Do you constantly have a runny nose or your skin gets itchy? It may be allergies.
Allergy season is here, and according to the American Foundation of Asthma and Allergy, over 35 million people are affected by sneezing, runny nose and watery eyes. This are the most common type of allergies:
Pollen allergies
Right to topic with the most common seasonal allergy, it is also known as “hay fever”.
This happens when plants release pollen grains to fertilize other plants. Pollens that cause allergic reactions come from trees, weeds and grasses. To prevent this allergy you can:
- Limit your outdoor activities when pollen counts are high.
- Keep windows closed.
- Take preventive allergy medicine.
- Bathe and shampoo your hair daily before going to bed.
- Wash bedding in hot, soapy water once a week.
- Wear sunglasses and a hat.
- Limit close contact with pets that spend a lot of time outdoors.
- Change and wash clothes after coming back home.
- Dry your clothes in a clothes dryer, not on an outdoor line.
Drug allergies
Adverse reactions to medications involving the inmune system. Most common symptoms include wheezing, shortness of breath, throat and mouth swelling, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, low blood pressure and even fainting.
Food allergies
They appear when the inmmune system sees certain foods as harmful to the body. The most common are mil, eggs, peanuts, tree nut, soy, wheat fish and crustaceans.
The main difference between allergy and intolerance is that the second does not affect the inmune system it is just the body having trouble digestine certain foods, examples include lactose and gluten intolerance
Pet allergies
A common type of allergy is to the fur of several animals. Cat allergies are far more common than to dogs but the latter may be more sensitive to some breeds than to others. There´s a myth that certain breeds of dogs are “hypoallergenic,” but in reality they do not exist.
Insect allergies
Stinging insects (wasps, bees, yellow-jackets), biting insects (mosquitoes, bed bugs, fleas, flies) and pests (cockroaches and mites) can cause different kinds of allergies with the most sommon symptoms being rashes, itching, hives, swelling, pain and vomiting among them.
Other allergies include Latex and Mold.
Diagnosis
Your doctor will decide your treatment, which can include: Antihistamines, Decongestants, Nasal corticosteroids, Allergy Shots, sublingual inmunotherapy, Leukotriene receptor antagonists or Cromolyn sodium based on three exams:
- Personal and medical history.
- Physical exam.
- Skin, patch or blood tests to determine your allergens.
If you think you have any kind of allergy visit your doctor!
