Treating Body Aches And Fatigue
Symptoms of allergies can be treated, but lasting relief comes from treating the cause of the allergies. Uncovering what allergens you are intolerant of can help you treat your allergies, and reduce or eliminate your symptoms. A board-certified allergist can help to diagnose your allergies and come up with a treatment plan.
At the Center for Allergy and Asthma of Georgia, our allergists are all board-certified specialists in Allergy and Immunology. Our teams focused training allows us to help you find relief from your allergies. We offer extended hours and same-day appointments to ensure that you can get treatment from our Georgia allergists, with no wait. Contact our offices today to schedule your appointment.
How To Manage Fatigue Associated With Allergies
Managing fatigue from allergies usually requires figuring out how to best manage the allergy itself.
If youre struggling with allergies and associated fatigue, your doctoror an allergistcan diagnose your allergy and recommend a treatment plan to stave off tiredness and other allergy symptoms.
Here are some of the most impactful ways to improve fatigue from allergies:
Allergies Usually Do Not Cause Wet Coughs
While coughing is often a symptom of both allergies and colds, the type of cough for each is different. A cold cough is wet and hacking, and typically produces mucus or phlegm that gets progressively thicker, often taking on a green or yellow tinge.
Allergies can cause a cough that feels like you have a tickle in your throat. Thats because allergens often irritate the lining of your nose, which triggers your nasal passages to create a watery mucus. This can drip out of your nose and down the back of your throat, creating that tickling sensation. This is referred to as post-nasal drip.
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Allergies Are An Often
Home»Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology»Allergies Are an Often-Overlooked Cause of Fatigue, Body Aches, and Pain
Anyone who suffers from allergies knowns how frustrating they can be to deal with. They can cause all sorts of issues such as constant sneezy, running noses, watering eyes, and itching. What many people dont realize is that allergies can also cause fatigue, body aches, and pain. Not only do people who suffer not realize that allergies are the culprit, but doctors often do not know or diagnose properly.
If you have been dealing with allergies, and have also had body aches, been chronically tired, or had undiagnosed pain, it could all be related. Your first step is to contact Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Medical Group at 805-658-9500 for comprehensive allergy testing. Once we know what the specific allergy is, we can provide treatment options. In the meantime, read on to learn about the link between fatigue, body aches, pain, and allergies.
When Is Face Pain An Emergency
If you experience facial pain that appears suddenly and radiates from the chest or the left arm, call 911 or your local emergency services immediately. This may be the sign of an impending heart attack.
Facial pain usually isnt a medical emergency, and you can often receive treatment at a regularly scheduled doctors appointment.
When visiting your doctor, make sure that you tell them:
- what part of your face is hurting
- how often you feel pain
- exactly where the pain is coming from
- what kind of pain you feel
- how long the pain lasts
- what relieves the pain
- any other symptoms experienced
Your doctor may order an imaging test, such as an X-ray or MRI scan to make a diagnosis. These imaging tests are useful in diagnosing problems within the bones, muscles, and tissue. Your doctor can also use an X-ray to check the sinuses.
Your doctor may take a blood sample to test for certain infections. This is a procedure with minimal pain that involves drawing blood from your arm.
If your symptoms reveal a possible eye condition or if your doctor is concerned you may be having heart problems, theyll order additional tests.
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Which Parts Of The Body Are Most Affected By Allergies
Seasonal allergies most often affect your respiratory systemnose, sinuses, throat, and lungs. However, pain from allergies can also affect other parts of your body.
Repeatedly coughing and sneezing can strain the muscles between your ribs or the cartilage that attaches your ribs to your breastbone , causing a lot of pain. Pain can also come from your diaphragm, or breathing muscle, which can transfer pain to your shoulder or neck.
This pain is usually sharp and intense and worsens when you breathe, sneeze, laugh, or cough.
How Does This Cause Body Aches
According to a study published in the journal Molecular Pain in 2017, Some of the same chemicals that help fight off allergens also activate nerves in the body that causes pain in joints throughout your body.
What this essentially means is that the inflammatory response caused by an allergic reaction can also cause pain.
In addition, repeatedly coughing and sneezing can strain the muscles between your ribs as well as the cartilage that attaches your ribs to your breast bone. Pain in your diaphragm can also lead to pain in the shoulders and neck.
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Muscle/joint Pain Caused By Allergies
DEAR DR. GOTT: Im hoping this information willbe helpful to many of your readers. I am a healthy 57-year-oldfemale. Ten years ago, my husband and I lived in Virginia becausehe was in the Army. I became ill with tingling and numbness in myleft arm and also aching joints. After numerous doctor visits,MRIs, etc., I still had no diagnosis. Then, about three monthslater, I awoke with my arms and torso covered in hives. Iimmediately went to see an allergist who told me that I wasallergic to something that had caused the hives to develop, but healso said it was wreaking havoc inside my body and making my armand joints ache. I started taking an antihistamine every day fortwo years and was absolutely fine.
For some dumb reason, I stopped taking it, and last year I hadanother strange episode: This time, it was strong pains in mybreasts. It felt as though I was lactating, but I knew I could notbe. Again, I had many doctor visits and also underwent asophisticated mammogram. I was told I had fibromyalgia, because Ialso had aches and muscle pains. I disagreed with the diagnosis andbegan researching on my own.
We returned the dog to the shelter, and I was immediately testedfor allergies. I was allergic to cats and dogs, not to mention manygrasses, molds, trees and house dust. I will never stop taking mydaily antihistamine, and I have been feeling great ever sincerestarting it.
Allergies And Chronic Fatigue
It is not uncommon for a person who suffers from allergies to also suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome . Symptoms of CFS include extreme exhaustion that does not have any known cause. The first step is to talk to your doctor so they can assess for potential illnesses. If they cannot find the cause, then your next step should be to take to an allergist.
Why? Because it is often the case that a person with CFS has an over-sensitive immune system. When you consider that allergies can be caused by over-sensitive immune systems, it is easy to see that why the conditions often exist together. It is often the case that by treating allergies, fatigue can be reduced. Other things can affect both fatigue and allergies, such as mold spores and other environmental irritants.
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How Long Do Symptoms Last
Typically, a sinus infection clears up within 2 to 3 weeks. COVID-19 lasts for about a week or two depending on its severity and your overall health.
A 2020 study surveyed 270 outpatients with COVID-19. Among them, 175 people reported returning to their usual level of health about 7 days after a positive COVID-19 test.
Some symptoms like cough and loss of smell or taste may linger temporarily after COVID-19. Some people may experience long-haul COVID-19, a group of symptoms that persist in the weeks and months following an infection.
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Lack Of Smell And Taste
Sinus congestion will often impact your sense of smell. Because breathing through your nose becomes difficult, you wont be able to smell like you usually do. Your sense of smell informs your sense of taste, so while you will most likely be able to tell apart major ingredients, like salty instead of sweet, food will probably taste fairly bland for you while your sinuses are infected.
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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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Do You Have A Cold The Flu Or Allergies
The above table details the symptom differences between all three conditions.
The common symptoms of a cold, flu and allergies are a stuffy or a runny nose, sneezing, a sore throat, a cough, a headache, or even fatigue. Two differing symptoms are a fever or aches/pain, these would not be caused by allergies, but could be due to a cold or the flu. Symptoms of the flu are often more severe than a cold.
While the symptoms are similar, the origin of the conditions are different. A cold and the flu are both caused by different viruses, whereas allergies are caused by your immune system reacting to a trigger. Common inhalant allergy triggers are pollen, dust, mold, pet dander.
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Seasonal Allergies And Joint Pain
- Posted on: Apr 15 2020
- Leave a response
Its officially spring and with warmer weather, it brings new life back to our lives. Unfortunately, these pretty flowers and blooming trees bring with them unwanted pollen that can cause allergic reactions in many of us. From runny noses to watery eyes, your body can be negatively impacted by these blossoming buds. Did you know that another downside of seasonal allergies is that they can actually affect your joints as well? While you may not associate one with the other, they are in fact connected. In understanding this connection you can hopefully learn how to prevent it and have a happier spring season.
Complications Of Chronic Sinusitis
Some people are troubled by frequent sinus infections, or continuous infection. Chronic sinusitis can linger for weeks or even months at a time. This can sometimes lead to serious complications, including infections in the bones and tissue near to the sinuses. Very rarely this infection can spread to the brain and the fluid around the brain. The person will be very ill and have swelling around the eyes.People with chronic sinusitis may have other problems which affect the nose, throat and ears at the same time, including:
- Middle ear infection and temporary deafness
- Post-nasal drip , which can lead to constant coughing, a sore throat and bad breath.
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But Can Allergies Really Cause Muscle And Joint Pain
Absolutely! There are plenty of ways allergies are related to muscle and joint pain. In fact, the truth is: when allergies cause body inflammations, muscle and joint pains are inevitable.
To help you understand why an allergy may be the cause of your muscle or joint pain, lets delve deeper into the relation between the two.
For starters, seasonal allergies often manifest similar symptoms as common colds .
The difference may be very hard to recognize considering that seasonal allergies usually manifest in joint and muscle pain too as in the case with colds.
Therefore, until other symptoms are put into considerations, joint and muscle pain may be directly linked to seasonal allergies and common colds.
Additionally, allergies cause increased inflammation in various parts of the body as the antibodies fight foreign allergens that are responsible for the allergies.
Your throat, nose, and eyes, get inflamed because your immune system is fighting hard to protect your body against the allergens.
As a result of the pressure that is exerted on the immune system, the body gets exhausted, which may cause pain and aches in your muscles and joints.
So, fatigue is another reason why allergies can cause joint and muscle pains. When the body feels tired, muscle and joint pain symptoms even become worse.
In fact, this is why many arthritis patients complain of severe joint pains after consuming certain types of food that they are allergic to.
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Start With Some Home Remedies For Cold And Allergy Symptoms
When you start feeling icky, some simple home remedies can provide temporary relief. For starters, try to get more rest. Both allergies and colds can cause tiredness, so listen to your body and take it easy.
Also, take advantage of saltwater to soothe irritated nasal passages and scratchy or sore throats.
For your nose, use a neti pot. A neti pot can be picked up at any local drugstore or online, and typically comes with packets to mix with warm, distilled water to create a saltwater solution to pour through your nasal passages.
For your throat, simply mix a quarter or half teaspoon of table salt into an 8-ounce glass of warm water. Take a sip and gargle for a few seconds like you would with mouthwash. Then spit and repeat until the solution is gone. You can do this a couple times a day.
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Surprising Signs You Have An Allergy Or Sensitivity
Allergies, intolerances, and sensitivities dont always turn up as a runny nose and itchy eyes. According to Leo Galland, MD, coauthor of The Allergy Solution, allergies are great mimics because they can manifest in unexpected ways. Many people may be suffering an allergy or sensitivity-related symptom and have no idea that an underlying immune reaction is the root cause.
These are some of the common symptoms of a sensitivity-related reaction or allergy that, on the surface, appear to be something else.
How Seasonal Allergies Impact Chronic Illness
Seasonal allergies are uncomfortable and can cause or aggravate other health problems.
When my seasonal allergies strike in the Spring, I feel it in my joints and in my gut, says patient advocate Zoe Rothblatt, who lives with spondyloarthritis and Crohns disease. Along with the sniffles and congestion headache, my joints get a fiery ache and I get a crampy ache in my gut.
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What If I’ve Body Aches
Health stipulations that motive whole body aches include flu, COVID-19, fibromyalgia, and autoimmune problems. Body aches occur when your muscles, tendons, joints, and different connective tissues hurt. You may also have aches in your fascia, which is the cushy tissue between your muscle groups, bones, and organs.
Gluten Is Connected To Many Forms Of Autoimmune Arthritis
Can gluten cause muscle and joint pain? For genetically susceptible individuals, the intestinal damage caused by gluten in combination with an overactive immune system and chronic state of inflammation leads to celiac disease.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition that causes your immune system to attack your intestines, which creates even more damage and inflammation. But as I mentioned, the inflammatory effects arent limited to your gut. Which is why celiac disease is associated with many other autoimmune conditions. And several of them cause your immune system to attack your muscles and joints, which causes pain.
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Do Seasonal Allergies Seem To Bring Sneezing And Sniffling As Well As Body Aches Joint Pain And Fatigue Here Are Some Possible Reasons Why And How To Best Manage These Symptoms
If you are wondering whether seasonal allergies affect inflammatory arthritis, you are not alone. In fact, patients and experts agree that seasonal allergies can exacerbate symptoms of inflammatory arthritis and impact how you manage inflammation and joint pain.
It is common for arthritis patients to have allergies, including seasonal allergies and many of them notice that symptoms worsen during the allergy season, says Juan Jose Maya, MD, a rheumatologist in Lake Worth, Florida.
Dr. Maya says there are several possible explanations to why arthritis symptoms are exacerbated during allergy episodes:
- When you sneeze, you increase the pressure in the bodys tissues, including joints, and this causes pain
- The restriction in air flow caused by congestion can cause fatigue, which would worsen the fatigue of inflammatory arthritis
- The inflammatory molecules released in the body during seasonal allergies can worsen inflammatory reactions
When Should You Go To The Doctors For A Sinus Infection
If you have been suffering from frequent or chronic sinusitis, dont let it go untreated. Balloon Sinuplasty may be the best treatment option for you.
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Are you ready to put chronic sinusitis in your past? Request an appointment to see if balloon sinuplasty is the right treatment option for you.
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