Having an allergic reaction to a substance, whether
it’s food, or pollen, or whatever material your body
is reacting to, it can be mild and just plain annoying
at best, and life-threatening at the very worst.
Should you be affected by any specific allergies, you
will likely find out because of several symptoms. But
sometimes you can confuse other symptoms for just some
common diseases like colds.
There are some distinctions though, between allergy
symptoms and other diseases. Subtle differences in
conditions could let you identify if what you’re
having is just a simple case of the colds or an asthma
attack or if it’s really allergies.
Between Colds And Allergies
The cold is probably the first thing you’d blame if
you don’t suspect that the sneezing, having a runny
nose and being teary-eyed is caused by an allergic
reaction to a substance. But this is easy enough to
identify, since colds occur mainly during the colder
months of the year.
You should also check if you have allergic rhinitis,
which would manifest itself in ways quite similar to
colds. Some other allergies caused by airborne
particles that your body is allergic to can cause
asthma-like reactions, like coughing, wheezing, and
having trouble breathing because the air tract is
clogged up significantly.
What you can do to distinguish between colds and
allergies
At some point you’ll be able to notice an underlying
trend when it comes to the occasions in which symptoms
occur. Then you’ll be able to test out your
suspicions, and consult an allergist to confirm if
you’re indeed allergic to a given substance.
The allergist can conduct tests on you so that you’ll
be able to confirm with your doctor what substances
you’re allergic to. Once you’ve nailed it down, you’ll
be able to get some firm advice on what to do to
prevent or treat your allergies with, whether it’s
antihistamines of some other form of treatment like
immunotherapy for allergies.
Avoidance Is Key
No matter what the treatment being prescribed is,
you’ll always be able to prevent occurrences of
allergy attacks if you avoid the allergen material as
much as possible.
For example, in food allergies, if you’re allergic to
shellfish or shrimp, it would be wise to steer clear
of any dishes that contain this as an ingredient.
No matter what you do, if you aren’t exposed to
allergy-causing media, then you won’t have an allergic
reaction. If you still are having allergy symptoms,
then check again with your doctor, you might have
other materials that you’re allergic to.
You’ll probably have to have additional tests done,
but still it’s better than having no idea what other
materials you’re allergic to.
There are some other treatment options when it comes
to allergies, such as having shots for immunotherapy.
In this scenario a doctor will give the patient a
minute quantity of the allergen in question so that
exposure is controlled and the subject’s immune system
can slowly work its way around the allergen and
develop immunity, reducing or totally eliminating
allergic reactions to the substance.
This procedure is spread out over a period of time,
but the results are worth it when you think about not
having to sneeze or cough or have any other unpleasant
effects of being exposed to allergens.