Allergy Dos And Don’ts: Take A Sick Day
“What you don’t want to do is let allergies run your life,” says Anju Peters, MD, an allergy specialist in the division of allergy and immunology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. “I would never tell a patient with allergies to stay home from work unless they had an asthma exacerbation,” she adds. Instead, she says to investigate good allergy treatment options.
“If you have mild symptoms, try over-the-counter antihistamines, but stay away from the sedating ones,” Dr. Peters says. Instead, use non-sedating ones or try a saline rinse to wash allergens out of your nose.
How Bad Can Seasonal Allergies Make You Feel
You might have a headache, but more likely you feel pressure or fullness in your nasal passages. Pressure from congestion creates discomfort that can register as tenderness. If you get allergy-related migraines or haven’t slept well, congestion can worsen an existing headache and seem to concentrate it in the sinuses.
When To See A Doctor
If you cannot identify the cause of your dizziness, then it is important to see a doctor. Again, dizziness can have many harmless causes. However, sometimes it can indicate a serious health concern. Make a note of when your dizziness started. Also, be aware of any other symptoms that may be occurring. Your doctor can help you get the right diagnosis. If your dizziness is caused by something like allergies, then they can help with your symptoms.
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Allergy Dos And Don’ts: Skip Exercise
If you have allergy symptoms, should you exercise as usual? Peters says go ahead but do what you feel comfortable doing. “Try some exercise and see if it helps or makes you feel more tired,” says Dr. Novey. “People are individual and this can go both ways.” If you are allergic to pollen, Peters suggests skipping outdoor morning exercise, when pollen counts are at their highest. Put off your workout until later or simply do it indoors.
Things You Should Know Aboutallergy
- 09 Jul, 2020
Allergies can cause all kinds ofunpleasant, distracting symptoms, from digestive upsets and headachesto respiratory trouble and runny eyes. However, you may also haveexperienced another few hallmark symptoms of allergy problems:fatigue, drowsiness, and mental sluggishness.
If you have had noticeable troublegathering your thoughts, maintaining your alertness, or even stayingawake during the day, you need to understand how your allergies maycreate or aggravate your tiredness. Take heed of the following fourkey points about allergy-related fatigue.
1. Allergens Cause BiochemicallyBased Fatigue
An allergic reaction occurs when yourimmune system goes into battle by mistake, attacking a harmlesssubstance as if it were a virus or other germ. It does this byinstructing mast cells to produce antibodies for release into thebloodstream. These antibodies belong to a category known asimmunoglobulin E.
In addition to immunoglobulin E, theimmune system releases a substance called histamine. When both ofthese substances produce an inflammatory reaction in the body, youmay experience a sense of tiredness alongside other, more obviousallergic symptoms.
2. Allergic Sinusitis Can CauseBrain Fog
Individuals who feel dazed and unableto think well often describe their problem as brain fog. While brainfog may occur in association with many health problems, most notablyfibromyalgia, it can also occur as a side effect of a conditioncalled allergic sinusitis.
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Find Relief From Fatigue Caused By Allergies
Fatigue can be caused by allergies and this can be frustrating. But it doesnt have to be forever. Diagnosing and treating your underlying allergies is the best way to find relief from your symptoms, get better sleep, and wake up feeling rested. Being tired can negatively impact your quality of life in many ways, but an ENT expert can help you address your issues and get back to a life free from fatigue from allergies. Schedule an appointment to discuss your allergy symptoms with a specialist today.
Limit Your Exposure To Allergens
Once you know which allergens are causing your symptoms, you can reduce your exposure to them. For example, if youre allergic to pollen, you can try to stay indoors on days when pollen counts are high.
You can check online with your local weather station to find your local pollen report. You should try to keep your windows closed if you have air-conditioning. If you do spend time outside, its important to bathe and change your clothing as soon as you come inside.
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Congestion Can Cause Brain Fog
A stuffy, swollen nose can make it difficult to think clearly, often causing a hazy or tried feeling. Many have termed this feeling brain fog, and it results from the congestion and pressure in your nasal and sinus air passages. Without treating allergy symptoms, and sometimes contributing sinus issues, the inflammation, irritation, and runny nose at the root of this issue will keep making you feel foggy.
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.
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Discover The Source Of Your Symptoms
You may already believe that allergies are the root cause of your fatigue and other symptoms, but there may be more to it than that. An ear, nose and throat specialist can fully examine to make sure other issues such as sinusitis or deviated septum arent causing or worsening your issues. They can also conduct an accurate allergy test to find out exactly which allergies you have, and how severe each one may be. Common triggers of allergies include dust mites, mold, pet dander, and pollen.
Can Pollen Allergies Make You Nauseous
All allergies work according to the same principles: Your immune system misidentifies a substance and believes it to be dangerous, even though it’s harmless. As a result, the antibody immunoglobulin E is released. It triggers your mast cells and basophils, which then send out an army of chemicals — including histamine — to fight off the invading allergen. You suffer the consequences of the battle in the form of allergic symptoms. When you have a food allergy, your body responds to certain proteins when you have a pollen allergy, your body responds to the little cells that plants release in order to fertilize other plants.
While the symptoms of food allergies can include nausea, it’s not a common reaction to a pollen allergy. Otherwise known as hay fever or seasonal allergic rhinitis, pollen allergies are typically characterized by cold-like symptoms including a runny nose, sneezing, congestion and itchy or watery eyes.
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A Side Effect From Allergy Medication
Many people reach for over-the-counter antihistamine pills to treat allergies. Dizziness may be a possible side effect, depending on the type of antihistamine that you take.
The oldest antihistamines on the market which tend to cause drowsiness as a side effect are more likely to cause other side effects, including dizziness, in some people.
If this happens, your doctor may recommend that you switch to newer antihistamines, which dont tend to cause side effects like dizziness or drowsiness. Talk to your doctor about which medication may be right for you.
Spring Is Here 5 Things Allergy Sufferers Need To Know
Due to global climate changes, allergists warn that spring allergy season continues to worsen each year. Dr. Jigisha Morosky, an allergist/immunologist with Starling Physicians, addresses the most common questions about seasonal allergies.
How do you know if it is a cold, allergy or COVID?
Sometimes it is difficult for people to determine if sniffles, sneezes, sore throat and coughs are caused by allergies, a cold or even sinusitis. Dr. Morosky explains that nasal allergy symptoms and common cold symptoms are essentially identical. Variables we examine are exposure to an allergen, like pollen or a pet, the duration of symptoms months versus 1 to 2 weeks, and if there is improvement while taking allergy medications.
Spring allergies can cause itchy water eyes, runny nose, scratchy throat, sneezing, coughing and even hives. The symptoms of a cold are often characterized by runny nose, sore throat and cough. Patients with severe seasonal allergies can feel very fatigued and have low grade fever making the distinction even harder.
Acute sinusitis is characterized by a stuffy or runny nose accompanied by pain in the forehead and/or over the cheeks. Often both the common cold and allergies can cause swelling of the nasal passages, which prevent the sinuses from draining, then this can lead to sinusitis. Sinusitis can be treated with antibiotics, however it often recurs if due to uncontrolled allergies.
What are best over the counter methods to treat allergies?
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Do Allergies Make You Tired
For those who are sensitive to pollen, allergen and weeds, particular times of the year may make them feel under the weather. While a seasonal allergy attack is not a true health problem, the bodys reaction to irritants might make the patient feel sick. Instead of allergic reactions triggering drowsiness, they cause tiredness, which may make the sufferer feel drowsy.
Can Seasonal Allergies Affect Your Bowels
Environmental allergies can certainly cause IBS symptoms. When pollen is breathed in, it can move to the bowel and cause irritation in the digestive tract. Having IBS issues due to environmental allergies is often simple to uncover because the symptoms will be worse during certain times of the year.
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Why Do Boiled Eggs Make Me Feel Sick
Why do boiled eggs make me feel sick? If eating eggs makes you feel nauseous, you may have an egg allergy. Allergies involve the immune system. With an egg allergy, your body recognizes the proteins as foreign, overreacts and produces antibodies. These create egg allergy symptoms include itching, hives, swelling, wheezing, and difficulty breathing.
Can Easy Mac be made with boiling water? all you do is boil the water and add it to the cup and close the lid. Easy Mac is the perfect camping food. I set it up on my sterno stove to boil the water and it works out great.
Can you make instant mac and cheese with hot water? Add 1-1/3 cups hot water to microwaveable dish. Pour the pasta from the box into the hot water . Stir the pasta and put the uncovered dish in the microwave oven. Cook for 7-9 minutes on HIGH.
Can you make Easy Mac without microwave? How do you make mac and cheese without a microwave? Place the macaroni & cheese into an oven-safe dish. Make sure to only take out what youre going to use. Add 1 tablespoon of milk per cup of mac and cheese and mix to incorprate as much as possible.
Your Eyes Are Itchy And Watery
While you might notice some redness or discomfort around your eyes when youre sick with a cold, its more likely that allergies are causing eye symptoms like watering and itching, Dr. Rosenstreich says.
Your nose and throat might feel itchy with a cold, says Dr. Metcalfe, but a cold usually doesnt affect the eyes. Allergies may also cause some swelling around the eyes, adds Dr. Parikh.
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Is It Safe To Exercise If I Have Seasonal Allergies
As long as youre feeling up to it, exercising is perfectly safe for your seasonal allergies.
In fact, your workout can even help your seasonal allergies!
Being sedentary leads to a sluggish flow of blood because your heart is pumping at your resting heart rate all the time. When you exercise, your blood flow speeds up.
This increase in blood flow means allergens are moved through your bloodstream more quickly and efficiently, decreasing inflammation and irritation.
Just be careful not to overexert yourself if youve got a runny nose, sore throat, or sinus pressure. Even some light exercise during your worst attacks is beneficial.
Do You Have A Cold Or Allergies
WebMD Feature
Do you know how to tell the difference between a cold and allergies? Are you sure?
It’s easy to get them confused. Just ask Paul Ehrlich, MD, a professor of pediatrics at New York University. He’d been an allergist for years when he came down with what he thought was a cold. “I’d had a watery, runny nose for several days when one of my patients took a look at me and said, ‘Oh, you have allergies, too!'” Ehrlich says.
He’d never had allergies before, but a checkup with another doctor confirmed that the patient was right. “Turns out I was allergic to birch trees, which were in bloom at the time,” he says.
A cold is an infection caused by a virus. Allergies are your immune system’s reaction to a substance like pollen or pet dander. Because the two conditions cause similar symptoms, like sniffles and stuffiness, many people get them mixed up. Knowing which is which can help you get the right treatment, and that will help you feel better faster.
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You Popped A Pill On An Empty Stomach
Nausea is a common side effect of many different medications including antidepressants, blood pressure medications, oral contraceptives, pain medications, antibiotics, and many more, says Dr. Hoch. Your gut processes food by releasing stomach acidso when you take a pill before you eat, that acid will still be released, causing irritation or nausea, says Dr. Hoch.
Nix the nausea: First, try taking your meds with food to see if it helps settle your stomach. If the medication itself is actually making you nauseous, talk to your doc about testing out the lowest dose. You may also need to cut out other unnecessary medications or supplements, says Dr. Hoch.
Medical Care For Houston And Beyond
If you need to see a doctor, then call Emergency Hospital Systems. Our experts will help you get to the bottom of your medical problem. Whether you need a diagnosis or treatment advice, we will offer professional, caring services. Click on the locations tab as shown above to find the hospital closest to you.
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Can Seasonal Allergies Cause Gastrointestinal Problems
Among some of the lesser-known symptoms of seasonal allergies are stomach upset, constipation, diarrhea, GERD, acid reflux, nausea, and stomach cramping. These digestive symptoms can come with little or no upper respiratory symptoms which is why it can be difficult for these symptoms to be traced back to their source.
Histamine & Liver Congestion
Often, excess histamine and underlying infection combine to make allergy symptoms particularly severe.
Ideally, your liver would remove any excess histamine caused by seasonal allergies but when it is congested from the strain of an underlying infection, it gets ‘behind’ at clearing away this excess histamine.
This is why you may have had mild allergies before but now the symptoms are unbearable.
There is a certain threshold, a certain amount of toxin or infection that your body can comfortably handle but once it passes that point your body falls behind and your symptoms drastically change.
This could mean that your symptoms get more severe, you have them more often, you have different triggers or they are a different set of symptoms entirely.
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Can Allergies Make You Feel Sick As In Cause Fever
Allergies and colds have a few common symptoms, such as sneezing and a runny nose that can make your kid feel sick. However, the National Institutes of Health states that fever should never be the outcome of allergies.
A person may experience allergy symptoms when their immune system misunderstands the environmental intervention and starts fighting harmless particles such as pet dander or pollen. These external substances can generate an inflammatory reaction from the immune system.
The symptoms of cold and flu are triggered by viruses responsible for compromising the respiratory system. When these viruses attack, your immune system starts working hard to keep out the harmful viruses.
Whats The Difference Between Having Allergies And Getting Sick
The big distinction between having allergies and being sick is that you canât actually give anyone your allergies â but you can give them your cold. âAllergies are not contagious and, while annoying, are usually harmless,â Dr. Jain says. âHowever, most viruses and bacteria illnesses are contagious.â
To try and detect a difference, pay attention to certain key symptoms. âIf you have a fever or swollen lymph nodes, it is likely an infection,â says Dr. Tania Elliott, M.D., a clinical instructor of medicine and immunology at NYU Langone. Itâs also about when symptoms start. âAllergies come the same time every year and are worse when you are exposed to an allergen ,â she explains. Youâll want to pay attention to how long your symptoms last, too. Allergies will stick around for a few months, Dr. Elliott says, while upper respiratory infections typically wonât stick around longer than a week or two.
If you have itchy or watery eyes, clear mucus, a runny nose for more than a week, and your symptoms are consistent each day, you’re likely dealing with allergies, which can usually be relieved with over-the-counter allergy medications. Allergy symptoms generally stay the same, whereas cold symptoms tend to intensify and peak before they ultimately subside.
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