What causes allergies? What are some symptoms?

Allergies are caused by a variety of substances that provoke a reaction from your immune system (hence immunology is the term most associated with allergy and asthma. Allergies come from things like food (peanuts, milk, eggs), pets (cat and dog hair dander), molds, dust, pollens, latex, and wheat. Skin allergies like those attributed to dust mites and pollens can be severe, but there is allergy testing which can be done to determine exactly what you are allergic to. If it is proven that you have allergies to dogs or cats or pollens, you can take allergy shots as a form of treatment and try to build up your tolerance to them. Allergy symptoms can be terrible for seasonal allergy sufferers and there's not much that can be done to help except take medication. Food allergies are the deadliest since many people are not aware of the allergy until it is too late.

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Allergy air filters are available from most stores as a preventative agent in helping clean the air in your house, but when you step outside, it's hard to avoid pollens in the air. Mold allergies are another type of allergy that are hard to pinpoint. Many home inspections now include a test for mold that usually resides behind the walls (unseen from the eye). If you have pet allergies, then we suggest you get rid of the cat or dog that is causing your problems and even then their hair dander residue will be left in your house for years. Dust mite allergies are so bad for some people, the only relief comes after they get rid of carpets, upholstered furniture, and cover all mattresses with special protective encasings. Eczema is prevalent in children and dust mite allergies and food allergies are a leading cause. Many people who have allergies as kids outgrow them, but if you don't develop allergies until you are an adult, the odds are they are going to stick with you forever. Allergy shots and allergy medications (mentioned below) can supply temporary relief from seasonal allergies. Watch for allergy symptoms in your children so that you can get them tested if need be.

Best ways to get allergy relief:

The best way to get allergy relief is to stay away from the source of irritation. For most people that is not easy since many of use have seasonal allergies to trees, flowers, or grasses and it's hard to avoid the airborne pollens when we all go outside each day. Since most allergies results in runny eyes or noses, we suggest washing your hands (since they touch your face/eyes) and face several times throughout the day during your bad season. You can flush your nose out with nasal products to keep it clean and pollen free. Hot, steamy showers also have been proven to help relief sinus pressure caused by allergies. There are plenty of remedies to try, but some just don't work as good as other. Medication is always the last result if your allergies are wearing you out. See further down on the page for allergy treatments with medications like Benadryl, Claritin, and Zyrtec.

Food allergy - Most Common:

Food allergies seem to be everywhere these days with kids popping up all over with certain food problems. It never was a big deal even a decade ago so something has changed that causes all these food allergies. The most common food allergies are to milk, egg, peanut, tree nut, fish, shellfsih, soy, and wheat. A food allergy is an immune system response to a food that the body mistakenly believes is harmful. The chemicals released during an allergie reaction to food trigger allergic symptoms that can affect the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, skin, or cardiovascular system. Roughly 11 million Americans suffer from food allergies of some sort. There is no cure for food allergies so avoidance is the only solution. Unfortunately we rarely have any signs that we are allergic to certain foods until we eat them and then a huge reaction occurs. Many children have died in recent years with just casual contact to peanuts or peanut oils.

Allergy Treatments/Medications:

Allergies can literally cripple you with fatigue and constant irritation, so treatments and allergy medications are big business to help alleviate symptoms. The most common types of allergy medicine are antihistamines, antihistmine & decongestant combinations, antihistmine, decongestant, and pain reliever combinations, decongestants, eye drops, and nasal sprays. The top over the counter allergy drugs are Benedryl, Chlor-Trimeton, Claritin, Tavist, Actifed, Tylenol, Sudafed and the common allergy prescription drugs are Allegra, Clarinex, Zyrtec, and Singulair. Over the counter eye drops are OcuHist and presription eye drops are Livostin and Patanol. As for allergy relief from congested noses, prescription drugs like Astelin and Flonase help clear blocked or clogged sinuses. Side effect from these drugs are many, but mostly drowsiness. Check with your doctor before taking any kind of allergy drug for relief.

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