Part 1 - What are allergies?

Allergies are sensitivities to substances that are typically harmless to most people. Symptoms are characterized by inflammatory responses such as rhinitis, asthma symptoms or anaphylaxis. One in five people suffer from allergies in the United States.

In an attempt to protect the body, the immune system produces antibodies that attack the irritant (allergen) within these substances. These antibodies cause the body to release the chemical histamine into the bloodstream, which acts on a person’s eyes, nose, throat, lungs, skin or gastrointestinal system to cause inflammatory responses. These allergic reactions occur each time you are exposed to the allergen.

Allergic reactions can be mild, including rhinitis symptoms—better known as hay fever. The symptoms include a runny nose, itching in the nose, eyes, throat, or roof of the mouth; frequent sneezing, plugged ears, subdued sense of smell or nasal congestion, among others.

Allergies can also be more severe, causing asthma symptoms, and difficulty in breathing. While asthma is not always related to allergies, an asthma attack is often a person’s allergic reaction to an allergen that is breathed into the lungs.

A severe and much less common symptom of allergies, causing difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, and swelling of the lips, tongue & throat, is called anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock. A lot of time, anaphylaxis can cause loss of consciousness or even result in death.

Part 2 - Kinds of Allergies

The most common causes of allergies are environmental allergens such as airborne particles from dust mites, mold spores, animal dander and pollen from grass, ragweed and trees. Environmental allergens are typically associated with allergic asthma.

Medicines and chemicals can also affect people with allergies. Antibiotics are commonly associated with allergic symptoms, though many over-the-counter medications can cause reactions as well. The chemicals in some cosmetics and laundry detergents can often cause mild allergic symptoms such as rashes or itchy skin.

Food allergies are common mostly among children and infants. Most symptoms are mild, such as runny nose, rashing and diarrhea, though serious food allergies can cause a person to go into anaphylactic shock. Dairy products and seafood are two of the most common foods to cause allergic symptoms.

Part 3 - Diagnosis

If you suspect that you have an allergy, it is very possible that you do. Some form of allergy affects one-third of the population, whether they suffer a stuffy nose or anaphylaxis. To know for sure, you can visit an allergist, a doctor who specializes in allergy treatment. The allergist will likely perform both a skin patch test and a blood test to learn about whether or not other people in your family posses similar symptoms, as allergies can be genetic. The information that they obtain can help them isolate which substances you are allergic to, which is invaluable to treating the allergy.

Part 4 - Treatment

The easiest way to treat allergic symptoms is to simply avoid whatever it is that you are allergic to. However, since the most common allergies are environmental, avoidance is often very difficult if not impossible. Other treatments—medications and allergen immunotherapy—exist to help subdue allergy symptoms and/or build immunity to allergens. However, no treatments currently exist that cure allergies entirely.

A few tips to avoid environmental allergies:

• Try to keep your pets from going into you bedroom if possible. Bathing them often can help reduce the amount of dander they have on them.
• Hard surfaces do a better job of managing the amount of dust in your room. If possible, remove all carpeting and throw rugs from living spaces.
• Clean your room and your bedding often - wash your sheets weekly in hot water. Use mattress and pillow encasements to keep dust mite populations down.
• Keep your windows closed and use air-conditioning to circulate air in your home. AC units help filter the air and reduce the humidity that dust mite populations or mold thrive on.
• Avoid certain damp areas, such as your basement, that may house mold spore. On that same note, keep your bathroom and kitchen clean and dry.
• Change your clothing after being outside. Allergens can cling to your clothes.

A lot of medications exist to subdue the affect of environmental allergies. Anti-histamines, in the form of nasal sprays and oral tablets, help control allergic rhinitis, while serious symptoms, such anaphylaxis, can be treated by an injection of epinephrine.

Although this treatment can be time-consuming, sometimes painful and expensive, allergen immunotherapy can be an effective way to permanently subdue allergy symptoms without the use of nasal sprays or tablets. Small amounts of the allergens are injected into your body until your body is able to build immunity by developing antibodies, eventually stopping any inflammatory response in the future.