Everything About Allergy

Talk about unexpected relationships, the results of the study have been so dumbfounding, for though allergies are a nuisance, they can help fight some forms of cancer, researchers are saying. Allergic symptoms such as sneezing, tearing, coughing and itching can in fact lower risks for developing cancer in the colon, skin, bladder, mouth, throat, cervix and the uterus that may be affected by environmental factors. Tissues exposed to, say, high levels of pollution such as the mouth, skin and throat may find the toxins expelled by allergic reactions enough to prevent the mutation of the cells and becoming cancerous. Food allergies may also prevent such cancers from ever starting which goes to show, that a sniffle may indeed be a blessing in disguise or it may be the body simply irritated and reacting as needed. So next time you have the flu, be grateful for it might just be your body disposing of cancer causing agents that you may have come in contact with. So having an allergy may not be a curse after all, but a blessing in disguise.

Do you know that allergies and the medication that people consume to tame them are worth an estimated $18 billion Dollars. Over 50 million Americans alone suffer from the disease and global figures are mind-boggling. The term allergy actually denotes a drastic reaction by the human body to known allergens such as pollen, dust, food and many other irritants that causes reactions within the body. The gene that makes one person highly reactive to one allergen may actually not affect the next person which is due to the individual characteristics of the human body and the differences in the way we react to them. Nobody is immune for even a child can be born allergic of all things milk, to the elderly who got welts as an allergic reaction to new medication. The best defense is to steer away from these allergens but some being seasonal, the only way to deal with them is to take medication that does not actually cure the disease but tames the allergic reaction making it more bearable.

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Dust, cats, peanuts, cockroaches. An odd grouping, but one with a common thread: allergies — a major cause of illness in the United States. Up to 50 million Americans, including millions of kids, have some type of allergy. In fact, allergies account for the loss of an estimated 2 million schooldays per year.

What Are Allergies?
An allergy is an overreaction of the immune system to a substance that’s harmless to most people. But in someone with an allergy, the body’s immune system treats the substance (called an allergen) as an invader and reacts inappropriately, resulting in symptoms that can be anywhere from annoying to possibly harmful to the person.

In an attempt to protect the body, the immune system of the allergic person produces antibodies called immunoglobulin E (IgE). Those antibodies then cause mast cells (allergy cells in the body) to release chemicals, including histamine, into the bloodstream to defend against the allergen “invader.”

Though hay fever is rarely ever fatal, its accompanying symptoms cause great discomfort. Here are some useful tips on coping with hay fever during ragweed season, which usually starts around August and ends in mid-October.

1. Difficult as it may sound, it is best for hay fever sufferers to stay indoors away from pollen, with windows shut and airconditioning on. If it cannot be helped to go outdoors, change your clothes and shower as soon as you come in from outdoors.

2. Avoid eating fruits and vegetables that may trigger an OAS. Otherwise, cook them thoroughly.

3. Start taking your allergy medications about two weeks before ragweed season starts.