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Do Seasonal Allergies Make You Feel Sick

Best Medicine And Treatment For Allergies And A Cold

Feeling sick? Steps to take to determine if its COVID, flu or allergies

A cold and seasonal allergies can be treated with over-the-counter medications, such as antihistamines or decongestants. Be sure to use the medications as described and contact your primary care provider or pharmacist to make sure you are not double-dosing.

If you are giving children allergy or cold medication, then make sure you confirm with your primary care provider or pharmacist the allergy medication is safe for children and closely follow the dosage instructions.

If you think you might have a cold, then avoid spreading the germs to others. Colds are contagious, Weston added. You should stay home until youve been fever free for 24 hours.

If your nasal congestion becomes overwhelming, rinsing your sinuses with a nasal irrigation pot can help remove allergens and prevent infection in your sinuses. Nasal irrigation systems can work to help prevent infection in your sinuses, Weston said. Just be sure that youre using it as directed and with bottled or previously-boiled water.

Be sure to contact your primary care provider if your fever does not go away, or if you have trouble breathing or keeping food or fluids down. Although complications are rare, they are a possibility and should be caught early. Similarly, colds and allergies can trigger asthma, so getting an early grasp on them is important.

Media contact: Dee Dee Grays, , 979.436.0611

Does Yale Medicine Offer Specialized Allergy Care

Yale Medicines Allergy & Clinical Immunology physicians have expertise in diagnosing and treating allergies and immunologic diseases. The department schedules weekly conferences to guide care of complex allergy cases, so patients benefit from multiple expert opinions.

In addition, we conduct research to determine the molecular basis of allergic disorders in order to develop new ways to treat people with allergies. Our goal is to help you better enjoy the seasons as they turn by keeping the achoos in check.

Are Allergies Making You Sick

Comments: 2 | September 6th, 2017

Allergies are more than just a nuisance. You may not think a sneezy, runny nose is anything to worry about, but allergy symptoms are an indicator of an underlying problem and should not be ignored.

Although respiratory discomfort is the most obvious indicator of an allergic reaction, allergies can cause symptoms throughout the body. Food allergens can trigger gastrointestinal symptoms such as canker sores, gastritis, and diarrhea. Recurrent or chronic urinary tract infections, childhood ear infections, upper respiratory infections, and yeast infections commonly have an allergic basis. Asthma is caused by underlying allergies, as well. Other serious conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis and irritable bowel syndrome, can be exacerbated by allergies, especially allergies to foods.

Not only do allergies contribute to poor health they can make you feel miserable and negatively affect your quality of life. Allergies also contribute to days missed at work and increased healthcare costs. Allergies can begin at any age, including after childbirth and in midlife.

ALLERGIES INCREASE INFLAMMATION

ALLERGIES CAN CAUSE ADRENAL FATIGUE

ALLERGIES LEAD TO POOR SLEEP

NATURAL TREATMENT

Unless your allergies are identified and treated, chronic health problems can result. Problems ranging from sinus infections, skin disorders, asthma and migraine headaches can finally begin to improve when allergies are identified and treated.

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Which Type Is Best

Theres not much evidence to suggest any particular antihistamine is better than any other at relieving allergy symptoms.

Some people find certain types work well for them and others do not. You may need to try several types to find one that works for you.

Non-drowsy antihistamines are generally the best option, as theyre less likely to make you feel sleepy. But types that make you feel sleepy may be better if your symptoms stop you sleeping.

Ask a pharmacist for advice if youre unsure which medicine to try as not all antihistamines are suitable for everyone.

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How Can You Minimize Exposure To Seasonal Allergy Triggers

Allergy season is here in South Carolina!

Even when pollen seems to be blanketing everything in its path, there are steps you can take to prevent allergies from acting up:

  • Have your child wash their hands and face as soon as they come in from playing outside so they dont rub pollen in their eyes and nose. Better yet, rinse them off in the shower.
  • Check the forecast for pollen levels, and limit outdoor activities when pollen counts are at their highest.
  • Dry laundry in the dryer. Since pollen can coat clothing, avoid hanging laundry outside to dry.
  • Have your child take their bath at bedtime. This will help with nighttime allergy problems.
  • Keep windows in your home and car closed and use air conditioning to filter the air. Make sure the air conditioner is on re-circulating mode.

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Symptoms Of Pollen Allergies

Everyones immune system is different and allergies to pollens can cause diverse signs and symptoms. This means that diagnosing an allergy can be difficult. If you think you may have an allergy, keeping a record of your symptoms can help you and your doctor to understand what is causing your symptoms.

Is My Sore Throat Allergies Or A Cold

Both allergies and colds may cause a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, a cough, and fatigue. Itchy eyes, post-nasal drip, and dark circles under your eyes are more common with allergies. Symptoms more commonly caused by a virus include sore throat, cloudy or discolored nasal discharge, fever, and general aches and pains.

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Can Allergies Make You Tired Dizzy

Only some people who have allergies experience this problem: A study published in the Journal of the National Medical Association found that about 13 percent of people with nasal allergy symptoms experience dizziness due to inner ear problems. Treatment of allergy induced dizziness means treating the underlying cause.

Can Allergies Make You Feel Nauseous

Seasonal Allergies: Fact or Fiction with Dr. Jeff Millstein

Nausea isnt usually associated with seasonal allergies, but that doesnt mean that its never a symptom. Its not a very common symptom, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology. It is more common for food allergies to cause nausea and vomiting, as well as diarrhea.

However, although seasonal allergies are unlikely to directly cause nausea, some of the symptoms of allergies could make you feel sick. For example, if your sinuses are congested, it could make you feel dizzy and sick.

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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

Always speak with your doctor if you are thinking of using a complementary medicine or therapy to test for allergies.

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.

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Symptoms Of An Allergy

Following are the common symptoms of an allergy:

  • Irritation on skin

People often experience seasonal allergies. For example, you can get sick when trees or grasses release their pollen to help plant fertilization.

If this is the case for you, a doctor specialized in treating allergies can diagnose the problem. They will determine if you are allergic to any particular substance. Your doctor may expose your skin to different allergens to check for allergic reactions. They may also carry out blood tests to check for the antibodies that fight allergies.

Can A Cold Or Flu Cause Allergies

Is it a Cold or Just Allergies? How Do You Know the Difference?

An allergy is an inflammatory immune response to specific foods or something in the environment, known as an allergen. Colds and flu are caused by viruses or bacteria. Therefore, a cold or flu cannot cause an allergy.

Sometimes, allergies can lead to a sinus infection, which may develop into a fever. Sinus infections are the result of excess mucus and debris getting trapped in the air-filled sinus passages. However, the infection develops due to the bacteria or viruses present rather than the allergens.

Knowing what a person is allergic to can help in treating the allergies. A person can be allergic to several allergens at once. Some of the key steps to reducing allergy symptoms include:

A person with severe allergies may benefit from immunotherapy. This approach involves injecting increasing amounts of allergens in the body to de-sensitize the bodys immune response. A doctor must prescribe these injections.

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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.

See related: Is it a cold? Or is it Allergies?

Do Allergies Make You Tired

You know that time of year when your allergies are at their worst and youre so tired, it feels like a burden? Thats because the body goes through major fighting against an invader. And as if all this werent enough reason to get some rest before returning back into action again soon after being off-duty for just long enoughIm sure glad we work here!

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What Are Seasonal Allergies

Seasonal allergies strike at different times of the year. Also known as allergic rhinitis, or hay fever, seasonal allergy symptoms occur when airborne irritants, or allergens, enter the eyes, nose and throat, setting off an allergic reaction.

In the spring, flower and tree pollen are common culprits. Grass pollen starts in late spring and peaks in the summer months. Weed pollen and mold spores plague kids mainly in the late summer and fall.

Since children need to be exposed to an allergen before they can be allergic to it, children under two years of age are less likely to have environmental allergies.

Why The Sudden Banana Intolerance Am I Allergic

Seasonal Allergies or Sinusitis? – SLUCare Health Watch

Banana allergies are not very common. In most cases, the person is allergic to other things which were present on the banana. But if you feel sick immediately after eating a banana, you should first check for these symptoms.

  • Itchy throat and mouth Remember your digestive process starts in the mouth from the second you take a bite of the banana. Noticing any irritations in your throat after eating a banana can help you narrow down the causes, helping to identify if you have developed an allergy to bananas.
  • Rashes Another way to identify an allergy is by checking for a rash in your hand, which you used to hold the banana. Even holding a banana can trigger this symptom if you do have a banana allergy.
  • Diarrhea and vomiting Your body rushing to get rid of the contents of your stomach is a good indicator that something you ate is trouble. In this case, a banana allergy. But it is important to note that this symptom alone doesnt mean you have an allergy to bananas.
  • Anaphylactic shock If you eat something you are severely allergic to, your body faces a life-threatening reaction named anaphylaxis. Your brain releases a huge amount of chemicals into your body, and your blood pressure drops. This happens in very extreme cases and is a definite sign of a banana allergy. And while going into an anaphylactic shock after eating a banana is a symptom of a banana allergy, this symptom also has the sub-symptoms of rashes, itchy throats, and nausea.
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    Allergies Rarely Cause Sore Throats Or Body Aches

    The only ache you may feel with allergies is a headache from all that congestion. Allergies can cause a sore throat if theres enough irritation from post-nasal drip and coughing, but if youre experiencing a sore throat or mild body aches, theyre more likely a sign of a bad cold.

    Can allergies cause chills? No. If you have chills, its more likely you have a cold, the flu or another infection .

    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, youre 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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    Heres What Happens During An Allergic Reaction:

  • Exposure to an allergen prompts white blood cells, called T and B cells, to spring into action. B cells are responsible for the immune systems adaptive antibody response, so they play a critical role in our health. But sometimes, they overreact and identify substances, like tree pollen, as a threat. Then they produce antibodies to fight that allergen.
  • These antibodies, known as immunoglobulin E , bind to another kind of white blood cell, called a mast cell. When you encounter an allergen, the antibodies signal to the mast cells that its time to fight.
  • The mast cells release histamine and other inflammatory molecules to battle what the body perceives as a danger. Histamine causes small blood vessels, known as capillaries, to become leaky. This makes the blood vessels more permeable, causes tissue to swell, and allows more of the white cell troops to join the battle. Making matters worse, as the mast cells release these inflammatory molecules, they are also signaling the rest of the immune system to mobilize against the threat.
  • Thats how you get the typical allergic response, Kwan says. Your immune system is trying to tell your nose to sneeze to get rid of the pollen, and your eyes to water because pollen particles are landing there. Your nose is producing a large amount of mucus to get what it perceives as foreign substances out of your bodyin essence, thats the bodys goal during an allergic response.

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    Can Pollen Affect Your Chest

    Can Pollen Allergies Cause Canker Sores

    Environmental allergies can affect your airway in unique ways: Allergic rhinitis affects your nose and sinuses, and may cause sneezing, congestion, and an itchy nose and eyes. Asthma mainly affects your lungs, and may cause coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath or rapid breathing.

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    Your Allergies Can Cause A Sore Body

    Some people suffer from hay fever or allergy-induced sinusitis in summer due to the higher pollen count or humidity. Symptoms like itchy eyes, coughing, runny nose and constant congestion are enough to wear anyone down.

    Not only in your head and nose

    For some, a mild sense of discomfort may be as bad as it gets. But, according to the Orthopedic Institute of Pennsylvania , some people who suffer from seasonal allergies may also experience severe joint, muscle, back and neck ache.

    You may even experience a low-grade fever, which makes it easy to confuse your allergy symptoms with a cold or even flu.

    The link between chronic fatigue, aches, pains and allergies was established decades ago. In a study published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, patients who complained of fatigue, low-grade fever, aches and pains also often reported either seasonal or food allergies.

    How are pain and allergies related?

    While seasonal allergies often affect the nasal region, and the symptoms are mostly above the neck, pollen can affect the entire body as your immune system goes into overdrive.

    Allergies and joint pain

    When you experience allergies, your body has higher inflammation levels than usual as your immune system reacts to pollen and your body attempts to flush out the allergens, according to the OIP. This can cause joint ache.

    Allergies and body aches

    Tips on managing your symptoms

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