Living with allergies isn’t easy, but by following some straightforward strategies you can alleviate symptoms and enhance quality of life.
Allergies can affect people of all ages and can result in bothersome symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose and itchy eyes – not to mention serious health concerns that could develop as a result.
What is an Allergy?
Allergies occur when your immune system overreacts to normally harmless substances, leading to symptoms like sneezing, runny nose and itchy or watery eyes. The substance causing these reactions is called an allergen and it could include food, pollen, medications, bee venom or dust mites – these types of reactions often pass from parent to child through hereditary inheritance. Our immune systems consist of cells and organs designed to defend us against invaders such as microorganisms – their capabilities vary accordingly!
As soon as your immune system detects an allergen, antibodies are released that attach themselves to mast cells in your skin, respiratory tract (airways) or hollow organs connecting from mouth to stomach (gastrointestinal or GI tract). Binding these antibodies activates these mast cells resulting in their release of histamine into the bloodstream causing an allergic response.
Avoiding food allergies requires understanding your triggers, reading ingredient labels and asking questions when dining out or attending social gatherings. If your allergy is serious enough to require treatment with injectable epinephrine, always carry an emergency anaphylaxis kit with you as well as wearing a medical alert bracelet with information on both allergies and anaphylaxis symptoms.
Symptoms of an Allergy
If you find yourself sneezing, having itchy eyes or having hives, allergies may be to blame. Allergies are your immune system’s way of responding to foreign substances like pollen or dust mites that shouldn’t be there – including certain foods. If allergies are making life miserable for you, seek medical help immediately and contact a physician for diagnosis and treatment options.
Allergy symptoms often manifest themselves through nasal and throat symptoms, but can affect other parts of the body as well. Food allergies, for instance, can result in stomachaches or other GI-related issues including diarrhea, abdominal discomfort, nausea and vomiting – with severe cases leading to anaphylactic shock if individuals become allergic.
Keep a symptom diary to help identify the source of your allergy symptoms and pinpoint potential triggers, such as new products or foods, that might trigger them. Record when and where your symptoms arise as well as what seems to ease or worsen them and their duration. Your healthcare provider can use your diary data as part of an allergy diagnosis strategy.
If you suspect an allergy to certain food items, your healthcare provider will likely suggest an elimination diet to test for reactions and introduce foods slowly under medical supervision to see if any are problematic. As always, injectable emergency medication such as Epinephrine should always be on hand should severe reactions arise that could endanger life or health.
Treatments for an Allergy
Allergies can range in severity from mild to severe and affect any part of the body. Treatment options for allergy sufferers can include avoiding allergens that trigger reactions, sublingual immunotherapy (allergy shots or sublingual immunotherapy) or medicines as appropriate.
Allergen immunotherapy (or desensitization) can help you overcome allergies by gradually exposing you to allergens over time and gradually changing your immune system, thus decreasing reactions and the need for medications. Allergy shots are the most popular form of immunotherapy and many find success with them; your doctor can administer allergy shots in their office. Another form is sublingual immunotherapy or SLIT tablets dissolved under your tongue which work similarly; sublingual therapy may be effective against pollen allergies, hay fever, dust mites, mold and ragweed among others.
Antihistamines and other allergy medicines help relieve runny nose, sneezing, itchy eyes and itching in the nose or throat. They’re available over-the-counter or by prescription. Nasal irrigation with saline spray or rinse can also help clear nasal passages of mucus to relieve mild congestion; you can buy saline solution either over-the-counter or by prescription. Oral leukotriene inhibitors like montelukast, zafirlukast and zileuton can prevent and treat allergic rhinitis by reducing inflammation within both nasal passages and throat.
If your allergy symptoms are severe, seek medical help immediately. A doctor may issue you a prescription for an epinephrine auto-injector in case of severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis). Keep this medication on hand at all times if you have had history of severe reactions or are currently taking blood thinners.
Prevention of an Allergy
Avoiding allergens that trigger allergies is the ideal approach, but this may not always be possible. People living with allergies can minimize symptoms by carrying an emergency epinephrine autoinjector such as EpiPen or Auvi-Q with them at all times as directed by their physician.
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Extreme allergies may result in life-threatening anaphylaxis. Common allergens that may trigger this reaction include pollen, mold spores, dust mites, ragweed, insect stings, food and certain medicines.
Patients must inform their doctors of all medications they are taking, but it is especially crucial if you are taking beta blockers such as Coreg (Carvedilol), Toprol (Metoprolol) or Tenormin (Atenolol). You must stop taking these medicines at least 24 hours prior to an allergy test – however you may continue taking antihistamines and decongestants along with asthma/glaucoma medicines as prescribed.
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