Everything About Allergy

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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.

The first thing to consider in treating an allergy is to eliminate the allergen that causes the allergic reaction. The good news is that there are effective medications that can be prescribed by physicians. One is antihistamine. Obviously, it opposes the effects of histamine, the chemical in our body responsible for the allergy symptoms. The topical nasal steroids, different from anabolic steroids used by athletes to enlarge their muscles, are anti-inflammatory. The cromolyn sodium is a nasal spray for allergic rhinitis. Decongestants on the other hand are used to re-establish drainage of the nasal passages. Lastly is the immunotherapy which is a sequence of allergy shots and has more potential of prolonging the reduction of allergy symptoms.

Molds are also found outdoors – on leaves, trees, piled woods, rocks, drainages, rain gutters, roof and walls. People allergic to molds should avoid mowing the lawn, raking leaves and gardening. Drainages and rain gutters should always be cleaned, remove dry leaves to avoid stagnant water from accumulating. Plant containers, especially if being kept indoors, should always be clean and dry.

Certain jobs expose you to environments where molds thrive like logging, baking, millwork, carpentry, plumbing, gardening, house cleaning, carpet washing and furniture repair. People allergic to molds should take caution, or prepare remedies just in case symptoms start to show.

When children with allergies reach school age, they are more exposed to allergens and bacteria that can trigger symptoms. The most common are nasal allergies, where symptoms include runny nose and sneezing. This is usually triggered by pollens from plants and trees, dust and mold.

Once your allergic child starts school, take time to talk with the teachers and the school’s nurse. If your child is allergic to certain foods, you may also want to talk with the person in charge with the canteen. Ask them to inform you of any symptom or changes in your child’s performance, which may be associated with his condition.

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When my son was just one-month old, he developed a respiratory infection accompanied by a mild wheeze and rashes all over the face and neck. This quite alarmed our pediatrician, who is also a pulmonologist.

She told me that, although it was too early for a definite diagnosis as to my son being atopic or asthmatic, it was better to put some preventive measures in place. In retrospect, I am thankful for our pediatrician’s sound advice.

According to the WHO, asthma is leading chronic disease among children. It is also the most common cause of hospitalization in this age group. Because of this, experts are continually studying

Experts agree on the following measures to prevent or delay the onset of allergic diseases in children:
1. Exclusive breastfeeding for at least 9 months
2. Use of hydrolyzed milk formulas
3. Maternal avoidance of allergenic food during pregnancy and while breastfeeding
4. Delaying the introduction of solid food, especially allergenic ones
5. Exposure to endotoxin

After following the elimination diet, your doctor will ask you to gradually reintroduce the foods you were avoiding into your diet, one at a time. This process helps link symptoms to specific foods.

Again, you will be asked to record in your food journal any symptoms that arise with each food being re-introduced. This will enable the doctor to confirm the cause of allergy. As a final confirmatory step, you will be asked to eliminate those foods that caused symptoms upon re-introduction to check if the symptoms go away.

It is important and highly recommended to seek the expert advice of your doctor before starting the elimination diet. Removing certain foods may lead to an unbalanced diet and, consequently, other health problems.

Read Part 1 here.

One of the tried and tested methods of determining food allergies is the elimination diet.

The elimination diet involves removing specific foods or ingredients from your diet that are suspected to be causing your allergy symptoms. These are usually the common allergy-causing food such as milk, eggs, nuts, wheat and soy.

During this time, you will need a food diary for keeping track of the food you eat, and to read food labels carefully. If the symptoms are relieved once a certain food is removed, your doctor will be able to identify the cause of allergy.

It is important to make sure that you eat the equivalent substitute of the food you have eliminated from your diet. For example, drink tofu-based milk in place of cow’s milk.

Read Part 2.