What Food Changes May Be Needed For Allergic Esophagitis
You may need to stop eating certain foods for a while to see if your symptoms improve. Start eating these foods again one at a time as directed. If certain foods cause your symptoms, do not eat them. Some common examples are dairy, nuts, eggs, and seafood. You may need to change what you eat to relieve your symptoms. You may need to see a dietitian to help you get the right amount of nutrients.
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Are There Home Remedies To Help With Blocked Ears
Often holding your nose and mouth closed and blowing until you feel your ears pop helps to equalise the pressure in your middle ear, relieving the symptoms of a blocked ear. However, you need to be careful not to blow too hard and damage the delicate structures in your ear, such as the eardrum. As your blocked ear is caused by hayfever, this procedure is likely to only bring temporary relief.
Another home remedy is to inhale steam, The steam may help to thin and loosen the mucus, which then may be released. A hot steamy shower, sauna or humidifier will work in the same way.
Eating hot foods or spicy foods , often helps to soften the mucus that is blocking your ears, and will also help with any congestion of the nasal cavities.
Although not exactly a remedy, it is important to keep your head up, as bending over with your head down increases the pressure inside your ear, worsening the feelings of congestion.
Causes Of Pollen Allergies
For all allergies, the immune system reacts to specific allergy trigger molecules . Your immune system produces antibodies that detect the allergen and cause inflammatory reactions and the release of a chemical called histamine. Histamine causes hay fever symptoms, such as itchy and watery nose and eyes, and sneezing.In general, pollen from grass, weeds and trees that are not native to Australia cause more allergies than native plants. Wattle is rarely a cause of allergic symptoms, although people can think it is the cause of their hay fever symptoms.In Victoria, inland areas tend to have higher pollen counts and northerly winds can bring pollens from inland regions to the coastal areas, including Melbourne. In contrast, the east coast of Australia often has less pollen, because winds tend to blow in from the sea and the Great Dividing Range protects the coast from inland winds. In South Australia and Western Australia, levels of pollen in the air vary, depending on wind direction.
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Are Allergies In Kids Different Than In Adults
It can be especially difficult to control allergies in kids, Dr. Leeds says, adding that kids tend to spend more time outdoors and, thus, are exposed to more pollen. A high pollen count day is not going to deter them from going to the playground, says Dr. Leeds. Thats unlike an adult who might say, ‘Im going to drive my car to work, keep the windows rolled up, and not take that walk during lunch.’
Another difference is that allergies in adults are usually well-established, while in kids there is the hope that they will outgrow them, Dr. Leeds says.
With kids, we talk about the concept of atopy, which is an allergic predisposition, she says. For a child with a strong family history of any allergiesand especially for those who develop symptoms early in lifedoctors look out for the four main allergic diseases: eczema, food allergies, nasal allergies, and asthma. These allergic diseases, in general, are increasing in prevalence, she says.
Causes Of Seasonal Allergies
Hay fever happens when your immune system identifies an airborne substance thats usually harmless as dangerous. It responds to that substance, or allergen, by releasing histamines and other chemicals into your bloodstream. Those chemicals produce the symptoms of an allergic reaction.
Common triggers of hay fever vary from one season to another.
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Youre Soaking Up The Great Outdoors
As you should be! We cant think of better ways to enjoy the beautiful fall weather than farmers markets and morning hikes. But if youre a seasonal allergy sufferer, any time spent outdoors can stir up symptoms. You dont have to head inside for good, but do reconsider your timing.
Pollen counts are highest from early morning until 10 a.m., so try to postpone your activity until later in the day, suggests Rachna Shah, M.D., allergist and faculty member of Loyola School of Medicine.
Sudden Allergies To Fruits You Were Fine With Before
Certain fruitslike bananas and melonscontain compounds that are very similar to the pollens in trees or ragweed. So when you eat them, you may get the kind of reaction you get when you spend time in nature, says Hurwitz.
In fact, when youre in allergy season and you have symptoms, even non-allergens can be irritating, too, says Dr. Blair. Perfumes, paint fumes, and even pollution can be harder to withstand when youre already inflamed with allergies.
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What Happens During The Spring Allergy Season
When we talk about spring allergies, were talking about tree pollen, says Dr. Eidelman. In a temperate climate, there are three basic pollen seasons. You have spring which is tree season, summer brings more grass pollen and in the fall, you have more weed pollen and a little bit of mold.
He adds that in subtropical areas, there are still three main pollen seasons. However, the grass pollen season can be much longer and since these areas dont get winter weather or true frost to stop trees and plants from producing pollen, allergy seasons dont end.
If you feel like your spring allergies are worse year after year, youre not imagining things. What youve experienced was most likely due to global warming.
Dr. Eidelman explains.
With climate change, spring pollination has become worse during the last 10 to 20 years. As the seasons get hotter, were getting more pollen, longer pollination seasons and more intense pollination seasons. This seems to be a worldwide trend.
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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Feeling Tired All The Time
Its not just all the congestion that makes you feel out of it. Seasonal allergies themselves can drag your energy down, says Eugene Hurwitz, M.D., medical director of the Center for Allergy and Asthma of Georgia. When your body encounters an allergen, it releases histamine, and histamine in your body can make you feel fatigued, he says. In addition, the inflammation that happens in your sinuses when you are allergic to something can cause sinus infections, which will also leave you feeling slow.
You Don’t Have These Symptoms
Colds and allergies share many of the same symptoms, so it can be tough to tell which one you’re going through. Because they share symptoms — such as coughing and congestion — it’s helpful to consider the symptoms that these two conditions don’t share.
If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, there’s a good chance you have a cold:
- Fatigue
- Severe headache
- Sore throat
Another way to tell the difference between a cold and allergies is the duration of your symptoms. Colds usually go away on their own in seven to 10 days, whereas allergies persist until they’re treated or until the trigger is gone — which can take months depending on what you are allergic to.
If you know you’re allergic to pollen, you can try an app like Zyrtec AllergyCast to check the pollen counts and see if it’s a good idea to go outside.
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Lump In Throat Warning Signs And Symptoms
Early warning signs of bump in throat include neck or throat pain, weight loss, abrupt appearance, pain, choking, difficulty swallowing, spitting up food, muscle weakness, a mass that is visible or that can be felt, and progressive worsening of symptoms. Often, these warning signs are associated with a corresponding condition.
Symptoms include:
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Youre Not Consistent With Your Medication
It takes you three months to use up your 30-day supply of OTC allergy meds and you get your allergy shots only when youre feeling crummy. Sound familiar? Compliance is what both Dr. Shah and Dr. Leija cite as the biggest reason their patients cant get ahead of their symptoms.
It takes about two to three days for allergy medicine to kick in, explains Dr. Leija. And you cant just stop when you feel better or when the pollen count in your area is low. Pollen counts vary so much by the weather and the barometric pressure, he explains, so consistently taking your medication on days when numbers are low will prep you for when they surge again.
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Trees Grasses And Weeds Are Often To Blame
Ragweed, which grows throughout most of the U.S., produces pollen in the fall.
Ah, spring. It’s the time of year when the cold starts to wane, and trees and flowers blossom.
But if you’re one of the many people who suffer from seasonal allergies, those pretty trees and plants may make you feel worse, not better.
That’s because of pollen, a powdery substance made by trees, weeds, and grasses.
Pollen is harmless, but if you have seasonal allergies, your body mistakes the pollen for something dangerous and tries to attack it. This reaction causes symptoms like coughing, a runny or stuffy nose, and itchy, watery eyes. You might feel like you have a cold.
What To Do If You Have Anaphylaxis
Give yourself epinephrine right away if you start to:
- have trouble breathing
- feel tightness in your throat
- feel faint
- have two or more milder allergic symptoms together
Dont try to use an inhaler or antihistamine and wait to see what happens. Go straight for the epinephrine! Seconds count during anaphylaxis.
If you have signs of a serious allergic reaction:
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Asthma From Pollen Allergies
Pollen can be breathed into the lungs and directly cause asthma in some people. This can be unrelated to hay fever symptoms. Symptoms of asthma include:
- chest tightness or pain
- blocked sinuses
- extreme tiredness.
One in five Australians experience hay fever symptoms and they can be debilitating. 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.
How Can You Tell A Cold From Allergies
This can be challenging, Dr. Wada says. Still, there are a few signs that you might be dealing with one vs. the other.
Typically, allergies will last longerweeks to monthswhereas colds will last one to two weeks, Dr. Wada says. Colds also tend to have more body symptoms like muscle aches and even a fever, Dr. Parikh says. And, unless you develop an infection related to your allergies, you shouldnt get a fever from allergies.
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It’s Probably Allergies If:
Your mucus is clear or watery. And it will stay clear, instead of becoming thick or discolored like it can with a cold, says Michael Benninger, MD, an ear, nose, and throat specialist at the Cleveland Clinic.
Your eyes are itchy or watery. It’s rare to have itchy eyes when you have a cold.
Your symptoms stay the same. “Allergies may feel extra intense for the first day or 2, but you’ll have the same symptoms day after day,” Benninger says.
You’ve had the sniffles for more than a week. A cold usually clears up in 7 to 10 days, but allergies can last several weeks or longer.
Your symptoms show up only in certain situations. Find yourself sneezing every spring or fall? Those are common times for allergies. Another allergy tip-off: Being in a specific place makes you feel miserable — for example, in a house with a cat.
Is It Allergies A Cold Or Something Else
Is It Allergies, a Cold or Something Else?
North Texans know that allergy season can last all year. There always seems to be something in the air that can cause a scratchy throat or itchy eyes. But what if the symptoms mean something else? Thats the thing with allergies the symptoms are just hazy enough that they cross paths with other illnesses. To know the difference, it helps to know the culprit.
Allergies are caused by an overactive immune system that sends your body into defense mode when something thats usually harmless, such as dust or pollen, is mistaken for germs. Your body releases histamines to go after the allergens, just as it does when fighting a cold. This can cause swelling in your nasal passages, a runny nose, cough, sneezing and itchy, watery eyes.
Colds, on the other hand, are caused by hundreds of different viruses. When one of these viruses gets into your body, thanks to contact with an infected person or contaminated surface, your immune system fights back. The response can come in the way of nasal congestion, a runny nose, coughing and/or sneezing.
How to Tell What You Have
Despite similarities , allergies and colds do have some differences. The most important one is that colds usually dont last longer than 14 days. Plus, they may bring with them body aches, a fever and a sore throat. If you still have symptoms after two weeks, you should check in with your doctor.
Could It Be Something More?
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Altered Sense Of Taste
“Sense of smell and taste tend to go hand in hand, and when you can’t smell, it can impair or alter your sense of taste,” says Shainhouse. “Allergy sufferers may think food tastes off or needs salt or heat or spices because they can’t taste anything or because flavors have become significantly dulled.” Not only is this frustrating, but all that extra sodium and spice could lead to unintentional overeating and some serious weight gain.
Fall Mold Allergy Symptoms
Mold allergies cause a lot of the same symptoms as the other fall allergies mentioned such as sneezing, itchy eyes and nose, runny nose, and coughing. Some patients experience itchy, dry skin as a result of environmental molds, too.
Asthmatics are often severely impacted because mold spores move easily in the air and are inhaled, putting you at risk for a severe asthma attack.
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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.
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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