While some people look forward to spring and the beautiful flowers that bloom, for others this is a time of extreme discomfort triggered by pollen allergies. Pollen is probably one of the most difficult allergies to fight as it is invisible and is literally present everywhere. Sneezing, coughing, a runny nose, congestion and watery eyes are the most common symptoms of a pollen allergy. However, you can minimise your troubles by following a few simple steps.

Keep an eye on the pollen count: Not every day has the same amount of pollen in the air. Pollen density is also affected by the time of the day. Pollen count refers to the amount of pollen present in the air during a specific time period. You can find out the pollen count of your area online or through a number of apps. Once you know the pollen count. You can plan your day accordingly and step out or stay in.
Plan your time spent outdoors wisely: It isn t always possible to stay indoors even if you know the pollen count is high. However, you can still plan your time so as to not be outdoors at peak pollen times. 5am to 9am are the worst times to step out as this is when most plants pollinate. Hence avoid stepping out during this time. Windy days can also worsen the situation by spreading pollen around. If you must go for a jog early morning, avoid thoroughfares and gardens and instead pick a route around residential streets.
Protect yourself: Face masks may not look very good but can help reduce the amount of pollen being inhaled. If you find yourself sneezing a lot during pollen season, consider investing in a painter s mask that can filter the air being inhaled and exhaled. If you are stepping out to do yard work or know that you re going to spend a lot of time in heavy traffic areas, take your antiallergenic medication before you step out instead of waiting for an allergic reaction to begin.
Have plenty of showers: Try making it a habit to have a shower and changing your clothes as soon as you come home. This prevents the outdoor pollen from circulating in your home. Follow this routine even if you ve simply been gardening outdoors. While showering, do not forget your hair. If you do not want to shampoo it every day, simply rinse it out to get rid of all the pollen.

Pollen Allergy - 4 Tips To Keep Yourself Safe!

Every year, the emergency rooms at hospitals get flooded by cases of allergic reactions from food. According to a census, about 15 million Indians suffer from some kind of food allergy. The symptoms of food allergy may vary from itchy mouth to potentially fatal conditions like anaphylactic shock. Other symptoms of an allergic reaction can present themselves as difficulty in breathing, swelling of the tongue, rashes and intestinal discomfort.

According to specialists, allergies to food can develop at any age, at any time. Hence, if you suspect a sudden allergic reaction to a food that you have consumed before without any problem, it is advised to consult your doctor.

Here is a list of the most common food allergies that people suffer from frequently-

MILK: Milk is the most common food that children and infants are allergic to. Milk allergy must not be confused with lactose intolerance wherein a person faces many difficulties in digesting the sugar present in milk. The two conditions are not related. Milk allergy is the hypersensitivity reaction that happens in response to certain proteins present in milk and can be potentially deadly. Most children are seen to outgrow their allergy to milk.
WHEAT: It is a common misconception to confuse Celiac's disease with a wheat allergy. Wheat allergy exclusively occurs due to the hypersensitivity to the protein present in wheat alone. In Celiac's disease, it is the gluten in the food they are hypersensitive to, which is also present in rye, barley and oats.
SOY: Soy is a very common allergic food and most children seem to outgrow it by the age of 10. Most of the time, soy allergy is not too severe and the symptoms presented are mostly mild. Although, cases of anaphylaxis in reaction to soy have been reported. Soy and soy protein are very common ingredients found in food, hence it is advised to check the ingredients present before consuming it.
SHELLFISH: This allergy usually does not go away and you are most likely to deal with all your life. Most people who experience allergies from shellfish are most likely to be hypersensitive to both crustaceans (lobsters, shrimps and crabs) and mollusks (mussels, oysters, scallops and clams). This type of allergy can become very intense and you must even avoid the steam produced from cooking shellfish. For some people, the mere contact with shellfish can trigger an allergic reaction.

4 Most Common Food 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!

Pollen is a common trigger for seasonal allergies. It may manifest as runny nose, cough, sneezing, stuffy nose, swelling around the eyes, etc. People begin to feel the bite of pollen allergy during spring when pollination in plants begins.

Pollen allergy affects a vast majority of people, and over-the- counter allergy relief medication is big business. However, it must be noted that there is hardly any permanent cure for pollen allergy. Nevertheless, there are ways in which one can get relief from the symptoms.

What Is Pollen and How Does It Cause Allergy:

The microscopic granules contained in flowering plants are known as pollen. While almost all flowering plants have pollen, all of them don t cause allergies. Plants that have bright flowers can hardly trigger allergy symptoms. It is the tiny and dry pollen that comes from trees, weeds, and grasses that precipitate the symptoms. These granules blow in the wind and get into the respiratory system. This precipitates an immune reaction which produces histamines. These are the chemicals that cause sneezing, stuffy nose, itching, runny nose etc.

Pollens can traverse distances of up to about 100 miles from the source. Since different varieties of plants, trees and weeds pollinate at different times, the season of pollen allergy is quite an extended one. It calls for precautions to prevent allergies and medicines and means to counter the effects.

Pollen Allergy Relief:

Allergy medicines are the best way to get relief from allergy symptoms. Doctors suggest starting on these medicines even before the onset of pollination season. These medicines are known as Antihistamines, which counter the effects of pollen.

These medicines block the histamine receptors in the ear-nose-throat region and thereby nullify the effects of pollen. If a person continues to take antihistamines throughout the pollination season, he/she deny the histamines a chance to get attached to the receptors and precipitate symptoms.

However, if a person is already suffering from the symptoms, antihistamines will not be able to quickly stop the problem. It will also not be able to reverse the effects of allergies. However, it can surely prevent exacerbation of symptoms.

Doctors also suggest using nasal corticosteroids for at least two weeks before pollination season so that the symptoms can be kept at bay. They work by modulating the response of the immune system and thereby preventing the release of chemicals that trigger allergies. If people take these medicines before exposure to pollen, they may even stabilize the immune system and prevent it from reacting to pollen.

Quick Allergy Relief:

If a person has not been proactive enough to take allergy medicines before the onset of pollination season, one needs to fight out the symptoms. However, there are some home remedies that can help a person put up a good fight with the irritating symptoms. One can do regular nasal irrigation with saline water several times a day throughout the pollination season to get some relief from allergies.

Conclusion:

There is hardly any perfect treatment for pollen allergy. However, one can stay safe with antihistamines or corticosteroids starting before exposure to pollen. In case a person gets attacked by these pollen allergies, seeking an immediate help is always advisable and recommended. Following the preventing instructions will help a person to fight against these allergies.

Pollen Allergy - How To Get Relief From It?

Is Acupuncture any good against allergies?
An allergy is the result of hypersensitivity of the antibodies in your body to otherwise harmless foreign substances. Conventional practices rely on suppressing the function of antibodies to cure allergies but fail to address the root problem of hypersensitivity. It may also present a series of undesirable side effects that hamper your productivity.
If you are tired of the regular use of medication that accompanies your chronic allergies, you might consider the Chinese practice of acupuncture to cure you instead. A session with a licensed acupuncturist not only cures rashes and redness, stuffed nose, breathlessness, nausea etc. that present themselves with allergies but also act on the real problem of hypersensitivity. Acupuncture cleanses your body from within and is being increasingly accepted as an alternative practice to cure a range of ailments.
Causes of Allergies-
The diverse causes of allergies can be grouped under the following-
 	Dust mites and pollen- Dust and pollen constitute a group of potential allergens that affect the respiratory tract

 	Food- The chemicals in some foods can be potential allergens

 	Drugs- Unnatural physical response to certain medications cause allergies

 	Animals and insects- The proteins in the organisms  body may cause allergies

 	Mold- Inhalation of mold spores may trigger an allergic reaction in your body

 	Contact dermatitis- Contact with certain substance can trigger allergies, causing irritation in the skin

 	Seasonal allergies- Certain allergies are triggered by annual seasonal changes


Treating allergies with acupuncture-
Acupuncture is based on the 8000-year-old Chinese practice of channelling energy or qi through the body by inserting needles at specified points in the body, to various depths. Although the premise of acupuncture remains scientifically uncertain, its effectiveness has been demonstrated in practical areas.

 	In acupuncture, an allergy is a response to blockage in channels through which energy flows in our body. The logic behind the treatment is releasing this blockage by means of needles to restore balanced energy flow and consequently health.

 	Acupuncture initiates the self-healing abilities of the body and most people feel better with very little or no use medicines.

 	The success of acupuncture in treating allergies, especially seasonal allergies is rather high. However, equally high are the results that highlight the placebo effect of acupuncture.

Although acupuncture remains to be clinically proven, it has presented impressive results when it comes to treating allergies, especially those of the chronic seasonal variety. It can eliminate the side effects of medication, though the time taken for cure varies from individual to individual and their body s specific response to acupuncture. If you are looking for alternate practices that relieve you of allergies, acupuncture may just be the thing to try.

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Is Acupuncture Any Good Against Allergies?

A rash on your child s body or their regular cough bouts can sometimes be triggered by an allergy. We can excuse it by calling it a common flu or a heat rash, but the reason behind it might be something you are not aware of. Your child might be allergic, and it is imperative for you to find out that exact thing your child is allergic to, it can be dust, nuts that you may think is beneficial for your child s health or even the fabric of the clothes you put on them. Allergies are caused when children come in contact with allergens, which can he inhaled, injected or even eaten unknowingly. If you see any of the symptoms of allergies, consult your doctor at the earliest and do not treat it lightly.

Some common triggers for allergies

These are divided into four groups

Foods: Certain foods like peanuts, eggs, milk and it products which you feed your child might be triggering their allergy.
Outdoors: When kids play outside pollens from trees or flowers might causes allergies. Even insect bites and stings are a major trigger
Indoors: Animal fur or hair and even dust mites and mold that exist in your house can trigger an allergy
Irritants: Common irritants like cigarette smoke, perfumes or even car exhaust should be watched out for.
Symptoms of common allergies

Nasal Congestion: It is referred to as stuffy nose, which is very common in kids. Allergies are the most common cause of chronic nasal congestion (a stuffy nose) in children. Sometimes a child s nose is congested to the point that he or she breathes through the mouth, especially while sleeping.
Allergic rhinitis (hay fever): It is also common and its symptoms include a runny or itchy nose and constant sneezing. A child with allergies may also have itchy, watery, red eyes and chronic ear problems. Even though it s commonly known as  hay fever,  allergic rhinitis isn t triggered by hay and doesn t cause fever.
If you suspect your child has an allergy, make an appointment to see a specialist. Start a diary before the appointment and keep track of what symptoms your child experiences and what you think causes them.

Common Allergies in Children - That You Need to Know!

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