ALLERGIES : What Are They and What Can We Do About Them?

ALLERGIES. This probably isn't the first time you've heard of them. Allergies are so common 20% of Americans have some kind of allergic reaction to certain external stimuli, whether it's food, water or air. But what are allergies? Why do we get them?

Allergies (Type I Hypersensititivity) are actually a malfunction of our immune system making our body become hypersensitized and react immunologically to typically non-immunogenic substances. The substances that cause our bodies to become this way are called allergens.

In 1906, Viennese pediatrician, Clemens von Pirquet, first coined the term 'allergies' after he observed certain symptoms of his patients which may have been a response to outside allergens like dust, pollen or certain foods.

Signs and Symptoms

You know your allergies are starting up again if you experience swelling in parts of your body. This is called local or systemic inflammatory response, caused by the presence of allergens. For instance, if your allergies affect you in the nose, you'll experience swelling of the nasal mucosa (allergic rhinitis). During this condition, you'll probably find yourself performing the 'nasal salute' more than necessary as itching of your nose will cause you to wipe your nose in an upward direction.

On the other hand, if the allergies hit you in the eyes, redness and itching of the conjuctiva often follows. Other common signs of allergies are wheezing and dyspnoea, bronchoconstriction, and sometimes outright attacks of asthma. You may also experience various rashes, such as eczema, hives and contact dermatitis.

Systemic allergic responses are more serious compared to local symptoms. Depending on the severity of your response, allergies can cause cutaenous reactions, bronchoconstriction, edema, hypotension, coma and even death.

Hay fever is actually one example of minor allergies caused by airborne pollen. Aside from environmental factors, allergies may also be triggered by medications.

Why Do We Get Allergies?

Our immune system is a well-trained and disciplined bio-weapon that protects our bodies from harmful substances. Its mechanics is so amazing that it can identify and destroy many foreign invaders. However, as amazing as our immune system is, it makes mistakes sometimes. So, we have allergies, which result from a hypersensitive immune system.

The hypersensitized immune system misidentifies an otherwise innocuous substance as harmful, and then attacks the substance with a degree of ferocity that is greater than required. As a result, we experience problems that can range from mildly inconvenient to uncomfortable to total failure of major organs of the body.

How Does the Immune System Go Into a Hypersensitized State?

There are actually several theories on how the body goes into a hypersensitized state. Some premise that allergies are almost always triggered by protein. Certain persons have faulty genetic codes so that their lymphocytes or the white blood cells (the stuff that our immune system is made of) are unable to properly distinguish between the threatening and the non-threatening proteins. For example, when you ingest protein from shellfish, your lymphocytes think that the substance is trying to invade the body. As a result, they produce large amounts of antibodies which attach themselves to mast cells and basophils throughout the body. This is known as the sensitizing exposure and this is the very reason why you suddenly develop allergies.

Food Allergies

Have you ever eaten something that made you break into a rash? How about itchiness to the throat, around the eyes, your ears, and even your hands and feet? These are actually symptoms of food allergies.

Food allergies are a condition where the body's immune system becomes hypersensitized. As a result, it mistakenly believes that food entering the body is harmful and creates antibodies to counteract it. So, the next time you eat that food, the immune system releases massive amounts of these antibodies and other chemicals, including histamine, as a protective measure against the 'harmful' substance.

The release of these chemicals is what triggers your food allergies to act up. The allergic symptoms could affect any part of the body, but mostly the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, skin, and the cardiovascular system. An estimated 11 million Americans suffer from true food allergies, with symptoms ranging from mildly inconvenient to uncomfortable to complete collapse of major organs of the body, a condition known as anaphylaxis.

Symptoms and Treatments::

If you've had allergic reactions before, then you are probably already familiar with the symptoms of food allergies. It could range from a tingling sensation in the mouth, swelling of the tongue and the throat, difficulty breathing, hives, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, drop in blood pressure, and loss of consciousness to death. Typically, the symptoms appear within minutes to two hours after the person has eaten the food he/she is allergic to.

The best treatment for food allergies is strict avoidance of foods you have allergic reactions to. There are no medications as yet that will totally cure food allergies. Your doctor would probably prescribe drugs to treat the symptoms, but nothing to prescribe to cure to date. Epinephrine, also called 'adrenaline,' is the medication of choice for controlling a severe reaction.

Most people outgrow their food allergies, however, peanuts, nuts, fish, and shellfish are considered lifelong allergies. Research is currently being done in this area and the results look promising.

Your best chance of overcoming food allergies is to avoid foods that you're allergic to. It might help if you read ingredient labels for all foods. If the food has no label, you should avoid eating it all together. If the label contains unfamiliar terms, ask the manufacturer for a definition or avoid eating that food.

Peanut Allergies

As a member of the legume family, peanuts are actually not a 'nut' but a legume, directly related to beans. A peanut allergy is one of the most common food allergies, because the proteins found in peanuts can act as powerful allergens, even when ingested in tiny amounts.

According to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FANN), a recent study shows that incidents of peanut allergies in children are rapidly growing, prompting the need for vastly improved standards of care and greater public education. The study, published in the December 2003 issue of Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (JACI), revealed that the incidents of peanut allergy in children doubled over a five year period.

Researchers from the David Hide Asthma and Allergy Research Centre in the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom, tested 1,273 children born between September 1, 1994 and August 31, 1996. A questionnaire, completed by the parents, was used to seek information on past and current atopic symptoms such as asthma, hay fever, and eczema, as well as specific questions relating to food allergy, including peanut allergy, and any anaphylactic reactions. This was then followed by a skin prick test to determine if there was positive response to peanut.

To determine a possible increase in prevalence, the results of the study were compared to a similar study from 1989.

The result showed out of 1,246 children, 3.3% (41 children) had a positive response to peanut during the skin prick test. This is definitely higher compared with the positive response rate of 1.1% in the 1989 study. In addition, children who tested positive to peanut allergy showed a high level of atopy, which is the genetic tendency to develop allergy and asthma systems.

Based on the responses from the questionnaire, there was also an increase in reported peanut allergy, from 0.5% to 1.0%.

Cause and Treatment ::

Scientists believe there are several reasons for this including:

• Consumption of peanuts of women during pregnancy
• Infants exposed to peanut through breast milk, which may contain major peanut allergens
• An increase in the number of families who become vegetarian or supplement their diet with vegetarian foods, often containing nuts, particularly peanuts.

The study also showed that subjects experienced severe (79%) and frequent reactions (66%) from peanut allergy. However, despite this severity and frequency, the study found that only 74% of children and 44% of adults sought medical evaluation. Additionally, of those that did seek medical treatment, less than one half were prescribed epinephrine, the drug of choice to control a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction.

According to FANN, peanut allergy is responsible for nearly 100 deaths and 15,000 visits to emergency rooms - about half the deaths and emergency room visits caused by all food allergies.

Mold Allergies

A single mold spore is a tiny, microscopic little thing that usually thrives in damp places. Yet for its diminutiveness in size, mold spores can be deadly to people who have allergic reactions to them.

Most allergies start with airborne allergens. While mold spores often stick to walls and surfaces, because they are so tiny, they can easily float in the air when disturbed. A person with mold allergies can easily breathe the mold spores, permitting them to pass through the nasal passages and into the lungs, triggering an allergic reaction.

Mold allergies are even more common than pollen allergies. That's because pollen allergies are often seasonal, like ragweed during the fall, grass pollen in the spring, and cedar fever in December or January. With mold allergies, however, it's different. Molds can affect you at night, with little regard to seasons. While pollens are released during the day when sunlight dries the pollen and the wind picks them up and spreads them around, mold can't tolerate sunlight and hence only goes off during the night. The process is called 'sporulation,' which is different from pollen's pollination.

The highest mold counts occur in our homes around 2:00 a.m. because that's the time when spores blow out of our air conditioning system and spread throughout the house. The first thing that happens during the onset of mold allergies is swelling in the mucus membrane. This is then followed by the release of adrenaline, your emergency allergy hormone. The release of adrenaline is also the reason why you suddenly find yourself waking up in the wee hours of the morning and wondering why you can't breathe through one nostril.

To control allergic reactions to molds, the first step is to recognize the triggers. Once you do, you'll at least know when to avoid them. You can also have an allergist test you for positive response to mold. However, the problem with this is that there are far too many species and mutant varieties of molds making it difficult to test for every single one of them. One thing you should know if you have mold allergies is that molds need a place to grow on and a source of nutrients. Damp places are their personal favorites, but the dust in your AC system may also provide them with nutrients to support them.

Listed below are common places where mold colonies may thrive:

• Damp areas, leaks, etc.
• Dusty or musky papers, cardboard, carpet, upholstered furniture, bedding
• Damp wood, such as house framing wet from rain during construction, or for that matter, before construction even began
• Air conditioner insulation, coils, and drain pans, even in furnaces and automobiles
• Pans under frost free refrigerators
• Poor filters

Another place where molds may grow is your car. Researchers have noticed that many people suffered mold allergies in their cars with symptoms like sinus problems, asthma, drippy nose, and headaches. The cause of this was attributed to leaky windows or doors, often the result of aged weather stripping. This causes water to leak in and wet the carpet and upholstery, contributing to mold growth.

Allergy Relief Products

Allergy relief products are a multimillion dollar industry. A cornucopia of products are on display, giving allergy sufferers plenty to choose from. How are you to know which allergy relief product works for you? Which one is just a marketing scheme? Check below for some tips and advice on what to look for the next time you're in the market for allergy relief products.

Air Filters

Air filters are good for filtering any airborne allergens, however, don't include dust mite allergens. That's because dust mites do not become airborne unless they have been disturbed by cleaning and vacuuming. Experts recommend a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter, which is available as stand-alone units or bundled with other allergy relief products. The filter can be placed anywhere, but they are most commonly used in bedrooms and as an attachment to the air conditioner or furnace.

Dust Mite Control

 The majority of dust mite control allergy relief products are in the form of powders and sprays. But if you want a product that really works, check if it contains tannic acids. According to Dr. Richard Weber, a senior staff physician at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, tannic acids break down animal dander, cockroach allergens, and dust mite allergens found in carpets and furniture.

If you have two cats in the home, sprays may not work effectively. Tannic acids may product stains, so they aren't recommended for light carpets or fabrics. In the case of mites, allergy relief products that contain benzyl benzoate may offer some help.

Dehumidifiers

For those who live in humid areas, dehumidifiers are a good investment. These allergy relief products work especially well helping people who are dust mite and mold allergic as both of these allergens thrive in humid areas. By reducing the humidity in the home with the use of a dehumidifier, the allergen content gets reduced as well.

Hypoallergenic Bedding

'Don't let the bed bugs bite!' You've probably heard that line before, but did you know these bed bugs do more than bite you? They are allergens, much like dust mites are. One way to prevent an allergic reaction due to bug-infested bedding is to use mattresses and pillows that are encased with specially designed covers that prevent mite allergen from escaping.

Face Masks

This is a very practical solution to avoiding airborne allergens. While cleaning indoors or outdoors, dust found in the surface of your furniture or floor or the ground becomes airborne. To protect yourself from these allergens, wear a face mask or another similar allergy relief product.

Vacuum Cleaners

While vacuuming often is important to keep your house dust-free, the vacuum cleaner can be the worst offender for stirring up allergens. Use specially designed bags for the vacuum cleaner.

Allergy Test Kits

Another good allergy relief product to keep handy is allergy test kits. Your house can be a very conducive place for allergens to accumulate. To find out how severe the allergens in your home are and to protect yourself against them, use allergy test kits.

I hope this guide has been helpful. Best of luck to you in relieving your allergies!

Best Wishes!

Jenny @ LimitedWear