Every year, it is estimated that over fifty million Americans are affected with some type of allergy. Many of these hypersensitive reactions, such as mild seasonal hay fever can be handled with over-the-counter drugs or with no treatment at all. On the other hand, some allergies can have a big effect on your life and in some cases, even become life threatening. If this is the case, you should see a doctor for a complete review and allergy testing.
New allergy research is continually being carried out in an effort to discover ways to combat and control allergy symptoms, particularly for those who suffer from the severity of one or more allergies. Even folks who experience mild types of allergies find that they can disrupt their life and make it difficult for them to perform their usual daily activities.
Allergic Hives or urticaria, are red, itchy bumps near the surface of the skin. Like many other allergies, they are the result of overproduction of histamine and any reaction can be caused by a wide variety of things. In many cases, skin hives are the consequence of a food allergy. Eggs, peanuts, shellfish, milk and other foods can cause hives. The bumps are not generally painful but the itchiness is uncomfortable and the hives can become worse by scratching.
During much of the year, plants produce pollen. Mold knows no season and may occur anytime. Plants release pollen in order to fertilize other plants. Not all of those particles reach their intended targets. Some enter the airways of people. The same goes for mold, which can find its way into the nose or mouth through many routes. Pollen and mold allergies need to be treated separately since what reduces one will effectively increase the other.
If you suffer from an allergy to dust mites, you may think that normal household dust is the cause of your suffering. However, dust in itself is not generally an allergen, even for sensitive folks. It is dust mites that are the common cause of allergic reactions since they live on the small particles that are in everyone's home. As they produce feces and their bodies decay, they introduce proteins into the environment that the immune system may judge to be foreign invaders. That in turn triggers a release of antibodies called IgE or immunoglobulin E. Those stimulate the release of histamine, which creates the common allergy symptoms such as watery, itchy eyes (conjunctivitis), runny nose (allergic rhinitis or hay fever) and others.
Two factors come into play with all allergic reactions. These are the allergen and the person who is sensitive to it. An allergen is any substance that causes an allergic reaction in an individual. To understand some of the common causes of allergic reactions, a little simple science is all that is needed.
