Seasonal Allergies Or Nonallergic Rhinitis
To see whether you have an allergy or something else, start by keeping track of your seasonal allergy symptoms, when you experience them, and what seems to trigger them.
Then see below to determine whether youre likely to have an allergy or nonallergic rhinitis.
Allergies
- Symptoms: Congestion, itchy and watery eyes, clear nasal discharge, sneezing, and scratchy or ticklish throat.
- When: Outdoor allergies usually start in February or March and end in October. Indoor allergies often last year-round, though they can come and go.
- Triggers: Pollen from trees, grass, and weeds indoor and outdoor mold pet dander dust mites flakes of dried skin and cockroach feces, saliva, or body parts.
Nonallergic Rhinitis
- Symptoms: Congestion, runny nose, and sneezing, but without the itchy eyes or sore throat.
- When: Often lasts year-round, though periodically.
- Triggers: Respiratory infections, changes in weather and temperature, cold or dry air, food , alcohol, strong odors or fumes, tobacco smoke, perfume, air pollution, and certain medications. Notable medication triggers include aspirin ibuprofen naproxen certain blood pressure drugs topical nasal decongestant sprays, such as phenylephrine and oxymetazoline erectile dysfunction drugs, such as sildenafil and tadalafil and the enlarged-prostate drug tamsulosin .
Cat Allergy: Prevention First And Foremost
In case of a proven allergy or if you suspect your baby to be allergic to cats, it is important to make sure his environment is as anti-allergenic as possible. Here are a few tips you can follow to do so:
- Limit any contact between your baby and your pet
- Install an air purifier with an activated carbon filter
- If the baby comes in contact with the cat, wash his hands carefully
- Air out your house on a daily basis, 5 to 10 minutes a day
- Vacuum your home frequently with a vacuum cleaner equipped with a HEPA outlet filter
- Prevent your cat from entering the nursery
- Wash the bed where your pet sleeps regularly
- Brush your pet as often as possible to remove dead hair, its coat being a reservoir of allergens
- Apply an anti-allergic lotion to the animal to neutralize the Fel d1. On sale in pet stores or at your veterinarian’s, this product will effectively help you remove the allergens present in your pet’s coat
- Try to make your environment as pure as possible. Remove rugs and carpets, and opt for washable materials instead.
Milk Or Casein Allergy Prevention
The best treatment for milk/casein allergy is prevention or avoidance. To prevent an allergic reaction to casein, you must follow a casein-free diet, avoiding all foods that contain milk or milk products.
Avoiding milk products involves more than just leaving the cheese off your sandwich. It may also mean leaving off the deli meat if it was cut with the same equipment used to slice the cheese. Even miniscule amounts of casein may be enough to trigger a reaction. In people who are allergic, the level of sensitivity varies from person to person. Some individuals might be able to tolerate small amounts of milk, especially if the milk is baked or cooked in items. However, for most individuals, strict avoidance is best since the amount of milk may not be consistent between products from different manufacturers or even between batches from the same manufacturer.
Giving up milk doesnt have to mean giving up calcium. Because even people who drink milk often dont get enough calcium in their diets, many other foods including juices, cereals, almond milk, and rice and soy drinks are now enriched with calcium. Vegetables including kale, spinach, and broccoli are good sources of calcium as well.
Whenever youre selecting packaged foods, always check the label for milk ingredients even with foods like luncheon meats and candy.
In addition to casein, ingredients and foods to watch for and avoid include:
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Dietary Allergies In Dogs
Dogs are rarely considered to be truly allergic to different foodstuffs, however, many do develop intolerances to certain diets over time which will lead to similar symptoms as an allergic reaction. Dietary allergies in dogs are commonly triggered by sources of animal protein, such as beef or chicken. Dogs may also develop an intolerance over time to other food sources such as wheat, eggs, soy, or milk. Food allergies and intolerances may cause symptoms to develop in both the digestive system and on the skin.
Can A Person Be Allergic To Coffee Or Caffeine
We love our coffee! Approximately 1.4 billion cups of coffee are consumed worldwide every day. The coffee we drink is rich in anti-oxidants and may have positive health effects. But, can coffee cause allergic reactions?
Allergic reactions to coffee typically occur in workers handling green coffee beans and inhaling the dust leading to work-related asthma. There have been some workers who also had allergy to roasted coffee beans suggesting allergenic proteins survive the roasting process. In 2012, Cof a 1 was identified as the important protein responsible for allergic reactions to coffee beans.
While the vast majority of reactions are during coffee bean processing before roasting, there are rare published reports of individuals who had allergic reactions after consuming coffee. In 1993, an adult in France had 2 severe anaphylactic reactions with cardiac arrest after drinking coffee and using a beta-blocker eye drop. He was sensitive to both coffee bean and gum Arabic. In 1983, in Germany, a woman had an anaphylactic reaction and hives and was found to be allergic to coffee and several medications.
Is the caffeine in coffee the problem?
Is caffeine good for people with asthma?
Caffeine has a variety of drug-like effects it is a weak bronchodilator and it reduces respiratory muscle fatigue. It is chemically related to the drug theophylline which is used to treat asthma. Caffeine appears to improve airways function modestly, for up to 4 hours, in people with asthma.
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Smart Feeding Strategies For Starting Solids
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, offering your baby allergenic foods is OK starting at four to six months just be sure to watch for any allergic reaction .
Indeed, several studies show that the early introduction of highly allergenic food can lead to a lower rate of food allergies, says Katie Marks-Cogan, M.D, co-founder and Chief Allergist of Ready, Set, Food. This age lets you mold the immune system away from allergies.
How Do Allergies Happen
An allergy happens when the immune system& overreacts to an allergen, treating it as an invader and trying to fight it off. This causes symptoms that can range from annoying to serious or even life-threatening.
In an attempt to protect the body, the immune system makes antibodies called immunoglobulin E . These antibodies then cause certain cells to release chemicals into the bloodstream to defend against the allergen “invader.”
It’s the release of these chemicals that causes allergic reactions. Reactions can affect the eyes, nose, throat, lungs, skin, and gastrointestinal tract. Future exposure to that same allergen will trigger this allergic response again.
Some allergies are seasonal and happen only at certain times of the year others can happen anytime someone comes in contact with an allergen. So, when a person with a food allergy eats that particular food or someone who’s allergic to dust mites is exposed to them, they will have an allergic reaction.
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Symptoms Of A Coffee Allergy
A true coffee allergy can cause serious symptoms in the body, usually within the first hours after it has been drunk. Symptoms can affect many areas of the body and will usually get worse over time.
Symptoms of an allergic reaction to coffee include:
- skin rashes, such as hives or blotches of red skin
- nausea and vomiting
- elevated heartbeat or blood pressure
- involuntary muscle spasms
Symptoms caused by sensitivity to coffee will usually go away if the person stops drinking coffee.
People who are sensitive to coffee may have a gastrointestinal upset or symptoms connected to other issues may be getting worse. For example, coffee can make heartburn and symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease worse. The caffeine in coffee can relax the sphincter at the lower end of the food pipe, causing stomach acid to leak up and irritate it.
We Test For Coffee Intolerance
One approach that can be used is to change your diet removing foods identified using a simple blood test for reactions to these large protein molecules in foods .
Here at YorkTest, we not only test for coffee intolerance, but to over 200 other food and drink ingredients. Our programmes require only a few drops of blood through a simple home-to-lab finger-prick test, similar to a glucose test used by diabetics, and is then sent off to our in-house laboratory for testing.
How it Works
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Are You Born With Allergies Or Do You Develop Them
When the body mistakes one of these substances as a threat and reacts with an immune response, we develop an allergy. Nobody is born with allergies. Instead, the 50 million people in the United States who suffer from allergies developed these only once their immune systems came into contact with the culprit.
Symptomatic Treatment Of Allergies:
Symptomatic treatment may be required when we cannot identify or remove the cause of the allergic response. Your dog may be allergic to a type of foodstuff that cannot be identified, or a type of environmental pathogen which is impossible to eliminate.
To help reduce the symptoms, your veterinarian may prescribe medication such as corticosteroids or antihistamines to limit the bodys overall allergic response. While these take effect there are many other ways in which you can help your dog feel more comfortable, such as bathing, grooming, and ear cleaning.
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The Link Between Diet And Food Allergies
Food exposures seem to be important in allergy development. Even before your baby is born, diet makes a difference.
It starts when youre pregnant
One study shows that eating plenty of vegetables and yogurt during pregnancy can lower a babys allergy risk. Processed foods, fried foods, starchy foods, and large amounts of meat seem to raise a babys risk for allergies. In general, eating a wide variety of foods is a good idea.
Breastfeeding plays a role
If possible, feed a baby breast milk until they are 4 to 6 months old. Although the link between breastfeeding and allergies is still being worked out, breastfeeding has other benefits. If youre breastfeeding, dont avoid peanuts or other allergy-related foods. Keep your own diet varied.
Introducing certain foods at an early age can help
When babies are exposed to peanuts early in life, they are less likely to be allergic to peanuts later. This might seem confusing, because its very different from old advice suggesting that young children should avoid peanuts. But as it turns out, peanut-containing foods offered in an infant-safe way actually lower the risk of allergy.
The same is true for eggs. According to American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines, both peanuts and eggs should be started when a baby is 4 to 6 months old and continued regularly after that. The guidelines recommend feeding babies a wide variety of different foods in the first year of life.
Approach To The Allergic Child
Identification of patients at risk:
There is a genetic predisposition to develop allergic disease however, environmental exposure determines to what a patient will become sensitized and also the severity of the disease . To decrease the frequency and severity of the sensitization, one can identify patients at risk by taking a good family history. If there is no close relative with allergies, the incidence is about 12%, but if one parent suffers from allergies, the incidence rises to 30% to 50%. If both parents have allergies, the chances of having an allergic child are 50% to 80%. Babies of allergic mothers are more likely to develop allergies than babies of allergic fathers . Measurement of cord blood IgE has been used to further predict whether a child would develop allergies. Initially, it was believed that this would have great predictive value , but recent studies have shown that family history is more important .
Although the tendency to develop allergic disease is inherited, disease manifests itself after sensitization to dietary and environmental allergens. Conditions that decrease mucosal immunity and/or allow the increased absorption of allergens increase the likelihood of sensitization .
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Medications Can Help Treat Symptoms
Although the best way to treat allergies in your newborn is to make sure she avoids the things shes allergic to, thats not always possible. In the case of environmental allergies, for example, youll find it difficult to steer clear of pollen or grass, if thats what baby is allergic to.
Fortunately, some medications are available that can help calm the symptoms of your babys allergies, so they wont be quite so worrisome or uncomfortable. Of course, you should always check with your doctor before giving your baby any medication, since many medications are not recommended for babies under 2 years old.
If youre opposed to medication, you can still help treat babys symptoms to keep her comfortable. For stomach upset, feed baby small amounts at a time, more frequently throughout the day, and avoid immediate rocking or swinging after feeding. For runny nose and breathing trouble, you can ease her passageways by using a humidifier in her room.
Can You Help Your Child Outgrow Allergies
Yes, although technically, the process is called immunotherapy. If you need help managing your childs allergies, immunotherapy can help reduce the severity and intensity of your childs reactions.
Immunotherapy, sometimes called allergy shots, is the process by which we inject a very small amount of the allergen. The body learns to tolerate the allergen over time. Again, its a very small amount, but over the years, your child can experience fewer allergy symptoms.
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What Causes A Person To Have An Allergic Reaction
But you may be surprised about some of the lesser known materials, foods, or environments that an cause allergic reactions in certain people. An allergic reaction occurs when the body misreads something thats typically harmless as being dangerous, explains Kevin McGrath, MD, spokesperson for the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.
Is Rain Good For Allergies
Some seasonal allergy sufferers celebrate the rain because it relieves their symptoms, while others dread it. Why the difference in attitude? Its because depending on your allergy, rain can either be a good sign or a bad sign.
Lets start with the good things about rain for allergies. Some pollens scatter and collect on outdoor surfaces, accumulating over time. When steady or heavy rains come, they wash away this accumulation of pollen, and that is good news if those types of pollen give you sneezing fits. Whats more, the moisture in the air can weigh down pollens, sending them down to the ground. With enough rainwater, the pollen then flushes down the drain and away from your sinuses.
Of course theres bad news, too. Sometimes when it rainsespecially during sudden downpoursthe airborne pollens clump together on their way down, then crash apart when they hit the ground, scattering everywhere, and perhaps eventually through your nostrils. There are other problems as well. After enough rain has poured, mold starts to grow, aggravating anyone with mold spore allergies. You may be able to escape somewhat if you reduce the humidity inside your home, which discourages mold. Grasses thrive after the rain too, so grass pollen allergies can also intensify soon after rainfall.
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Treatment For Food Allergy
There is no medication to prevent food allergy. The goal of treatment is toavoid the foods that cause the symptoms. After seeing your child’s doctorand finding foods to which your child is allergic, it is very important toavoid these foods and other similar foods in that food group. If you arebreastfeeding your child, it is important to avoid foods in your diet towhich your child is allergic. Small amounts of the food allergen may betransmitted to your child through your breast milk and cause a reaction.
It is also important to give vitamins and minerals to your child if he orshe is unable to eat certain foods. Discuss this with your child’s doctor.
For children who have had a severe food reaction, your child’s health careprovider may prescribe an emergency kit that contains epinephrine, whichhelps stop the symptoms of severe reactions. Consult your child’s doctorfor further information.
Some children, under the direction of his or her health care provider, maybe given certain foods again after three to six months to see if he or shehas outgrown the allergy. Many allergies may be short-term in children andthe food may be tolerated after the age of 3 or 4.
Can You Prevent A Peanut Allergy
You mightif you feed kids peanut products early.
Peanut allergies can seem very scary. They happen when a childs immune system reacts badly to a protein in peanuts. When a child with a peanut allergy eats peanuts, she can have a life-threatening reaction called anaphylactic shock.
Many parents think they can keep their child from getting a peanut allergy if they dont give him peanuts until he is older. But research shows kids are better off if they eat peanut products very early in life.
Feeding infants peanut products from ages 4 to 6 months may prevent them from developing a peanut allergy, says Avraham Beigelman, MD, a Washington University pediatric allergist at St. Louis Childrens Hospital. Doing this may protect children from having a peanut allergy and is not harmful.
Peanut ProtectionThe research comes from a study of 600 babies between 4 and 11 months old. One group of babies was given peanut butter or a peanut snack at least three times a week. The other group was not given any peanut products. The study lasted until the children were 5 years old.
Only 3 percent of the kids who ate peanut products became allergic to peanuts. But 17 percent of those who did not eat peanuts did develop a peanut allergy.
Babies at a high risk of peanut allergy should be evaluated by an allergist before eating peanut products, Dr. Beigelman says. We want to be sure they are not already allergic to peanuts.
- hives
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