How To Tell if You Have a Pet Allergy
Do You Have a Pet Allergy? If you think you might, you may be curious as to what some of the symptoms of having a pet allergy are. Keep reading…
It can be very hard to determine if you really have a pet allergy or if something else is causing the symptoms. Allergies can often be hard to diagnose, since several other medical conditions have similar symptoms. For this reason, it is strongly advised that you should see a doctor and receive medical attention if you suspect that you have a pet allergy.
Some symptoms of pet allergies do resemble other ailments, there are a number of other common symptoms for this condition. Sneezing is one of those symptoms. If you regularly find yourself sneezing when pets are present, most commonly cats and dogs, you may have a pet allergy.
Other symptoms of a pet allergy aside from sneezing include having a runny or stuffed up nose. It is important to determine if these symptoms are present when you are around pets only. This is because these symptoms are not only present with other allergies, but they can also sometimes be attributed to a cold. Another very prominent symptom of pet allergies is post nasal drip.
Many people who suffer from a pet allergy also have itchy and as well as watery eyes. If you experience itchy or watery eyes when you are around a cat, dog, or another pet, you may have a pet allergy. The itchy eyes can be attributed to pet dander that gets into eyes and irritates them.
A skin rash that may resemble an eczema outbreak is another sign or symptom of a pet allergy. Actually, there are a number of allergens that can trigger eczema. A rash is likely to develop after you come into close contact with a pet, dog, pet dander especially if you held or touched the dog. Should you develop a skin rash, it is important not to itch, no matter how much it feels like you need to do so, as more skin irritation can occur.
It is highly likely that if you have pet allergies you will also have asthma. The two combined can lead to painful and irritating symptoms, which tend to include lung congestion, shortness of breath, and wheezing. If you are unable to use medication to seek relief right away, medial attention may be needed.
As explained previously, other problems may cause people to suffer from the symptoms of pet allergies. The good news is that it can be relatively easy for you to tell. Most individuals experience problems and see the above mentioned symptoms displayed within minutes of coming into contact with a pet or pet dander. It’s a great way to decide whether you have a pet allergy, a cold, or a different allergy.
As for what causes these symptoms, most individuals are allergic to animal danger, which is the skin that an animal flakes and sheds. With this in mind, some can experience situations with animal urine, hair and saliva. A doctor or a few experiments performed safely at home can give you a better idea as to what from a pet is causing you to have an allergic reaction.
Speaking of which, it was previously stated, that some individuals have problems with pet hair. This is the reason why many pet owners keep their pet’s hair cut short. Doing this will likely not cause any harm, although some people do not experience the relief they seek. It is the case that most people are actually allergic to pet dander, or the pets’ dry skin, not pet hair.
Taylor Knight
Fellow Allergy Sufferer and Founder of http://www.AllergyNut.com. An Online Resource Dedicated to Recognizing, Preventing and Easing Symptoms for Allergy Sufferers.
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What Exactly Is A Food Allergy?
Food allergies happen when your immune system launches an attack on a food protein. Consuming the food can send your immune system into overdrive, so that it releases all the chemicals that cause allergy symptoms. While it is possible to be allergic to almost any food, the most common allergy causing foods are: Fish and shellfish, peanuts,tree nuts, and eggs. In young children it is not uncommon to see allergies to cow’s milk. Fortunately, many kids outgrow this allergy by the age of four or five.
How a Food Allergy Is Diagnosed
Diagnosis of a food allergy can take several different paths. When you notice reactions such as hives, itching, breathing problems, or other symptoms of an allergy attack directly after you have consumed a certain food, then the odds are that you have an allergy (Sadly, sometimes to a food you just love).
This information is useful to your doctor, because it gives a good starting point for testing. Testing will usually take the form of a scratch test, where you are tested for a number of food allergies at one time. In certain cases where exposing any allergen to the patient may be too dangerous, a radioallergosorbent will be done. This test is a blood test that looks for the IgE antibodies that indicate an allergic reaction.
Another way to diagnose food allergies is elimination diets. This is a diet plan where everything the patient eats is carefully monitored, and new foods are slowly introduced one at a time. This type of diagnosis requires very close monitoring, but it is sometimes the best path to diagnosis if other tests do not provide answers.
Prevention of Food Allergies
The ultimate way to deal with food allergies is avoidance of the foods you are allergic to. There is no “magic pill” for food allergies, much as sufferers would like. Avoiding your trigger foods can most certainly cause some inconvenience, but it is the one way that you can be absolutely certain to head off allergic reactions.
If you or your child has food allergies, you will need to be a label reader: Read all the information on the food labels, because even trace amounts of certain foods can cause a severe allergic reaction in some people. While you will need to eliminate the offending food, there are sometimes substitutions that will give you the same taste you like, without the allergen. For example, a cow milk allergy can be handled by switching to soy milk, and there are products that can replace eggs in recipes.
Those who suffer from wheat or gluten allergies will find an increasing number of gluten and wheat free breads available today. Whether your food allergen has a substitute available or not, the best answer is the obvious one: You just have to stay away from the offending food as much as possible. On the bright side of things, all that label reading and food monitoring can make you a healthier person overall!
Please feel free to leave your comments or questions about this post/article or what you would like to see in future posts. Don’t be shy!
Taylor Knight
AllergyNut.comFood Allergies For DummiesFood Allergies For DummiesThe Allergy-Free Cookbook: More than 150 Delicious Recipes for a Happy and Healthy DietLiving with Food Intolerance (Overcoming Common Problems)
What Exactly Are Allergies Anyway?
The countless people who suffer from allergies know that they are a real inconvenience that can prevent you from living your life. Maybe you’re the person who is miserably sneezing and wheezing at the dust mites, while everyone around you feels just great. For a person who suffers from allergies, small things like dust, pollen, and food become the enemy.
Allergies can be tough to live with, but there is one weapon that can do more to defeat them than anything else: Knowledge. Knowing a few basic tips and making some minor lifestyle changes can truly make a world of difference in your war on allergies. Here are some of the basics on allergies, and how to battle them and emerge victorious.
What Exactly Are Allergies?
An allergy is an abnormal reaction from a person’s immune system. The substance that triggers the reaction is not typically a damaging one, but the body reacts as if it were. The triggers of allergic reactions can be many different things: House dust, pet dander, pollen, and various foods are some of the more common allergens. Allergies may change over time, and new allergies may develop as well.
An allergic reaction is triggered when three factors combine: First, an allergy prone person is exposed to an allergen. This can be as simple as breathing in one time, if the irritant is in the area. Second, the body’s natural defense against allergies, Immunoglobulin E, starts trying to fight off the antigen by attaching to the body’s mast cells. The third part of the process is what leaves you with watery itchy eyes, breathing problems, and sneezing.
In an allergic reaction, the mast cells start releasing massive amount of chemical irritants. These irritants will bring on the allergies. Then, to compound the problem (as if the beginning of the allergy attack were not enough!) the chemical irritants in the body start attracting white blood cells called eosinophils. The function of the eosinophils is to bring even more fun (not!) to the party since they bring additional inflammatory chemicals along with them.
What Causes Allergies?
We know how allergies happen, and we even know the steps involved in an allergy attack. The question that most allergy sufferers want to know: Why me? What is it that causes one person to be severely allergic while another is able to blissfully ignore allergens with nary a problem? It is still not completely clear why some people have allergies and other do not.
Heredity appears to play a big role in many cases, however (Thanks so much, mom and dad!). If you have parents or siblings with allergies, your own chances for having them are much higher. In some cases, allergy sufferers have no hereditary link, and it is just uncertain why the allergies happen. It is possible that air pollution, and the increasing use of recycled indoors air may be contributing factors. It has also been theorized that the widespread use of antibiotics may be a factor. Since the immune system is not occupied with fighting off serious infections thanks to the antibiotics, it may be more susceptible to less harmful substances like the typical allergens.
Allergy Prevention
Allergy prevention has to begin with allergy recognition. Once you have determined exactly what you are allergic to, you can practice prevention based on the problem. For environmental allergies such as pollen, simply avoiding exposure is one of the best preventative methods. This will require tracking of the pollen counts, and staying inside if they are unusually high. Keeping all windows closed and running the air conditioner is also a helpful pollen allergy prevention.
For those who suffer from dust allergies, there are several small changes you can make inside the home that will help prevent attacks. Using airtight plastic covers that will encase your pillows, mattress, and box spring will keep the dust mites away and allow you to sleep far more peacefully. If you have carpeting in your home, very frequent vacuuming with high efficiency filters will help keep the dust from building up. Changing furnace and air condition filters frequently can help as well.
Pet allergies can be prevented by isolating the pet if at all possible, bathing the pet very frequently (Nobody said this part would be fun!), and the use of HEPA filtration air cleaners. The best, and in fact the only, prevention for food allergies is avoidance of the food that causes the allergy. This takes a lot of diligence, and careful analysis of all foods you or your child eats.
Please feel free to leave your comments or questions about this post/article or what you would like to see in future posts. Don’t be shy!
Taylor Knight
AllergyNut.com
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