Do Flower Bouquets Bring Allergies On
When you have seasonal allergies, pollen counts are something to keep track of. It’s a common comic devicea would-be Romeo handing a woman flowers, only to watch her face flush and sneeze. But are flowers to blame when your seasonal allergies hit? Probably not. Most people aren’t allergic to the pollen in flowers. Instead, it’s the grasses, weeds, and trees that tend to present allergy problems.
Why not flower pollen? As it turns out, flower pollen is relatively heavy. It doesn’t travel as far or as easily as smaller, lighter pollen particles. That’s because flowers are designed to attract bees and other insects, which carry the pollens themselves. Other plants need smaller pollen so the wind can carry it to new locations.
How Do You Test For Dust Allergy
Dust Allergy Diagnosis Ask about your symptoms and exposure to dust. Check inside your nose to see if its swollen or pale and bluish. Give you an allergy skin test. Your doctor will prick your skin with a tiny needle with dust mite extract on it. Give you a blood test to look for certain antibodies.
How Do I Know If I Have Developed Allergies
If the list encompasses fever, greenish or yellow-colored mucus, or joint and muscle pain, then its more likely a cold, Resnick says. But if youve got sneezing itchy, red, or watery eyes clear nasal discharge or your nose, throat or ears feel scratchy then he says youre probably dealing with an allergy.
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How Common Are Adult Allergies
Allergies are the sixth-leading cause of chronic illness in the United States. Doctors dont know exactly how many adults are diagnosed with allergies for the first time each year. But nasal allergies affect more Americans every year, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
Allergies are caused when your immune system overreacts to an allergen. Your body releases histamine as it thinks the allergen might be harmful, and it does so in order to help fight the allergen, causing respiratory symptoms, red and watery eyes, and more. Nearly 20 million adults in the United States have allergic rhinitis, which is commonly known as hay fever.
What To Do If Dog Has Allergies
If your dog wont stop licking, scratching, and chewing, has red and irritated skin or hair loss, make an appointment to see your vet. Depending on the seriousness of the problem, a professional can provide more aggressive treatments such as antihistamines, steroids, or allergy shots, also known as immunotherapy.
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Have Seasonal Allergies Ever Been Fashionable
Believe it or not, seasonal allergies were once a fashionable fad. How could sneezing, itching, and runny noses be trendy? It all comes down to peoples’ perceptions.
Around the end of the 1800s, people thought of allergies as a disease of the upper classes. It seemed to impact people in the city more than the countryside. This association led observers to believe that education, wealth, and refinement were all linked to hay fever. Certain professions, especially those in the fields of medicine and theology, were thought to lead to allergies.
Associations of hay fever sufferers sprang up, their members proud to be associated with this aristocratic disease. They even acquired a nickname: Hayfeverites. The association between allergy and aristocracy lasted well into the 20th century. A popular play produced in 1924, Hay Fever, lampooned the upper classes. It wasn’t until the 1930s that allergists began to suspect anyone could acquire allergies.
It’s easy today to see how strange and silly these ideas are. But the basic observation that urbanites are more threatened with allergies than those living in the countryside could be true. Today people often develop allergies after moving from rural areas to cities. However, the reason may be more straightforward: urban areas often have pollution, and pollution can set off allergies. What’s more, growing up around farm conditions could prevent allergies in some.
Herbal Medicines And Allergies
Asteraceae is a family of flowering plants, including many common species, and some are used in herbal medicines. Pollen from plants in this family is a common cause of hay fever, asthma and dermatitis.
Plants from the Asteraceae family include:
- plants grown for their flowers chrysanthemums, dahlias, sunflowers, marigolds, safflower and daisies
- edible foliage plants lettuce, safflower, chicory and artichoke
- weeds ragweed, mugwort, sagebrush, wormwood, feverfew
- plants used in some herbal medicines echinacea, dandelion, chamomile, feverfew, milk thistle and wormwood.
Echinacea can cause severe allergic reaction , asthma attacks, severe hives and swelling in some people, and this can occur when the first dose of echinacea is taken.
Pollen from plants in the Asteraceae family can also cause an allergic skin reaction on contact. The pollen can be found in herbal medicines, shampoos, cosmetics and massage oils, and includes pollen from plants such as the:
- chamomile
- sunflower
- tansy.
Sensitisation to pollen of plants from the Asteraceae family has also been linked with allergic reactions to other substances that are similar. This is known as cross-reactivity and has caused allergic reactions to:
- plant-derived herbal medicines echinacea, royal jelly, bee pollen extracts and chamomile
- foods celery, honey, sunflower seeds, carrot, lettuce, watermelon and nuts.
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Are Mold Allergens Only Indoors
You’ve dehumidified your home. You’ve kept dampness down, fixed leaking pipes, and installed a HEPA air filter in your central air conditioning unit. Your home is officially mold-free. So are your mold allergies gone for good? Not necessarily.
Mold spores don’t only affect you inside your home or work. They can also crop up outdoors. If winters are cold enough where you live, mold spores won’t die off like some plants. Instead they become inactive, waiting for warmer weather to spring back into action. Typically by summer or fall these spores are in full swing, making your eyes water and your nose itch.
If mold spores aggravate you, try to stay inside when the spore count is high. Yard work and gardening activities like digging up weeds, raking leaves, and mowing the lawn can stir up the plant matter mold thrives on, leaving you exposed. If you have to be outside to do yardwork, wear a mask that keeps out dust–it should work against the spores as well.
Unproven Methods To Test For Allergies
A number of methods claim to test for allergies, but they have not been medically or scientifically proven. They can be costly and could lead to dangerous avoidance of certain foods. The organisation representing allergists recommends that you do not use certain methods to have potential allergies tested. These methods include:
- cytotoxic food testing
- reflexology
- Vega testing.
Always speak with your doctor if you are thinking of using a complementary medicine or therapy to test for allergies.
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What Are Some Pollen Allergy Causes
Some people experience an allergic reaction to pollen because their immune system falsely believes pollen is dangerous. In an attempt to fight this unknown foreign invader, the immune system releases antibodies to attack these pollen particles. This process produces a chemical called histamine, which is one of the biggest pollen allergy causes and the major reason for the person experiencing pollen allergy symptoms.
People with pollen allergies may also have a tendency to develop mold and dust allergy and lead to certain other indoor allergies as well.
Hay Fever Symptoms From Pollen Allergies
Hay fever is also known as seasonal allergic rhinitis, because the symptoms appear only when it is pollen season. Hay fever originally only referred to allergies caused by grass pollens, but the term is now also used to describe the symptoms of rhinitis .
Allergies to pollen commonly cause symptoms of hay fever including:
- runny, itchy, congested nose
- irritable, itchy, watery and red eyes
- itchy ears, throat and palate.
People with hay fever are more likely to develop sinus infections, and can have interrupted sleep that leads to extreme tiredness. Severe hay fever symptoms can affect learning in children and productivity in adults. Hay fever can also make it more difficult to control asthma in those who are more likely to get it.
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Does Pms Make Allergy Symptoms Worse
PMS aggravates so many other aspects of your health, so much so that more than 100 symptoms have been attributed to this monthly discomfort. Now you can add allergies to the list as well.
As children, more boys have allergies than girls. However after puberty, that reverses. Women are not only more likely to get allergies, but their symptoms are more severe than men. This has led scientists to look more closely at estrogen and progesterone, two hormones that seem to play a role in allergic reactions. Estrogen has a complex relationship to allergies, and its exact role is still being studied. One thing seems to be clear, though: PMS worsens allergies.
Can You Have A Delayed Anaphylactic Shock
anaphylacticcancandelayedanaphylaxis canThe most common food allergy signs and symptoms include:
- Tingling or itching in the mouth.
- Hives, itching or eczema.
- Swelling of the lips, face, tongue and throat or other parts of the body.
- Wheezing, nasal congestion or trouble breathing.
- Abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting.
- Dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting.
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Can I Outgrow My Allergies
They can occur in children and adults. People can have allergies to all sorts of things, including those in the environment, in foods and supplements, and in medications. In some cases, you can outgrow certain allergies. If you or your child has food allergies, you may outgrow them, but you should ask your doctor
Can A Peanut Allergy Go Away
Dr. Chacko Featured on the Cover ofAtlanta’s Top Doctor Magazine
Of the many food allergies affecting Atlanta children, a peanut allergy is one of the most concerning. If not carefully monitored and treated correctly, peanut allergies can lead to severe allergic reactions. Thankfully, some people will outgrow their allergies or respond positively to treatment. But how likely is it that your or your childs peanut allergy will go away?
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Tree Nuts And Related Allergies
Keep in mind that a sudden walnut allergy may also mean that youll have a sudden allergy to almonds and other tree nuts. You may also have a sudden peanut allergy, despite the fact that peanuts are a legume rather than a tree nut. You might even develop an allergy to pollen or something else that is seemingly unrelated.
This is due to cross-reactivity. According to a June 2015 study in the World Journal of Methodology, cross-reactivity occurs when your immune system has a response to similar allergenic molecules.
Closely related species, like different nuts within the tree nut family, can consequently induce the same type of allergic response. Cross-reactivity can also occur when two unrelated species share a similar protein structure. For instance, 70 percent of people who are allergic to birch pollen are also allergic to nuts, especially hazelnuts.
Because tree nut allergies can be very serious and even deadly, the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, World Journal of Methodology and the Mayo Clinic all recommend avoiding these foods if youve discovered youre allergic to them. If you suspect a sudden tree nut allergy, you should talk to your doctor.
If youve developed a sudden walnut allergy but arent sure if youre allergic to other tree nuts, your allergist can help you determine which nuts you can safely eat or need to avoid. The doctor will also be able to help you determine any cross-reactive allergies you may have.
Pollen Allergies Are A Symptom
I learned that allergies are actually a SYMPTOM of an autoimmune response that stems from hidden food sensitivities and chemical exposures , mostly from personal care products.
Dr. Mark Hyman, MD, is Director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine. Hes also a nine-time #1 New York Times bestselling author and is dedicated to tackling the root causes of diseases.
He explains, Many people dont realize that they have sensitivities to foods most prevalent in our SAD . The more we eat volatile foods, the more risk they pose to our immune system. Eventually, if we over consume some of these foods we may develop a low grade response to them which causes systemic inflammation. The most common are gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, soy and yeast. Peanuts and nightshade vegetables are fairly common too but seen more in people with autoimmune disease. The biochemical response is different than a true food allergy which is actually more acute and immediate. Because a food sensitivity tends to be delayed it can be quite difficult to nail down.
How do you know you have a food sensitivity? You have allergies.
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How To Handle Anaphylactic Shock
More severe allergy attacks will not abate with home remedies, and its essential that you quickly recognize more serious symptoms, like abdominal cramps and breathing problems. What should you do in the case of anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock?
If you are alone, immediately call 911. Anaphylactic shock happens quickly, and your throat could swell and cut off your supply of oxygen within minutes, causing permanent and serious damage. If you know you are at risk for severe allergic reactions, always carry an Epinephrine pen, or two, with you at all times. Epinephrine quickly reduces and reverses anaphylactic symptoms as its comprised of adrenaline. You can never predict when a bee will sting you or a food youre allergic to wind up on your plate, so take the appropriate steps to protect yourself. You should also make your close friends and family aware of your allergy, so that they can also be on the lookout for severe symptoms and be ready to take the appropriate steps if youre unable to.
Allergies Are More Likely To Develop Than Disappear
There are some people who have enjoyed springtime for many years and then, for whatever reason, the month of May hits, and their nose starts to run. Allergic reactions can ruin the springtime for those who have them by making them feel miserable.
Over time, you may lose your tolerance against pollen, pet dander, and other allergens. The immune system fluctuates all the time, and allergies can change. While growing out of an allergy sounds nice, but the reality is that for most people allergies are more likely to develop than disappear. They can decrease in severity, or reactions may happen less often as time goes on, but most allergy sufferers will remain susceptible.
Taking steps to build immunity, getting rid of the allergen from your environment as much as possible, and focusing on keeping your overall health at its best are all good ways to help minimize your allergic reaction.
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Can Thunderstorms Make Allergies Worse
A good, steady downpour can be helpful for those suffering from nasal allergies. Big droplets of rain clean pollen from the air, and with enough water those pollens soon drain away. So, a thunderstorm should be helpful too, right? Not so fast! There’s a link between thunderstorms and asthma symptoms. Thunderstorms can actually make allergies worse.
Hospital records suggest asthma outbreaks are more common following thunderstorms. One study found that asthma visits to emergency rooms increased by 3 percent in the 24 hours after a thunderstorm. Why? Although it’s still debated, the main theory is that thunderstorms rupture pollen grains near the ground, causing them to spread and be released back into the atmosphere.
Evidence suggests the first 20-30 minutes of a thunderstorm are the worst for those with allergic rhinitis. Even allergy-sufferers who aren’t usually prone to asthma are at more risk of developing asthma during these storms. One research group advises anyone with allergies to avoid going out in a thunderstorm. If you’re stuck outside when one hits, they suggest covering your face with a cloth to keep pollen out of your airways.
Start Medication In The Summer
Even though theyre called fall pollen allergies, these seasonal allergies begin before fall does. Ragweed pollen fills the air in early August and typically lasts through November, which makes for a long fall allergy season.
If you start taking anti-allergy medications several weeks before the pollen season begins, youll reduce the severity of your symptoms. You may get by with over-the-counter antihistamines, depending on the severity of your fall pollen allergy however, prescription medications are stronger and some have a different mechanism of action that may provide better relief.
Schedule an appointment in July for an evaluation and to talk about the medication that will work best for you.
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Tips To Relieve Seasonal Allergy Symptoms In Babies And Toddlers
Allergy symptoms are no fun for kids, and if left untreated, they can lead to sinus and ear infections. See an allergist, who can figure out the triggers causing your little ones symptoms and recommend effective and safe treatments.
In the meantime, the best way to relieve sneezing, itching, runny nose and coughing in babies and toddlers is to try to avoid allergens whenever possible.
Here are a few tips to prevent and relieve seasonal allergy symptoms:
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Can You Get A Shot To Prevent Allergies
There is a shot you can take to end or reduce your allergies. The practice is called immunotherapy, and it’s well-established. Doctors have been giving out allergy shots for more than 100 years, in fact. The idea is to slowly introduce an allergen or group of allergens into an allergic person’s body over a long period of time. If done correctly, this usually reduces allergy symptoms significantly and helps reduce the need for allergy medicines as well.
Allergy shots take a real commitment on the part of the patient. It’s a 3-5 year process in fact. Initially a patient must receive one or two shots a week for about three and a half months. This is called the build-up phase, and sometimes patients opt to receive more shots sooner, which can shorten this phase to about a month. After the build-up phase, allergy shots are given once or twice a month for several years. That’s a lot of visits to the doctor’s office!
Recently a new form of immunotherapy has emerged. Sublingual immunotherapy comes in the form of a liquid or tablet you can take at home. The medicine goes underneath your tongue once a day. People tend to like the convenience of this at-home therapy, but it has some drawbacks too. For one, studies suggest it may not be quite as effective as the shots. It’s also less likely to help if you have multiple allergies. An immunologist can help you decide on the most effective treatment.
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