Find Out Your Allergens
The first step in getting rid of your brain fog is finding out whats causing your allergies. If you dont know what youre allergic to, you should visit a doctor who specializes in allergies. Theyll run tests to find out whats causing your symptoms.
Common allergy tests include:
- Skin tests. This involves pricking your skin with a needle to expose you to a small amount of an allergen. If youre allergic, youll develop a raised bump in the spot of the allergen.
- Blood tests. If you have allergies, your blood will contain certain cells that show youre sensitive to certain allergens.
- Physical exam. There are many physical signs of allergies, from skin irritation to nasal and breathing problems. These can help your doctor diagnose your allergies.
Can A Runny Nose Be Prevented
Practicing good hygiene is important and can often help stop germs from spreading. A runny nose is a symptom of some contagious conditions. Here are some simple tips to stop such germs from spreading:
- Wash your hands often.
- Throw away used tissues after blowing or wiping your nose.
- Keep away from those who have colds or infections.
- Eat healthily and exercise regularly to help boost your immune system.
- Cough and sneeze into the inside of your elbow, not into your hand.
- Clean and disinfect common surfaces such as tables and countertops, toys, door handles and bathroom fixtures.
Can Allergies Affect Joint Pain
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If you suffer from allergies, you likely know the toll they can take on your sinuses. But what about the rest of your body? Can allergies affect joint pain? Believe it or not, allergies, whether seasonal or food-related, can affect joint pain. Allergy symptoms appear for a variety of reasons, but some symptoms like joint pain may occur because of the humidity and rapid temperature changes that accompany the spring season.
During allergy season, many individuals experience a spike in allergy symptoms, particularly when there is a high pollen count. Some individuals will have mild symptoms like a stuffy nose and sneezing.
Others, on the other hand, can experience pain in their neck, back and joints. Joint pain is widespread. A national survey showed one-third of adults claimed to have experienced joint pain within the previous 30 days.
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What Are The Commonly Used Treatments
The following treatment options are for allergic rhinitis the most common cause of persistent rhinitis. Non-allergic rhinitis can be more difficult to treat and depends on the cause. Steroid and antihistamine nasal sprays are usually recommended for non-allergic rhinitis.
The commonly used treatment options for allergic rhinitis are avoiding the cause of the allergy, antihistamine nasal sprays, antihistamine tablets and steroid nasal sprays.
Note: if your rhinitis symptoms are not controlled on the medication that you are taking after 2-4 weeks, you should discuss this with your doctor. You may need to try a different treatment or add in another treatment.
Background On Food Allergies
An allergic reaction occurs when your body mounts an immune response to something that it identifies as harmful. In an allergic reaction to food, your immune system attacks certain proteins in foods, according to MayoClinic.com. The most common foods that cause allergic reactions are peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, fish and eggs. Children may be allergic to milk and wheat, too. Your runny nose and sneezing from food allergies are most likely to occur after you eat one of those foods.
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Tips To Relieve Your Runny Nose Or Nasal Congestion
Got a case of the sniffles? Chances are that your nose is running faster than a waterfall. Or maybe your nose feels all stuffed up, forcing you to breathe out of your mouth. Or worse-both. A runny nose and nasal congestion are both uncomfortable upper respiratory symptoms with their own underlying causes. But once they start, you want relief, fast.
A runny nose is a discharge of mucus from the nostrils. Itâs the result of excess nasal mucus production. The excess nasal mucus leads to watery nasal secretions that flow out of your nostrils or drip down into your throat.
Nasal congestion is due to the inflammation of the linings of the nasal cavity. Swollen nasal passages constrict air flow, making it harder to breathe through your nose. The inflammation also makes it harder to get mucus out of your nose, so you may also have a build-up of thick, dry mucus, as well. It causes you to feel stuffed up, which is why itâs also referred to as a stuffy nose.
The common cold and the flu are often the culprits of a runny nose and/or nasal congestion,1 but they can both also be caused by allergies.
These are not the only symptom of the cold or flu. You may also experience other associated symptoms, like sneezing, coughing, chest congestion, a sore throat, headaches, and body aches.
Find out how to relieve your upper-respiratory symptoms like nasal congestion and runny nose so you can feel better fast.
Avoid liquids like caffeine that can cause dehydration.
Which Foods Cause The Most Allergic Reactions In People
We eat food from everywhere on the planet. Eight major food allergens cause the most severe reactions. Milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, and crustacean shellfish cause the most severe allergic reactions in people overall. Young children are most allergic to milk, egg, and peanut. Teenagers and young adults are most allergic to peanut, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, and crustacean shellfish.
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When To See A Doctor
See a doctor or allergist if you have food allergy symptoms shortly after eating. If possible, see your doctor while the allergic reaction is occurring. This will help your doctor make a diagnosis.
Seek immediate emergency treatment by going to an emergency department or calling 000 if you or anyone else develops any signs or symptoms of anaphylaxis.
Read more about being allergy aware.
Allergies And Chronic Phlegm
Phlegm 6. It’s hard to spell, sounds terrible and feels worse. Physicians and researchers call excess phlegm in the lungs and upper chest “chronic mucus hypersecretion.” A runny nose, sneezing and coughing up phlegm are common symptoms of seasonal allergies such as hay fever.** Chronic phlegm is also associated with asthma and chronic bronchitis and can also be a symptom of occupational allergies, particularly exposure to food additives made from mold.
If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.
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Soon After Eating A Meal You Notice That You Begin To Yawn And Feel Tired
It could happen minutes or hours after eating. This could be accompanied by feeling anxious, palpitations, shaking, feeling dizzy, feeling like you might pass out, or that you need a nap. This is often due to reactive hypoglycemia, which means that the blood sugars are swinging.
Solution:Eat small frequent meals, dont skip meals, cut back on simple sugars and carbs, and eat a balanced diet with quality protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats . A five-hour glucose tolerance test with insulin levels can also help determine if you have reactive hypoglycemia.
Who Has The Most Severe Response To Food Allergies
Food allergy reactions are no laughing matter. A severe response to a food allergy can include death. Fatal anaphylaxis can occur in anyone with a food allergy. Teenagers and young adults are at the highest risk to have a severe allergic reaction to food. Do you know the signs of fatal anaphylaxis? Do you know what to do if someone needs epinephrine to stop an anaphylactic shock? Get educated about saving someone’s life. Visit The Beating Heart Center to get the skills to save a life today.
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What Allergies Cause Sinus Problems
Food allergies could cause sinus problems. In other words, sinus problems are common symptoms of food allergies. Sinuses are the cavities in your head, setting right behind the nose and eyes, and they help filter the unwanted particles in the air that you breathe in. Sinuses are made of soft sensitive tissue and lined with the mucus membranes, which keep the tissue moist and soft. When food allergies occur, the sinuses become inflamed due to the higher levels of histamine.
What Foods Cause Food Allergies?
According to MedlinePlus, a part of NIH, Food allergies are mainly caused by the following eight foods:
- Soy
- Tree nuts
- Peanuts
When you are allergic to some food, the immune system of your body could mistake the proteins in that food as dangerous substances. In order to defend, your body then creates the immunoglobulin E, or IgE, and antibodies to fight off the proteins from the food, and it triggers the mast cells to generate histamine. The histamine in your sinus cavity, in turn, leads to the inflammation, swelling, and congestion of your sinuses.
What are the Sinus Problems?
The sinus problems resulting from food allergies include:
- Sneezing
- A runny nose
- Postnasal drip
How Could You Avoid?
The best way to effectively prevent sinus problems from food allergies is to get tested and find out what foods could cause adverse reactions. It could be determined either by using the blood tests or by using the skin-prick tests.
If You Feel Bloated Headachy Or Nauseated After Eating Certain Foods Or You Get A Runny Nose Or Feel Jittery After Drinking Certain Beverages You May Have A Food Intolerance
Perhaps you feel bloated after a trip to the ice cream store. Or you get anxious after having a few sips of coffee. You’re likely not allergic to dairy or caffeine. Rather, you may have a food intolerance.
A food intolerance is an abnormal response to a food, but it differs from an allergic reaction. Unlike a food allergy that involves the body’s immune system, a food intolerance is an inability to digest the food.
Read more about The Best Way to Diagnose a Food Allergy.
Food intolerances can be tough to diagnose. When you have a food intolerance, symptoms typically happen within a few hours of eating the food. However, symptoms may be delayed, making it hard to pinpoint the offending food. You may even be able to eat small amounts of the foods you can’t tolerate. And if you frequently eat foods you’re intolerant to, it can be hard to link symptoms to a specific food.
Fortunately, food intolerances aren’t life threatening like some food allergies. They can be problematic though.
SymptomsSymptoms vary for food intolerances. Often, they involve the skin, respiratory and digestive systems and may include:
- bloating
Some common examples of foods that have been reported to cause symptoms of intolerance include:
When you’re eliminating and reintroducing foods, write down what you ate, how much and where you bought it. Record how you feel after you eat maybe you have more or less energy than before.
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Other Tests For Allergies
In most cases, you do not need testing. But your doctor may suggest some tests to make sure that another condition is not causing your symptoms. These tests include:
- Imaging tests, such as X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs. These tests can show if you have a sinus infection , chronic inflammation of the sinus lining, structural defects of the nose, or, in rare cases, cancer.
- Rhinoscopy or nasalendoscopy. Both of these tests look for nasal polyps and other problems that may block the nasal cavity.
- Mucociliary clearance testing. This test looks for abnormal cilia in people who have very thick nasal discharge. Cilia are tiny hairs on the lining of the nasal passages. These tiny hairs beat back and forth to remove particles from the nose. Certain rare diseases can cause problems in the cilia, which can lead to more nasal discharge.
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How To Treat Fatigue Caused By Allergies
If allergies are truly the source of your fatigue, treating the allergies is the best way to treat the fatigue. An ENT specialist or allergist can help you determine or confirm the root cause of your issues. After conducting an allergy test in the office or at home to diagnose your allergies, consider which allergy treatment option may work best to treat your fatigue and eliminate other symptoms.
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Symptoms Of Food Intolerance
Symptoms of food intolerance can include:
- nervousness
- burning sensations on the skin
- tightness across the face and chest
- breathing problems asthma-like symptoms
- persistent dizziness or collapse
- becoming pale and floppy .
Several factors can influence the severity of anaphylaxis, including exercise, heat, alcohol, the amount of food eaten, and how food is prepared and consumed.To prevent severe injury or death, a person with anaphylaxis requires an injection of adrenaline . People who are considered by their doctor to be at risk of anaphylaxis are prescribed an autoinjector which contains a single fixed dose of adrenaline. They are designed to be used by non-medical people and should be administered into the outer mid-thigh muscle in the event of a severe allergic reaction. Adrenaline autoinjectors are also available directly from a pharmacy.
Identify When Symptoms Start
So youve decided you probably have seasonal allergies. Great. But also, not great, because while allergies from pollen arent typically serious, they also arent fun.
Some people are like, Oh, its just allergies, but allergies can be debilitating. Quality of life goes down, people miss school and work and theres an economic impact, says Dr. Drew Ayars, an allergist who sees patients at the allergy clinics at UW Medical Center Montlake and UW Medical Center Eastside Specialty Center.
Your first step toward getting relief is figuring out what kind of seasonal allergies you have.
Does your foggy-headed misery set in before the first flowers bloom? Or later in spring when everyone starts mowing their lawns again?
You dont have to be tested to know what youre allergic to. You can correlate symptoms to pollen counts around that time, he explains.
Thats because different types of pollen emerge at different times. In late winter and early spring, the most prevalent pollens are from trees hazelnut, birch, alder, oak, cottonwood, ash and juniper are especially common in the Seattle area, Rampur says. Mid- to late spring is full of grass pollen, and the biggest culprit in late summer to fall is weed pollen.
Once you notice when specifically your allergies flare up, you can put a plan in place for dealing with them .
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What Other Symptoms May Come With A Runny Nose
Postnasal drip is a side effect of too much mucus. It occurs when the mucus goes down the back of your throat and is swallowed, which may lead to a cough or sore throat.
Sometimes, a runny nose and a congested, or stuffy, nose are seen together. Congestion occurs when the tissues lining the nose become swollen and make it difficult to breathe. The swelling is due to inflamed blood vessels. Mucus may begin to run out of your nose.
A runny nose due to a cold or flu may be accompanied by fatigue, sore throat, cough, facial pressure and sometimes fever.
A runny nose due to allergies may be accompanied by sneezing and itchy, watery eyes.
What Are My Treatment Options For Colds
Unfortunately, there is no cure for a cold virus once youve been infected. The good news is that there are many over-the-counter medications and products that can treat your symptoms. If extra rest, drinking hot fluids, nasal irrigation, and saline gargles and washes are not enough to manage your cold symptoms, you could benefit from:
Always read the Drug Facts label on all types of medications before you take them. Its possible that some active ingredients may be in more than one medicine. Also, please note that young children should not be given certain cough and cold medicines check with your pediatrician before giving any medicine to young children and babies.
Its important to work closely with your doctor to determine the best allergy management strategy, depending on your living and work environment and unique sensitivities. With careful diagnosis and treatment, most people can find a way to manage their allergies successfully. Dont lose heart if youre struggling with allergy symptoms a physician can help you develop a plan to improve your situation. And if you have a cold instead of allergies be encouraged that most cold viruses fully resolve in a week or two, and that rest, fluids, or OTC medications can help you manage your symptoms more comfortably.
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When Does A Runny Nose Need To Be Treated By A Healthcare Provider
Again, your runny nose should go away on its own. However, if the symptoms are severe, they last more than 10 days, or if youre taking care of a child whose drainage only comes from one side, gets green or blood or foul-smelling, then you should see a healthcare provider.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Who hasnt had a runny nose? Getting a dripping or runny nose in the cold or when you have a cold, the flu or allergies is common. It usually doesnt mean theres an infection or something serious. Remember to use good hygiene practices to prevent a runny nose or similar issues. See a healthcare provider if your or your childs runny nose seems unusual.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 04/19/2021.
References
Food Allergies Intolerance And Reactions
If a specific food makes you feel ill, the reaction could be an allergy, an intolerance or some other kind of reaction. Many people label all negative reactions to food as allergies. After all, the end result is the same whether you have an allergy or an intolerance to a certain food: you must avoid the food that triggers your reaction.
However, the reactions inside the body are different, and lead to varying symptoms. The Mayo Clinic reports that the most common food allergy symptoms are:
- Itching and tingling in the mouth
- Dizziness and fainting
- Itchy skin, associates with hives or eczema
- Abdominal discomfort, including diarrhea and vomiting
- Swelling in the mouth, throat or other parts of the body
- Difficulty breathing, including wheezing and nasal congestion
- Anaphylaxis, which is life threatening
As such, you are not likely to experience a food allergy with fever, headache and fatigue. Instead, such symptoms may be signs of intolerances, other underlying disorders, or contaminated food.
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