The number of allergens are many and knowing what triggers your allergies can get complicated. The common triggers that are known to trigger allergic rhinitis are:

Moulds
Fungi
Pollen, the most common cause for allergies
Dust mites, and the faeces of dust mites that can cause severe allergic reactions
Cockroaches
Animal dander, which includes cat hair, dog fur, and may also include little flakes of skin
Avoiding the above mentioned triggers is more of a general guideline for the management of allergies. The lifestyle changes that you make to manage allergies:

Keep yourself hydrated at all times. Drink about eight to ten glasses of water every day. This will allow the mucous to be expelled with ease, if you experience any nose block.
During seasons like spring, when the amount of pollen in the air is at its maximum, limit your exposure. Try to stay indoors to avoid exposure to pollen or dust in the air.
Make it a point to take a shower before going to sleep as the residues of pollen and dust stuck to your skin are likely to make your symptoms worse.
Use fresh bedding and clothes every day. This will help to reduce your exposure to allergens.
Remove your carpets. Carpets are home to dust mites and pollen grains which become difficult to remove even with vacuum cleaners. Remove the carpets during the allergy season, and replace with hard flooring.
Keep windows and doors shut to avoid dust and pollen grains from entering the house and possibly causing allergies.
Avoid staying around pets. It that is not possible, then wash them at least once a week to reduce allergies.
Prevent inhaling cigarette smoke or smoking cigarettes. The smoke can be very harmful and can increase the risk of asthma in kids.
Avoid outdoor trips during seasons when the pollen count is high.

Allergies - Lifestyle Changes That Can Help Manage it!

Allergies are a reaction of your immune system to any foreign matter, such as pet dander, pollen or bee venom, and not everyone is affected in the same way.
Antibodies are substances produced by your immune system to protect you from harmful invaders that can cause infections or make you ill.
The immune system produces antibodies when it comes into contact with allergens. Your immune system can recognise any allergen as threatening even if it s not. As a result, your skin, airways, digestive system or sinus gets inflamed.
Allergies can vary greatly in severity from mild irritations to anaphylaxis (a likely life-threatening emergency). Allergies are mostly incurable; however, there are various treatments available to alleviate allergy symptoms.
Causes-
Common triggers of allergy include:
Airborne allergens, such as mould, dust mites, animal dander and pollen.
Certain foods, especially milk, eggs, shellfish, fish, soy, wheat, tree nuts and peanuts.
Insect bites, such as wasp stings or bee stings.
Medications, specifically penicillin-based antibiotics or penicillin.
Latex, or any allergen you touch, causes skin infections.
Symptoms-
Symptoms of allergy depend on its type.
Hay fever (allergic rhinitis) symptoms include:
Sneezing
Itching of the roof of the mouth, eyes or nose
Stuffy, runny nose
Swollen, red or watery eyes (conjunctivitis)
Symptoms of food allergy include:
Tingling mouth
Swollen throat, face, tongue or lips
Hives
Anaphylaxis (a critical, deadly allergic reaction)
An allergy caused by insect stings can manifest in symptoms such as:
Swelling at the site of the sting
Hives or itching
Breathing problems, wheezing, coughing or chest tightness
Anaphylaxis
A drug allergy can lead to symptoms such as:
Hives
Itchy skin
Rashes
Facial swelling
Wheezing
Anaphylaxis
Atopic dermatitis (skin allergy) symptoms include:
Itching
Reddened skin
Peeling or flaky skin
Treatment-
Treatments of allergy include:
Avoiding Allergens: Your doctor can help you take necessary steps to recognise and avoid the allergens that trigger allergies. This is usually the most relevant step in the prevention of allergic reactions and reduction of symptoms.
Medicines to Lower Symptoms: Eye drops, nasal sprays or oral medications are commonly prescribed to reduce reactions and alleviate symptoms.
Immunotherapy: If the allergy is severe or other treatments fail to relieve symptoms, allergen immunotherapy is recommended. In this treatment, you get injected by a number of clarified allergen extracts over the years.
Emergency Epinephrine: If your allergy is severe, your doctor will provide you with an emergency epinephrine shot that you can carry with you everywhere. 

Allergies: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

Food is a very important part of your life as it provides all the necessary nutrients required by your body and is essentially, the fuel for all things to function within. However, many people may have aversion to certain kinds of food as it causes adverse reactions within their body. Let s look at some of the common food allergies that people commonly report and how to identify them.

Allergies v/s Intolerances: It is important to note here that there is a significant difference between food sensitivities or intolerances and allergies. Sensitivities or intolerances cause adverse effects on your body inevitably when you consume certain types of foods. One such example is diarrhea, caused by ingesting cheese or milk by lactose intolerant people. However, allergies are caused when the immune system within your body mistakes harmless food as something that might harm you and thus tries to protect you from its effects. This results in reactions within your body which may be very painful and problematic.

Common foods that trigger allergies
Some of the common foods that trigger allergies are:
1. Peanuts
2. Shellfish
3. Other forms of tree nuts such as almonds, walnuts etc.
4. Gluten rich grains such as wheat, rye barley, oats
5. Certain types of fish
6. Eggs
7. Soy products
8. Milk (allergic reactions mostly occur within children)

Some other foods which have been known to cause allergies in rare cases are:
1. Meats such as pork, chicken, beef, mutton
2. Corn and corn products
3. Gelatin
4. Certain spices such as mustard, garlic and coriander among others
5. Certain seeds such as poppy, sunflower, or sesame

Symptoms of allergies
In certain cases, the allergies might manifest immediately, almost in a matter of minutes, within the body. However, in many cases, it may take a few hours for it to show up. The symptoms may range from mild to quite severe. Mild symptoms will make it quite hard to actually diagnose it as a food allergy.

Some of the milder symptoms could be:
1. Hives or eczema could form on your skin which may be very itchy. These would look like raised swollen areas that could be red, inflamed, and dry.
2. The inside of your mouth and ears may become itchy
3. You could suddenly develop a runny or a blocked nose and start sneezing or coughing.
4. Your eyes may become watery, red and itchy
5. You may develop a funny taste in your mouth
6. Others symptoms may include throwing up and even loose motions

Other severe forms of allergies can be caused mostly by shellfish and peanuts and other forms of nuts and fish. Symptoms in such cases would look like:
1. Uneven heartbeat
2. Difficulty in swallowing and breathing
3. Feeling of extreme weakness, confusion
4. Passing out or feeling light headed
5. The tongue, throat or lips may swell up
6. Chest pain

Common Foods that Can Trigger Allergy

A change in weather bring about changes in the composition of dust and pollen and induce seasonal allergies, which a huge number of people fear. The good news is that there are a number of common food substances which can help control these seasonal allergies. There are specific ingredients in these foods which improve immunity and provide antihistamine-like effects (which is what most anti-allergic drugs do). Some of these foods are mentioned below:

Green tea: With its natural dose of antihistamines, it prevents you from developing allergies. A hot cup in the morning acts as a good shield against sneezing, which is common with pollen and dust allergies.
Oranges and strawberries: Vitamin C is essential for controlling allergies and it is always recommended to reach for a couple of fresh oranges or strawberries than popping a vitamin pill. They also contain other substances like traces of Omega-3 fatty acids and Quercetin.
Garlic: This blocks the production of chemicals that can cause allergies. Eating a couple of cloves in the morning daily will do wonders for the allergy prone people.
Turmeric: This miraculous Indian spice has strong anti-inflammatory properties and helps prevent all kind of allergies.
Nuts and seeds: For the vegetarians, eating walnuts and flax seed is a good alternative. A handful of walnut is equal to 3 ounces of salmon. Flax seed also contains selenium which has anti-allergic properties.
Cabbage and broccoli: The flavonoid called quercetin helps by reducing inflammation that is usually associated with allergies. Other sources include apples, onions, berries, and cauliflower.
Fatty fish: These contain a good amount of omega 3 fatty acids, and work better than the supplements any day. Take your pick from mackerel, sardines, salmon, tuna, trout, bluefish or herring. These have two types of Omega-3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA) which are known to prevent people developing allergic symptoms. This anti-allergic property provides great relief in people who see seasonal allergic changes.
Local honey: For those who suffer from pollen allergy, a morning dose of honey helps build tolerance to this kind of allergy.
Wasabi: This pungent green paste helps breathing by opening up the airways and is very good for blocked nasal passages. It also is rich in antihistamines and helps prevent you from developing allergies.
Yoghurt and Kefir: These and other dairy products are rich in probiotics which contain a lot of friendly bacteria like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, which are generally found in the intestines. They also help build immunity and increase bodys ability to fight allergens better.
So, for those prone to seasonal allergies, there are few things that are easy to find and well within the reach of regular kitchen and can shield against allergies.

10 Foods That Help You Fight Allergies

Food allergy is actually an abnormal response triggered by the immune system to food as if it is threatening. Food intolerance looks similar to food allergies. However, the difference lies in how each one of them affects an individual. Food allergy is extremely intrinsic and to an extent, affects the internal organs. 

On the other hand, food intolerance is less severe, mostly just affects the digestive system due to the inability to digest that particular food properly, leading to an upset stomach. Most of the people suffer from food intolerance only, but they confuse it with food allergy.

About ninety percent of all cases of food allergy are related to only eight types of food as per research statistics. These are milk, tree nuts, egg, peanut, soy, wheat, shellfish, and fish.

The Reaction:\

In order to understand how symptoms manifest, it is of utmost importance, in this case, to understand how an allergic reaction to food occurs. An allergic reaction is a bi-step process as discussed further.

Step1: On exposure to the food allergen for the first time, the body reacts abnormally and produces IgE antibodies against the perceived allergen. These circulate throughout the entire body with blood and attach themselves to basophils (found in blood) and mast cells (found in sites like the nose, lungs, throat, gastrointestinal tract, skin, etc.).

Step 2: The next time the body is exposed to a particular food allergen, it gets alert and alarms the tissue that releases histamine in large quantity. Depending on the site of release, allergy symptoms are caused, ranging from mild to severe to potentially life-threatening (for example, in anaphylaxis).

The time span for an allergic reaction manifesting into symptoms can vary between a few minutes to several hours post exposure to the food allergen. The site of mast cells for release of histamine greatly affects the location and timing of the reaction.

Who is at Higher Risk?

If a person has a family history of developing a food allergy, it creates even greater chances for him/ her to have the same or similar reactions. If both the parents have some kind of allergic reaction to food, it is very likely that the child would have that too.

Symptoms:

Symptoms of food allergies largely depend on the sites of mast cells that release histamines. It is possible that these sites are located in nose, ears, or throat leading to itching in mouth, having a trouble in swallowing and breathing, and swelling of lips and tongue. If the location is in the gastrointestinal tract, it may lead to vomiting, diarrhoea, and abdominal pain. If it is in the skin, it might lead to hives, itching, decolourization, pigmentation, worsened eczema, etc.

Cross Reactivity:

If a person has an allergy to a particular food, it is advisable to abstain from similar types of food. For example, if somebody is allergic to crab, he/ she should abstain from shrimp, crayfish, lobster, etc. too as they might also trigger the reaction. This is called cross reactivity.

Treatment:

It is always advisable to abstain from foods which cause an allergic reaction in an individual. However, in case it has already occurred, there are two major types of medication which help in relieving the symptoms. Antihistamines are used for treating mild to chronic reaction, whereas adrenalines are used for severe reaction like in anaphylaxis.

Take Away:

Food allergy is usually a condition for life and cannot be permanently treated. However, symptoms can be relieved. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid the allergy, causing group of food.

Food Allergy - Everything About It!

Allergic rhinitis is characterized by symptoms of a runny nose, congestion, itchy eyes and sneezing. This disorder is usually caused by allergens such as pollen and dust. Commonly known as hay fever, allergic rhinitis may exhibit the following symptoms:

The symptoms of allergic rhinitis are:
1. You may experience a runny nose and congestion in the nose
2. You may have allergic conjunctivitis where your eyes turn itchy and watery
3. Persistent coughing
4. Symptoms of sneezing
5. Swelling may develop underneath the eyes
6. You may have an itchy nose
7. Constant signs of fatigue

Causes
Allergic rhinitis or hay fever causes the immune system to recognize certain airborne substances as harmful. The immune system in the body starts to form antibodies to combat these irritants. The antibodies cause the body to release  histamine , a chemical that triggers the symptoms of allergic rhinitis.

The various triggers that may cause allergic rhinitis are:
1. Dust mites
2. Tree pollen
3. Grass pollen
4. Spoors from outdoor and indoor fungi
5. Ragweed pollen

The treatment for this disorder is to avoid exposure to the triggers. Mild symptoms of this disorder may be treated with over-the-counter medications whereas severe symptoms may require prescription medications.
The various medications for allergic rhinitis are:

Antihistamines: Antihistamines may be administered as pills or nasal sprays; these medications can help with itching and sneezing. Antihistamines help in limiting the effects of histamine in the body.
Nasal corticosteroids: These prescription medications can help treat itching and inflammation in the nose. They are usually the first medications that are administered.
Decongestants: Decongestants are over-the-counter medications that can be used to treat congestion in the nose. You should be careful not to overuse these medicines as they can increase blood pressure.
Allergy shots: If medications do not relieve symptoms of allergic rhinitis, the doctor may prescribe allergy shots to treat the disorder. The injections contain allergens in small amounts which are injected over a period of time; this causes the body to get used to these allergens, resulting in a reduction of the symptoms.

Allergic Rhinitis - 7 Signs You Are Suffering from it!

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