An estimate of 50 million North Americans is affected by allergens. The cost of these allergic episodes reaches more than $10 billion dollars yearly. Hay fever alone affects about 35 million Americans while Asthma, which often starts during childhood, affects 15 million Americans, 5 million of whom are small children. According to recent statistics, the number of asthma cases is not waning during the last 20 years. In fact, it has even doubled in number.
Millions of people suffer from one kind of allergy to another. Some are even allergic to more than one kind of allergen. Most people do not even realize that they are allergic to something as the symptoms for some are often mild especially if only a small amount of the allergen is ingested.
But what exactly is an allergy and how does it affect the body? How come some things trigger and effect on the body while other things do not?
An allergy is a reaction by the body’s immune system in response to contact with certain foreign substances. The contact may be superficial, through the skin or internal, through ingestion. Though the foreign substances are not exactly foreign as most people allergic to chicken meat or dust would attest, there are certain components in the allergens that make our bodies react to them.
These allergy-producing substances are what doctors call “allergens,” which was mentioned in the above paragraphs. Examples of common allergens are pollens, molds, dust mites and food. The effects of allergens are wide-range. Some can send one scratching and coughing all day while others only leave a couple of red marks in the body that are not even noticeable at all.
The word allergy was coined by Austrian pediatrician Clemens Pirquet to refer to both immunity that is beneficial and harmful hypersensitivity to certain kind of substances. It comes from the Greek word “allos,” which means different or changed and “ergos,” which means work or action. Historically, the term was first used when several children had an adverse reaction to horse serum shots given to them to fight infection.
Allergy relief depends upon the kind of allergen that affects the body. Before you can achieve allergy relief or at least know a way to attain allergy relief, you must first know what exactly are you allergic from. Often, as some people are not adversely affected by these allergens, little ate known about the subject of allergy.
Hay fever, for instance, is not caused by hay as some people believe. Hay fever or allergic Rhinitis refers to seasonal nasal symptoms that are due to pollens, molds and dust mites that may be found at home. This often results to the inflammation of the tissues that line the insides of the nose. The ears sinuses and the throat may also be affected as it is relatively near.
Symptoms of hay fever include:
Runny nose
Stuffy nose
Sneezing
Nasal itching, which prompts people to rub the nose
Itchy ears and throat
Post nasal drip
Though it is quite easy to determine if one is suffering from an allergy, finding out what the allergen is, is another matter entirely. It can be very difficult especially if the onset of the allergic reaction is during the later part of the years.
Often, doctors conduct allergen tests to determine the specific allergen. Most people will be surprised to find out that they are actually allergic to tiny things that they could not even see like dusts, dust mites and smoke. It is important then for people to also be vigilant with the way their bodies react to certain substances.
Medicines that offer allergy relief are scattered all over the country. One must remember though that not all are effective and if they are, they may not be effective for the type of allergy that you have. it is still important that you consult a doctor and ask for their recommendation. They can also give you pointers on how to avoid having an allergy attack the next time.