2008 November | Life With Problems

All About Allergies And How They Affect The Human Body

By admin on Tuesday, November 25th, 2008 | No Comments

If you’ve ever tried inhaling some pollen from plants, or eating something and finding out afterwards that
you’re covered in red blotchy spots or some other nasty effect after you eat, then you’ve experienced
firsthand the effects of Allergies.

In common usage, an allergy is an adverse reaction toward what is called an allergen, or specifically,
the material that causes the allergic reaction.

What Happens When You Come In Contact With An Allergen?

When you ingest something that causes an allergic reaction in your body, the immune system is said to be
hyperactive to this material, and with that, the immune system activates to quash what it sees as a
threat. But it’s actually not, and is quite harmless and garners no excess bodily reaction in other people.

Once the body’s immune system releases antibodies as a response to the allergen, it causes the release of
histamine into the bloodstream, which is what causes you to get teary-eyed and have a runny nose or
whatnot.

Common Allergens In People

Probably the most common source of allergic reactions in most people is in their food. Whether its shellfish, or mushrooms, or even something mundane like a vegetable, allergic reactions from food are quite common.

And if you’ve been stung by an insect and notice excessive swelling from the locality of the bite, then
you’ve got an allergic reaction from that bite.

There are even cases of extreme allergic reactions to bee stings, resulting in anaphylactic reactions. Chemicals and medicine also fall into the category of being a common source of allergic reactions.

If you’ve got to have antibiotics as prescribed by the doctor, make sure that your body doesn’t have an allergy to materials in your medicine.

Treatment and avoidance of allergies

Should you suspect that you’re having an allergic reaction to something, consult your doctor so that he or she can refer you to an allergist, which is a type of specialization for doctors in the field of allergies.

He or she can do the testing on your suspected materials and verify your suspicions and prescribe medicines or give your advice on what to do about your reaction. But sometimes, antihistamines are not
enough, though that’s the most common medicine to combat allergic reactions.

Sometimes you have to avoid contact with the allergen at all costs, as enough exposure could possibly lead
to disastrous results in your body.

Make sure you know exactly what materials you are allergic to so that you can avoid even trace quantities of it in other things.

Avoidance is also a good method of preventive treatment, since you won’t have allergic reactions when you aren’t exposed to allergens.

One method of treating allergens is to give a person immunotherapy, exposing the person with the allergy to
minute quantities of his or her allergen.

The immune system learns to cope with these materials, developing immunity and preventing future allergic
reactions. This is particularly effective for airborne particles, less so for food allergies, which might cause reactions even though you’ve undergone treatment.

Almost all people have allergies of one sort to another, and it varies widely when it comes to what they’re allergic to. Once you find out your allergen, you can avoid it and prevent unpleasant reactions from
your body, or even get treatment so that you can develop immunity and remove the allergic reaction from
your body.

Mold Allergies

By admin on Sunday, November 23rd, 2008 | No Comments

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. And 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 these mold spores, permitting them to pass through the nasal passages and to 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. And while pollens are released during the day when sunlight dries the pollen and the wind picks them up and spreads them around, mold cannot 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 systems 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 reaction to molds, the first step is to recognize the triggers. Because 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 that it’s difficult to test you for every single one of them. One thing you should know if you have mold allergies is that molds need a place to grown on and a source of nutrients. Damp places are their personal favorites, but the dust in your air conditioning system may also provide them with nutrients to support them.

Here are common places where mold colonies may thrive:

Damp areas, leaks, etc.

Dusty or musty papers, cardboard, carpet, upholstered furniture and bedding

Damp wood, such as house framing wet from rain during construction, or for that matter, before the construction even began

Air conditioners 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 of upholstery, contributing to mold growth.

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