ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ALLERGIES

Explaining Allergy

The immune system has been set up to protect our body from the harmful substances that try to enter, such as bacteria, viruses, and different types of microorganisms including dirt and germs. Sometimes, the immune system is too sensitive and does not react the right way to these microorganisms. This article provides you with all the things you need to know about allergies and how to cope with them.

In these cases, it will react to things that are not harmful and that do not constitute any threat to people’s health. These things that cause the body’s unnatural reactions (allergies) are called allergens. 

When people are hypersensitive to allergens, their immune system, which has not developed properly, sends out chemicals, like histamine, to drive them away, but cause the symptoms that are 

common with allergies, such as rashes, watery eyes, itching, runny nose, and hives.

The displayed symptoms depend on the body organ that the allergen has contact with.  Allergens, like pollen and dust, are taken in by breathing, and cause coughing, wheezing, stuffy nose, and an itchy throat.  

  Women suffering from allergic rhinitis symptoms

Similarly, plants that come in contact with the skin cause a rash, and the allergic food that people eat may result in stomach pains, vomiting, nausea, and many other problems. More than that, some symptoms may have life-threatening effects on individuals who are allergic to the medication that involves the whole body.

Types of Allergies 

There are different types of allergies:   

Skin allergies

These allergies are caused by weeds, grass, breathing in pollen, and touching trees’ latex.  Other common factors that trigger allergies are dust mites, cockroaches, cats, and dogs. 

Skin allergy has become very common, as its causes are indoor and outdoor and, therefore, it is difficult to avoid. Health professionals think that skin allergies will constitute six percent of allergy sufferers worldwide. 

Food allergies

Soon, these types of allergies will mostly be common in children, as they are related to the types of allergic foods they eat, such as soy, tree nuts, peanuts, eggs, and milk. Health professionals believe that penicillin is going to help thousands of people recover from diseases caused by food allergies, but unfortunately, thousands of others may lose their lives because they are allergic to this type of medication.

Seasonal allergies  

Seasonal allergies (also referred to as allergic rhinitis) occur in a particular season of the year, depending on your allergy triggers and where you live. 

When plants and trees emit their pollen (allergens), which are generally harmless,  your immune system treats them as harmful and overreacts to them. Thus, the symptoms of an allergic reaction are produced. Sometimes, other factors like mold, flu, or the common cold cause seasonal allergy.

Symptoms of Being Allergic 

We should note first that some symptoms of allergy are curable while others are dangerous and life-threatening.

The most common symptoms of allergy are  the following:  

Asthma or breathing problems

This one can be very harmful to people, as it is caused by a severe lack of oxygen.

Itchy eyes

This is very common among people who suffer from allergies and they often complain about burning eyes. This type of allergy is referred to as conjunctivitis. 

Coughing

This is a constant cough that can be mild at the beginning, but, through time, turn out to be painful for many people.

Diarrhea

In normal life, diarrhea can be a common health problem for many people.  But in other cases, it may be life-threatening for other people with serious types of allergies. 

Headache

Headaches are sometimes tolerable, but at other times, they make the life of people difficult to live.  

Itchy nose, mouth, throat, and skin

 Itchiness is an unpleasant sensation that causes the desire or reflex to scratch. It is an annoying problem that a person with a given type of allergy can experience. 

Runny nose

Having a runny nose means that a strange microorganism has entered the body and our immune system is trying to get rid of it by secreting mucus, a substance produced by mucous membranes whose function is to drive unwanted organisms out of the body. Oftentimes, this process, which is always accompanied by sneezing, can be annoying to allergy sufferers as it may become continuous and non-stopped.  

Sinusitis and the ears or lungs infections 

 You risk developing these symptoms if you suffer from hay fever or asthma.

Sore throat 

The irritation of the pharynx or throat.

Contact dermatitis   

This is a skin rash that develops almost immediately after touching an allergen. It is a change of skin color, appearance, or texture. Rashes can be itchy, swollen, and painful. Most of the time, they are annoying and even ugly for some people, depending on where they are located on the body.  

Should You See a Medical Professional To Seek Allergy Relief?

If you catch an allergy, you may wonder if you really need to seek medical help. Of course, scheduling a visit with your doctor can be beneficial, if you decide to do so. But before you make your decision, it is a good idea to examine the pros and cons of seeking medical help, especially when you only experience moderate to minor allergy symptoms. Concerning the positive sides of consulting a professional for medical help, we can state a number of them. 

• The first one is the knowledge and expertise that you get access to. It is well-known that healthcare providers are aware of what they are doing. Many have years of experience diagnosing allergies and helping their patients seek relief. You can, of course, learn a lot about allergies by doing your own online research, but what you learn is not comparable to the expert advice.
• The second advantage to seeking medical relief when you suspect that you are experiencing an allergy is that you can get a medication prescription. Although many doctors just write you prescriptions when your allergy symptoms are severe, it is still a good option to contact them. Of course, over-the-counter allergy relief products may not work for some individuals. Yet those who suffer from food allergies, like peanut allergies, may not only receive medicine from their doctor that can help with their symptoms, but they may also receive life-saving medicines.
• The third advantage of contacting a professional is that if you have a regular doctor whom you see on occasions, it will be easy for you to schedule an appointment, as new patients get the last appointments and others may even find themselves on waiting lists. Still, you can shop around for a good doctor and look for one who accepts health insurance.  

Although there are several advantages to seeking medical relief when you think that you suffer from an allergy, there are several cons or downsides to doing so as well. One of those downsides is the cost. You may face expensive invoices to pay If you don’t have adequate health insurance. It may even be very difficult to schedule an appointment with a doctor.

Still, it is a good idea to seek medical attention. If you decide to do so, try to look for healthcare establishments or doctors. They can help you save money. In addition, try to see if you qualify for programs that are run by the state, such as Medicaid. This is very important to do if you do have severe allergy symptoms.

Another common downside of seeking medical attention when you experience just a small number of non-severe allergy symptoms is time. It is no longer a secret that the appointments scheduled by doctors are not always convenient.

Thus, you may find it difficult to seek medical attention if you don’t have enough time or you can’t leave your work. By contrast,  clinics often give flexible hours, since they may be open on weekends or at least one night a week. So if you do have severe allergy symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, you should go to the hospital.

Finally, while some individuals prefer to seek medical attention others may decide to use natural ways to treat allergies at home, because they see visiting a doctor as a waste of time since he does nothing but prescribe over-the-counter allergy relief products when symptoms are not severe.