What are allergies? How do they come around and why?
If you find yourself suffering from itchiness in your eyes, running nose, sneezing, or that your skin is terribly covered in hives, then you may be right in assuming that you are in for the allergy attack. There is no point in doubting that the attacks of allergy can give you all sorts of misery. Can you sleep through the night? Can you take in the food that you want? Sure enough, you want to be very careful.
There is always something and someone who can provide you with the relief that you so crave for. By going to the doctor, you are likely to be given the cure. Well, the medications are by and large going to address the symptoms but not really to dissolve the kind of allergic response that your immune system has.
Again, it is helpful to get to know the basics. The allergic reaction is brought about by the abnormal reaction of your immune system to those things or substances which are normally considered to be harmless. In fact, not all people can be affected by the same response. When you are labeled to be allergic to one thing, it means that your immune system considers the substance to be offensive.
Some of the known allergens are the pollens, animal dander, medicine, dust, fur, and food. The immune system takes on the role of the body’s protector so it releases the IgE antibodies which then lead to the cell release of the chemical like histamine and the likes to combat the foreign substance as it gets through the bloodstream.
The histamine, when released, acts on the individual’s lungs, throat, nose, eyes, gastrointestinal tract, and skin which then prompt the symptoms of the allergic response to come out. Any future exposure to the same kind of allergy can provoke the same response over and over again.
Again, you might wonder as to why some people are prone to allergies. There is an underlying fact that it can be due to the lineage. Meaning, it can be hereditary. If you have both or only one parent who has any allergic reaction then it may be passed on to you through your genetic makeup.
Common Things that Cause Allergies
As mentioned above, there are various types of allergens. Below are some of the very common ones which you might want to focus on.
Food. Allergy to food is frequent among infants and some of them are able to get away with it as they grow. However, some may be serious and may be carried on through adulthood. Some of the symptoms include diarrhea, stuffy nose, itchy rashes, abdominal discomfort, and a lot more. Several people drive allergic reactions to soy, milk, wheat, eggs, seafood, peanuts, tree nuts, and many other dairy products.
Insect stings and bites. The venom as found in the insect stings and bites often trigger an allergic reaction. The effect may either be mild or serious depending on how the person’s immune system may take it.
Airborne particles. They are known as the environmental allergens and are the most common types. Among them are mold spores, pollens from the trees, ragweed, or grass, dust mites, and animal dander.
Drugs. Antibiotics are the common medicines that trigger the allergy.
Chemicals. There are laundry detergents as well as cosmetics which cause allergy because of the components of these chemicals. The household cleaners, pesticides, and dyes may also promote the allergic response.
Take note that your parents’ allergies may not be exactly identical with the kind of allergic reaction that you may bear. The symptoms vary as well so you should be able to identify with the type that you suffer from.