or two of these primary food. Being allergic to one type of food may lead to being allergic to another type of food that are similar in nature. For example, if a person is allergic to when then that same person may also be allergic to rye.

3. It may be Seasonal Allergy Seasonal allergy sufferers often observe that they develop a reaction immediately after exposure to a certain allergen. The symptoms of seasonal allergies, which is also referred to as hay fever, can range from mild to severe. A person may have a runny nose, sneezing fits, and watery and itchy eyes. More severe symptoms of seasonal allergies include swelling around the eyes and facial pain. Different allergens are produced each season. During spring, the increase of pollen count from blooming trees results to hay fever. A lot of trees including maple,oak and ash pollinate in this season which worsens an individual's symptoms. During fall and summer, the counts in grass pollen rise and hay fever symptoms triggers when the grass is cut. If an individual has fall seasonal allergies then that person is probably sensitive to week pollens like dock weed, ragweed and dandelion.

4. Reduce Allergen Exposure During the period that triggers an individuals allergies, he should take preventive measures to decrease allergen exposure. The person can keep the windows in his house closed and rely on air conditioning to cool their home. Vacuum the carpets on a day to day basis to remove any allergens. Hire someone to cut the lawn or one can wear a protective mask if he must do it himself. Clean areas of the house that collect pollen and dust like carpets and bookshelves. Pets can also bring pollen on their coats into the house and trigger a hay fever attack, so owner's should bathe them often and keep them off beds and furnitures.

5. Over-the-counter Treatments Upon seeing a doctor about their alllergies, he'll choose the best course of remedy. Over-the-counter decongestant and antihistamines may be all an individual needs to treat allergy symptoms. Over-the-counter products include antihistamines like Claritin, Benadryl, Tavist and Zyrtec together with the decongestant Sudafed. However, if one does not respond well to the medication, the doctor may consider giving him allergy shots instead. The allergy shots desensitize an individual's body to a particular seasonal allergen over the course of several years.