What Causes Allergies and The Main Symptoms of Allergies
Posted on May 28, 2009
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Our immune system works hard, everyday to stop us from becoming ill and being attacked by toxins, bacteria and other nasty things. So why do we get so many symptoms of allergies?
An allergy occurs when our bodies think that a non harmful agent, like dust or pollen, is a malicious virus and treats it as such. So when our bodies come across something we are allergic to it will attack it, try to destroy it, and expel it from our bodies, resulting in the symptoms of allergies.
Even some food stuffs cannot bode well with the interior of our bodies, just like rubbing up against a certain type of plant will make your skin irritable; plants ingested into the body will act in the same way. Remember though, it?s not the plants what cause allergies ? it?s our bodies.
There is no scientific knowledge as to what causes allergies and why some people suffer more than others. Allergies are random beasties and can happen overnight, although not too many of them will be really severe. You should keep in mind that some allergies are inherited and that people who have low immune systems are more susceptible to allergies.
One of the most talked about allergies at the moment seems to be the nut allergy. There is hardly a packet of anything edible that does not have written on it ?may contain nuts?. Even an extract or a piece of nut dust can cause symptoms of allergies, which can be so severe that people can die from it.
Let?s take hay fever, for example, the average person on the street will walk outside during pollen season and not have so much as a sniffle. However, a hay fever sufferer will be sneezing, itching, have watery eyes, and in severe cases trouble breathing, all because their immune systems see pollen as a huge threat.
Sometimes the symptoms of allergies can be very severe and even result in death. People with known severe allergies, like allergies to bee stings and nuts, often carry with them an epinephrine injector (EpiPen) at all times, which they can use if they fall foul of their allergy. This helps by reversing the affects of a severe allergy, but an ambulance should still be called, as the relief might only be for a few minutes.
An anaphylactic shock is the harshest of symptoms of allergies. This can come from almost anything like some types of foods, bee stings, medication or even animal fur. The thing is with an anaphylactic shock is that there is not a lot anyone can do about it, they can give you water and keep your airways free from obstruction, but mainly it is a waiting game. Waiting for your body to finish attacking whatever it is that trying to harm you. The best thing to do when someone has an anaphylactic shock is call an ambulance, as they will have the right equipment to monitor and help a person suffering from an anaphylactic shock.
Some of the symptoms to look out for, when some is having an anaphylactic shock or even just an allergic reaction are, prickly heat, itchiness, watering eyes, swelling and a rash. The best and only thing you should do is call an ambulance and talk to them, tell them what is happening. Most allergic reactions are not this severe, but now you know the symptoms of allergies to look out for.
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