How does your allergy make you cough?

In addition to sneezing, watery eyes and nasal congestion, one of the most common symptoms caused by allergies is coughing, which can be a nuisance if it becomes chronic. Coughing is a natural way to prevent infection from entering the body and is a very useful defence mechanism. However, in allergic reactions, when you come into contact with a foreign body that is mistaken by an invader (known as an allergen), your immune system overreacts to the substance, and starts producing IgG antibodies. These antibodies bind to mast cells (cells containing granules with histamine), which then trigger a chain reaction, leading to the release of histamine in soft tissues, such as mucus membranes in the nose, sinus and throat. Histamine causes an over-production of mucus, which will eventually start accumulating in your sinuses, once the normal flow down to the nose is blocked due to the inflammation. The accumulated mucus then starts leaking to the back of your throat, causing an irritation and tickling, sending signals to your brain to start coughing. Further problems can occur if you become dehydrated, then the mucus becomes sticky, and bacteria easily gets trapped in the sinus cavities resulting in a sinus infection.

Your immune system is quite stubborn, and if you suffer from a particular allergy, every time you come into contact with the offending substance, you always get the same reaction. In other words, there really isn’t a treatment to cure it, just ways to alleviate the symptoms. This is why prevention is the best way forward and you should avoid exposure to the substance that triggers your allergy. If there’s nothing you can do to avoid the allergen, treatments to mild symptoms generally include antihistamine, to prevent histamine production; cough suppressant, to block cough signal to the brain; and a nasal decongestant, to open the air passage ways and help breathing. In extreme reactions, your doctor may suggest immunotherapy. This is a long term treatment, in which increasing doses of the allergen are being injected into your body.

What are the most likely offenders?

If you have a cough that just doesn’t seem to go away, it may not be a cold, but an allergy. Most common allergies that can cause such chronic cough include polen, dust, pet dander, mold, certain foods and medication. In air-bourne allergens (polen, mold, pet dander and dust), usually the initial symptom immediately on contact with the allergen is sneezing, to expel the invader. When it comes to food allergies, symptoms may develop a few minutes after consumption with nasal congestion or stomach problems. Food allergies are a reaction to specific proteins present in certain foods, seen as a foreign substance that needs to be destroyed. Nearly 90 percent of food allergies are caused only by eight different foods – soy, wheat, milk, tree nuts, eggs, fish, peanuts and shellfish. Finally, certain medications can elicit a similar allergic reaction, including vitamin B12 supplements used to treat anaemia. In all cases, independently of the allergen, prolonged exposure triggers the immune system to respond, inevitably leading to spouts of coughing.

Your immune system is great at remembering previous encounters with intruders, ready for an immediate response in the future. For example, this is why you only get mumps once. However, that same excellent memory means that if it has recognised a particular substance as a potential hazard in the past, it will again every time it comes into contact with it, and there is no way to make your immune system “forget”. Unfortunately for you, if you suffer from any allergies, whenever you’re in the presence of the allergen responsible for your allergy, the same cascade of events occurs, like clockwork, resulting in a variety of symptoms, with couching the most popular. It’s like reading the same book over and over, when you already know how it ends!

References

- Gibson PG, Ryan NM (2011) Cough pharmacotherapy: current and future status. Expert Opin Pharmacother 12:1745-1755
- Jones CC and Laws CL (1960) The severe, exhausting cough of allergic etiology. J Med Assoc Ga. 49: 354-356
- May JR, Smith PH (2008). Allergic Rhinitis. In: Dipiro JT, Talbert RL, Yee GC, et al eds.Pharmacotherapy: A Pathophysiologic Approach. 7th ed. New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc:1565-1575.
- Mendell MJ, Mirer AG, Cheung K, Tong M and Douwes J (2011) Respiratory and allergic health effects of dampness, mold and dampnsee-related agents: a review of the epidemiologic evidence. Environ Health Perspect 119: 784-756
- NIAID (2010) Food allergy: an overveiw. http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/foodAllergy/Documents/foodallergy.pdf. Retrieved 15.02.2012.
- Picksak G, Luft C and Stichtenoth DO (2010) Allergic reaction after intravenous application of vitamin B12. Med Monatsschr Pharm 33: 57-58
- Skypala I (2011) Adverse food reactions – an emerging issue for adults. J Am Diet Assoc 111: 1877-1891
- Small P and Harold K (2011) Allergic rhinitis. Allergy Asthma Clin Ummunol: 7:S3
- Waserman S and Watson W (2011) Food allergy. Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol 7:S7

Since contact dermatitis is closely associated with an adverse reaction to strong ingredients and chemicals, it’s also often mistaken to be one and the same with an allergy to detergent and laundry soap. This is a common misconception which needs to be corrected, though. In fact, there are a variety of artificial ingredients and chemical substances which could possibly cause a skin irritation (eczema) very similar but different from that of a true allergy.

Perfumes and dyes

Let’s take a closer look at those treatments which give fabric its scent and color. In the form of perfumes and dyes, they tend to stick to clothes that have been washed and they linger on the material long after it’s been rinsed.

For people whose skin gets easily irritated, they’d simply develop a minor skin irritation like a rash. But for those who just can’t tolerate anything beyond the mildest substances, they’d experience a more severe allergic reaction.

To diagnose an allergy properly, the visible symptoms of this reaction include a reddening and swelling of the skin called hives. Because they’re extremely itchy, hives tend to form welts and wounds the more intensely you scratch them.

Bubbles and suds

The thing about regular, all-purpose detergents is that they’re created to lather well. Bubbling with fragrance, they give you the impression that you’ve just obtained the best cleaning results in your washing chores.

These days, however, most high-efficiency washers are designed for low sudsing properties. With the same wash load, you’re able to use less soap and water. At the same time, your skin is spared from being soaked any longer in the liquids and chemicals it detests.

Dirt and residue

Aside from dirt, another thing which your skin hates would be residue. These are remnants of detergent and soap left on personal items such as clothing, bedding, underwear, and towels. Since these fabrics are applied close to your body, they can be just as irritating to skin.

What happens here is that, where skin comes in contact with residue, there would develop patches of itchy, irritated skin. These areas would experience a burning, even stinging sensation. And because the body interprets this as a possible attack by germs or bacteria, it initiates an immune response. Thus, you end up with an allergic reaction.

Again, here’s where proper diagnosis comes in handy. With the help of a skin specialist, you should be able to detect whether the irritation’s due to an actual allergy to laundry detergent or if it’s caused by rough, abrasive fabric.

To keep your clothes and beddings residue-free, it helps to implement an extra rinse cycle. If you’re not happy with one or two rinses, add a third one just to make sure.

Cleaning chemicals

As household agents, both detergent and laundry soap contain chemical substances which clean, deodorize, and disinfect. An example of these chemicals is sodium carbonate, and another is sodium perborate. Depending on the brand and its composition, the concentration of these chemicals varies from mild, to moderate, to harsh. Yet in an overly-sensitive person, even the slightest contact with them through clothes and beddings would trigger an allergic reaction.

With new technology, companies have manufactured liquid detergents and laundry soaps which are allergy-free. Mild and hypoallergenic, they’re designed for baby skin. Instead of harsh bleaches, they make use of oxygen bleach and neutral pH. Over the counter, they’re labeled as gentle care products.

Other than these commercial products endorsed by dermatologists and pediatricians, people have also learned to make their own homemade soap. Made from lye, water, baking soda, and plant-based oils, they achieve the purpose of cleaning without harming your skin.

Going a step further, allergy-free detergents and laundry soaps have also been developed for people with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS). MCS recognizes the fact that there are people prone to a combination of different allergies which affect both their skin and respiratory passageways. These asthmatic conditions are best addressed by products which are non-caustic, non petroleum-based, and of course, allergy-free.

To wrap it all up, allergy to detergent and laundry soap is detectable and curable. It can be treated using oral antihistamines and topical creams or ointments. Aside from being treated through medication, it can also be avoided through prevention. Preventive measures are as simple as using mild detergents and natural soaps which are perfume-free, dye-free, and residue-free.

The types of allergies to chicken

On one hand, you could be allergic to chicken meat or to chicken eggs alone. On the other, you could be allergic to both chicken meat and chicken eggs in a condition known as “Bird-Egg Syndrome”. This syndrome involves not just the meat and eggs but the feathers too.

In line with meat-related allergies, the good news is that you may be allergic to chicken but not necessarily to turkey. Even though they’re practically from the same poultry group, the proteins and carbohydrates present in turkey aren’t one and the same as those inherent in chicken.

The causes behind chicken allergy

As is case with every allergy it is an immune response to the adverse effects of chicken on your system. Upon contact with the allergen, the body launches a defense by producing histamines and immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies.

As to the exact nature and cause of it, the allergic reaction results from a specific protein present in chicken meat, known as chicken serum albumin.

What’s more, chicken meat also contains other allergy-causing substances called purines. As contributing factors, they predispose you to conditions such as gout and kidney stones.

In any given population, there are people who are hypersensitive to this specific type of proteins. Once their body detects its presence, they immediately respond to it as though it were a potential attack. The allergic reaction triggered is all part of the immune response.

The chances of your having it

Statistically speaking, chicken allergy accounts for about 5% of food allergies reported in the U.S. each year. This figure includes allergies to chicken meat, eggs, and other poultry products.

Chicken allergies are not as common as the rest, and severe reactions are said to be rare. But if you present with a family history of it, then you might have it right from infancy and suffer from it all throughout childhood. There are instances, though, when symptoms only begin to manifest during late adulthood.

The common symptoms to watch out for

So, when do the symptoms start to show and what should you look for? Usually, an allergic reaction occurs within a few minutes to 24-48 hours after ingesting chicken meat.

You would first notice some itching in the skin accompanied by tingling and swelling of the mouth. Along with watery eyes and a stuffy nose, you could experience sneezing, coughing, and even asthma. Some people complain of difficulty in breathing along with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps.

The basic tests you can undergo

Because an allergy attack can progress to the point of being life-threatening, you mustn’t allow it to become severe. If you suspect that you’re a possible candidate for allergy to chicken, go beyond home testing. To be more certain, consult a medical professional and go for more accurate tests.

Objectively taken, these tests will involve the process of elimination. Anything that contains chicken, be it meat or broth, will be taken off your diet for two weeks and then restored to observe for results. Also, you may undergo a skin prick test or other blood tests to check for proteins.

Once poultry-related allergies have been confirmed, your doctor would recommend that you undergo a workup. In the meantime, antihistamines could be prescribed for you. The condition, however, is incurable so it’s either going into maintenance or opting for prevention. Prevention certainly means either consuming chicken once in a blue moon and only in small amounts, or avoiding it completely for your own good.

This happens because your immune system reacts to pollen (or other offenders), stimulating the release of histamine. Upon release, histamine causes pandemonium in your nose and throat, causing them to swell and stimulating mucus production. The most obvious way of preventing your body to react in such a way is to block histamine release, which is exactly what antihistaminics do. It all seems perfect, but unfortunately your hay fever treatment comes at a cost and these drugs can have some unpleasant side effects, ranging from drowsiness, dry mouth, and constipation to more severe heart irregularities.

To avoid these issues, recent years have seen a boom in natural allergy products, which have become the second largest most popular treatments in alternative medicine, after back pain treatments. The most common way to assess their viability is by conducting double-blind studies, in which two groups of patients are given either the product to test or a placebo with no antihistaminic action. At the end of the study, the effectiveness of the tested product is assessed in terms of how much better it was than the placebo. However, this is only the first step. Once a certain product is recognised as having antihistamine action, further studies are required to study mechanisms of action. Unfortunately, these types of studies are very limited in natural products, and all we can do at the moment is speculate.

One of the most used natural antihistamines, and probably the most studied, is butterbur (Petasites hybridus). Several double-blind studies have shown that this plant has strong anti-histaminic properties (Schapowal et al, 2004) similar to that of standard antihistamines – cetiruzie (Zyrtec, Schapowal et al., 2002) and fexofenadine (Allegra, Lee et al., 2004), with the advantage of showing less adverse effects. Other products with proven antihistaminic properties include Thymomodulin, a thymus extract (Marzari et al., 1987), nettle leaf (Mittman  et al. 1990) and probiotics (Bifidobacterium longum strain BB536, Xiao et al., 2006). In all cases, participants in these studies experienced a reduction if hay fever symptoms, with less sneezing and running nose. Also, apparently in addition to its aphrodisiac properties (hence the name!), horny goat weed also has similar properties. In addition to reducing symptoms, this plant, mixed with other ingredients, reduced levels of immune cells associated with allergic reactions (Yu, 1989).

Although increasingly more popular in the westernised world, most natural antihistamines were identified and its use developed in Asian countries, where there’s a long tradition of opting for such products. Examples of this include Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia, Badar et al., 2005) and Tylophora (Gopalakrishnan et al., 1990), which are herbs used by doctors in India to treat people with allergies. Also, the fruit hull of mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana, Nakatani et al., 2002) has been used as a antihistamine in Thai indigenous medicine for many years. And from Japan comes sho-seiryu-to, which has been shown to combat hay fever symptoms (Baba and Takasaka, 1995). Sho-seiryu-to is made of licorice, cassia bark, schisandra, ma huang, ginger, peony root, pinellia, and asiasarum root.

Quercetin is a natural antioxidant present in many fruits, vegetables, leaves and grains. In vitro studies suggest its potential as an antihistamine given that it can inhibit histamine release (Otsuka et al., 1995). Although no further studies have been done, it is becoming very popular amongst hay fever sufferers. And finally, although surrounded by some controversy, there’s vitamin C. Fortner et al. (1982) didn’t detect any improvement caused by this vitamin in relation to placebo group, but a few years later, Podoshin et al. (1991) identified reduced nasal secretions, blockage and edema in patients that had been treated with vitamin C.

These studies show that many of these medicinal plants and herbs can provide relief of hay fever symptoms, similar to antihistamine pills, possibly with the advantage of less adverse secondary effects. However to fully understand how they work, it’s necessary to identify the active components responsible and their mechanism of action. It is most likely that each natural antihistamine has different pathways to combat symptoms, which would explain different efficacies. Modes of action may range from decreasing the viscosity of mucus to prevent secretion of histamine.

Throughout the history of medicine, the active element of many drugs has been identified from natural products used in traditional medicine. It is, therefore, important to continue research on how some of these natural antihistamines work, and it just may be possible to find additional effective medicines to treat allergies.

References

Before everyone gets too paranoid about honey allergies and how they afflict you, let’s talk about what honey is and what it contains that affects you.  This could be our first, real step to understanding what an allergy to honey is and what exactly you’re allergic to!

What honey is

First of all, honey’s an all-natural sweet substance manufactured specifically by honeybees.  This substance is produced from the nectar of flowering plants.  Nectar, in turn, is a plant secretion found in the female anatomical parts of flowers.  Pollen is often brushed along with it, as bees and other insects try to access both the anther (male) and the stigma (female) in a process known as pollination.

In order to collect honey by the pound, honeybees have to be busybodies!  To and fro from their beehive, 60,000 or more of them must travel approximately 55,000 miles.  This mileage translates to about two million flowers visited and 37,000 loads in all.

So what exactly makes honey sweet in taste, golden-yellow in color, smooth in texture, and syrupy in consistency?  Scientists have discovered that this substance is a complex one composed of simple sugars (carbohydrates) along with amino acids (proteins), vitamins, minerals, and trace enzymes.   Zeroing in on sugar, it’s a combination of glucose and fructose mixed in water and oil.   In a nutshell, the lighter-colored the product is, the milder its flavor.

Ultimately, the concentration of honey significantly varies based on the kind of flower, the source of nectar, and the geographical location from which it was sourced out.  Thus, in the U.S. alone, you’d have at least 300 different kinds of honey in the market today.

What it contains

While we’re at it, let’s buzz off to these nectar-producing flowering plants.  If we were to name more contents other than the clover, these would include insect-pollinated plants like the buckwheat, sunflower, tulip, eucalyptus, and orange blossom.  Incidentally, they may also include wind-pollinated species like the willow, oak, hackberry, and other grass species.

Here’s where a bit of the problem comes in.  For instance, since willow pollen does get carried by wind, willow can be an airborne contaminant to an otherwise harmless honey consumed by a hypersensitive person.

At the same time, let’s double-back on the idea of honey being all-natural in content.  It’s a little more complicated than nectar being methodically sucked by honeybees and stored in sacs.  To collect nectar, bees basically use their mouth parts.  In the process, however, they also gather pollen from flowers by means of their legs, wings, bodies, and mouths.  Whatever they comb from their body parts gets loaded into the pollen basket located in their posterior legs and this is transported back to the beehive.

What you could be allergic to

Clearly, if you have an allergy to pollen, then you would develop an allergic reaction to some types of honey.  In this case, pollen itself is the allergen and not the honey.

Pollen gets incorporated into the honey in several ways.  For instance, it may fall into the nectar and adhere to the traveling honeybees.  It may also be deposited into the honeycomb and lodged in the hive through the worker house bees themselves.

Also, honey has the potential to be contaminated by dust in the environment or by germs from bees and plants it has come in contact with.  This happens not only during natural collection but also during commercial processing.

Natural honey does have its own germ-fighting properties, so this is rarely the case.  Any bacteria present, however, may reproduce through spores and this is what causes honey to be contaminated.  As such, infants may develop botulism when fed with honey by the mouth.

Thus, it’s quite important to verify a honey sample as to its origin or geographical source.  These days, people speculate that the closer the honey originates from where you locally live, the better its immune-boosting effect on you.

At any rate, whether homemade or commercially-produced, each brand of honey must be correctly labeled before it is even marketed to the public.  All the more, it has to conform to this regulation if it’s going to be imported or traded abroad.  Then and only then would you, as an informed consumer, know exactly whether it’s a type of honey product you’d be allergic to.

Refereneces:

Bauer L, Kohlich A, Hirschwehr R et al. Food allergy to honey: pollen or bee products? Characterization of allergenic proteins in honey by means of immunoblotting.

http://www.scirpus.ca/cap/articles/paper017.htm

http://www.honey.com/nhb/about-honey/

http://www.raysahelian.com/honey.html

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-738-HONEY.aspx?activeIngredientId=738&activeIngredientName=HONEY

I have trouble skin, meaning I still break out but have those fine lines around my eyes. So I need a moisturizer along with something to help with those breakouts. It’s like I have teenager skin mixed with middle aged. On top of that, my skin is really sensitive. I have a history of red and inflamed skin after using certain products, and after that comes the dry, flaky redness. So what are the best products and regimen for good skin care to take care of the problems and the sensitive skin at the same time?

In Julyne Derrick’s article, the basics of skin care are broken down to a four step routine which includes cleansing, exfoliating, moisturizing and sunscreen. The thing to be careful is that each of these necessary steps has the power to cause an adverse reaction. It is important to find and use the right products, as well as know your own skin.

Skin allergies and sensitive skin are actually two different things, sort of like food intolerance and food allergies. But even though sensitive skin may be more predictable and only happen in certain areas, like the face, it is still something to deal with and avoidance probably does come into play.

There are actually four categories of sensitive skin, and contact dermatitis (which includes allergies along with other irritants) is one of them. The other three types are acne, rosacea, and burning and stinging. That’s the problem in finding the right skin care. Just because something is labeled “For Sensitive Skin,” that doesn’t necessarily mean it is labeled for YOUR sensitive skin.

For me, I think of the burning and stinging category, so I try to stay away from those products that have “acid” in them. All that does is make things worse by not only burning and stinging, but also leaving behind red and flaky skin.

I’ve found that products with fewer ingredients are better for me (sort of like food). Take a look through the labels and ingredients lists and try to find something with a shorter list of ingredients. Stay away from fragrances and added color. Just because something is higher end or more expensive does not mean it’s better. In fact, it can do more damage to your skin. Organic and natural products can be safer on the skin, and remember if you have corn or gluten allergy, these things are often in cosmetics. You don’t think about reading labels for cosmetics, but you may have to. There’s also nothing wrong with using some of the natural products made for babies and young children, like sunscreens and moisturizers, as they are often more gentle. Caryn Tatty lists some good makeup and cosmetics in Finding Green Gluten and Corn-free Cosmetics and Personal Products for those with sensitive, allergic skin.

Unfortunately, it can be a trial and error test to find what is best. And then, who knows, your skin may change and need something different!

For even more information, see http://www.aad.org/media-resources/stats-and-facts/prevention-and-care/sensitive-skin

There are people allergic to gluten. There are those with a gluten sensitivity or intolerance. Others, like my friend and her daughters, have Celiac Disease, something altogether different. And then there are those who choose to go gluten free for other health reasons, ranging from a desire to lose weight to gaining more energy. What are all these different gluten reactions? Are they connected; are they manageable? Can you have any gluten?  Here’s some help in deciphering it all:

Gluten Allergy
Just like any allergy, this is the body’s reaction to something it thinks is harmful and antibodies build up to defend it. Symptoms can range from hives to anaphylaxis to nausea.  A tiny bit can cause the reaction so avoidance is usually necessary.

Gluten Intolerance
This is when the body reacts to gluten in a negative way, but it is not an allergy. It is not life threatening, but an adverse reaction can manifest. Often it is seen in digestive issues. Many people with a food intolerance, gluten or other, can have small amounts of the food. In fact, a friend of mine knows that she has intolerance to dairy, so she weighs the risks of eating it. If she’s home alone, she may have that bowl of ice cream, but not in a crowd of people or if she has something to do. They can often tolerate small amounts, like the traces found in foods or croutons on a salad, just not sandwiches or a plate of pasta. Some people also refer to gluten intolerance as gluten sensitivity (or any other intolerance, like dairy).

Celiac Disease
This is what my friend and her family are dealing with, and is very different from the other gluten conditions. In Celiac Disease, the body cannot digest and process the gluten, so damage is done to the intestines and the body manifests symptoms in a myriad of ways. Not only is wheat a culprit, but also barley, rye and often oats. Because the body cannot process the gluten, the villi in the intestines can become damaged causing long term problems. With an allergy, once the reaction subsides, it’s over, not with Celiacs.

Those with this condition need to avoid altogether, like an allergy. It’s recommended households have two toasters if anyone else will be eating gluten, though a gluten free house is the best bet. Just like with an allergy, traces of gluten can lead to damage.

Here is a good article on gluten and Celiac Disease with a history of the condition, diagnosing, symptoms and complications. It does explain what my friend told me about not cutting out glutens even after being diagnosed if you are going to have an intestinal biopsy.

Optional Gluten Free Diets
Many people opt to go gluten free for different reasons, whether to lose weight or just cleanse. They may have no adverse reactions, but want to change their diets for benefits.

What happens sometimes, though, is restaurants may claim to have gluten free menu items, but they still bake their items in ovens used to bake gluten products or can have traces in other ways. That’s fine for people with gluten sensitivities or voluntary gluten free diets, but not for those with allergies or Celiacs.

I personally have had my daughter treated holistically and happy with her results. Though we still keep a mild watch for her allergen (nuts) she has had no outbreaks since her treatment. My take on many of these treatments is that it won’t hurt to try as they are very non-invasive and do not encourage prescription reliance.

NAET
This is the method we used with my daughter. It is a non-invasive, drug-free method for relieving allergy symptoms  (NAET stands for Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Technique). This treatment usually takes a few sessions depending on the severity of the allergy and can incorporate acupuncture, acupressure, even meditation and visualization while the patient holds a small, sealed, glass vial of the allergen. The allergen never comes in contact with the body. One way to look at this is the treatment resets the body to not react to the allergen.

EFT
This method, also known as Emotional Freedom Techniques, incorporates tapping and verbal affirmations to reduce or remove the allergies from the body. Tapping is a common method used in people suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Because the tapping is conducted at the meridian points on the body (where energy flows) it, again, is a sort of technique to reset the body and how it reacts to situations or allergens. It is also something a patient can be taught to do on his or her own.

Acupuncture
This is probably the one most common, or at least most well known to those who practice Western medicine. Acupuncture has its basis in traditional Chinese medicine and involves inserting thin needles into the meridian points. Again, this method may take a few sessions and the patient may be prescribed herbs during the treatment.

Though many people balk at the idea of needles inserted throughout the body, it really doesn’t hurt. With my first hand experience, I can attest to that. It is in fact, a very relaxing treatment. With different sized needles and quite small ones available, even children can benefit from acupuncture treatment.

Acupressure
This is quite similar to acupuncture, but instead of needles, lights are used on the meridian points. Visualization is incorporated. Though acupuncture is usually more effective, acupressure is a nice alternative for children who don’t want the needles, or anyone else who may be wary of acupuncture.

Many Westerners who receive holistic treatment combine it with Western medicine. For instance, it is perfectly acceptable to use the holistic treatments, but if a bad allergy attack happens, by all means, take some medicine. Some people like the fact that even those these treatments may not completely eliminate an allergy, they can reduce it enough so that fears of anaphylaxis are eliminated and day to day activities can be resumed.

A lot of Eastern medicine depends on mind set. Visualization is a big part and a practitioner may ask the patient to visualize himself suffering an allergy attack and then again as allergy free. Those that can open their minds to this have a bigger change of  successful treatment. I think it is definitely a viable option of treatment for those who have been suffering allergies and can find no relief, or those that have a life threatening allergy. Be sure, however, to find a reputable practitioner before undertaking any treatments.

for more information:

http://www.dailybreeze.com/lifeandculture/ci_18378240

http://ahha.org/rosen.htm

Your hypersensitivity

An allergic reaction to garlic and onion isn’t all too common; in fact, it’s a rare condition diagnosed in people.  But once it’s been diagnosed, however, this undoubtedly confirms that you’re hypersensitive to these two herbs.

Classification-wise, these two herbs belong to the Lily family.  Together, they’re classified under the Genus Allium, which also includes the likes of chives, leeks, and shallots.  Now as to what causes the allergic reaction in you, specifically, it’s the following substances which they contain.

Allyl is an organic compound naturally-occurring in raw garlic and onion.  It is characterized as volatile, water soluble, and aromatic to pungent in property.  Fresh onions, in particular, contain sulfur-rich compounds known as allyl sulfides.  In turn, garlic cloves contain the organosulfur compound allicin.  Note that these substances are most potent when they’re fresh, raw, or crushed!

Furthermore, it would surprise you to know that these allergens interact with tree pollen such as birch, hazel, and alder.  A cross-reaction happens between allergens from raw onion and pollen from tree.  Seasonal in nature, it’s an unusual condition known as Oral Allergy Syndrome.  The most common symptoms of this syndrome include itching, tingling, and swelling.  These sensations are often limited to the lips, mouth, and throat.

Even in powdered or diluted form, small amounts of these stuffs can and will affect an allergy sufferer.

Your immune response

Apparently, common and everyday as the words ‘onion’ and ‘garlic’ sound, they’re not as harmless and safe as you’d think.  For someone who’s hypersensitive to them, they do trigger an allergic reaction.  As a contact allergy, this reaction results from coming in touch with or being exposed to substances like allyl and allicin.

Once your immune system identifies their presence as a danger, it responds by releasing Immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies into your bloodstream.  As a fight response, mast cells also start to produce histamines.  As the level of histamine rises, your soft tissues start to swell and this manifests as the initial symptoms of an allergy.

Physically, you’d observe these symptoms in the tissues of your skin, nose, sinuses, respiratory passageways, and digestive system.  Within minutes, you’d experience swelling of the face, mouth, and throat.  Sometimes, a fever may also be felt.

Aside from skin which is flushed, reddened, and hot to the touch, you may also encounter some difficulty in breathing.  Once this exacerbates into something more severe, the symptoms would be similar to those of asthma.

Symptoms of heartburn may also manifest.  In some instances, people complain of abdominal bloating, flatulence, and cramps.  Here, it’s important to differentiate between a case of indigestion versus an actual allergy.

Avoidance and elimination

The simplest way to test for an allergy to onions and garlic would be via a strict elimination diet.  You’ll need to remove all those foods which contain possible allergens.  In the process, you’ll be able to detect IgE food-mediated allergies which can be traced back to nothing else but alliums.

As a result, you’d be able to devise effective strategies to help you avoid any more of their intake through food consumption.  Instead, you’d get rid of these undesirable ingredients in your diet simply by changing your method of food preparation and cooking.

This month, a comprehensive study was published online by the journal, Pediatrics. The  objective of this study, was to better estimate the prevalence and severity of childhood food allergy in the United States. “What I don’t think people understand is that (food allergies) can be life-threatening. You can have a severe reaction and end up in the hospital and even die of food allergy,” said Dr. Ruchi Gupta, associate professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and lead author of the study.

This recent study shows that where it once thought that about 4% of kids have some sort of food allergy, in actuality it is closer to 8% being allergic to at least one type of food. One reason this study may have higher statistics is that it is a larger study that evaluated many different foods. According to a piece on Web Md, it also states that the study holds importance because it not only covered the basic statistics, but also hints at some of the misery that is visited on children with food allergies.

Emotional Toll
It is hard for people without food allergies to understand what those with them have to go through. My friend who I have mentioned recently who just had two of her children diagnosed with Celiac Disease finally got in touch with a leader of a support group. The support group leader asked her where she was in the first stages of the diagnosis. She said, “Have you been to the grocery store, freaked out and cried yet?”

I remember doing that when my daughter was diagnosed with her food allergy. I still remember walking through the store wanting to cry at all the things she couldn’t have anymore. There certainly is a lot of emotional toll on a family with food allergies, and it is important that others realize we are not trying to control or baby or alienate our children; we just want them to safe. I was glad to see that this study tackled this aspect.

Dangers Continue, Especially for Teenage Boys
The study also showed that almost 40% of kids with a food allergy exhibit some form of a severe reaction such as wheezing or anaphylaxis, and that allergies tend to peak in preschoolers, those kids around 3 – 5 years old. However, another maybe the most dangerous time, according to the study, is the teenage years, especially for boys. They tend to exhibit more reckless behavior and that even encompasses not wanting to ask questions regarding food allergies in restaurants and with friends.

Maybe what we can take from this is that we still need to coach our kids. It’s not enough to teach them how to act and eat when they set off for kindergarten or their first sleepover. We need to remind them when they go out with friends or on a date. We need to get it in their heads when they go off to college and maybe even a bit more reckless. It is way cooler to ask if there are any peanut products in the kitchen than pass out with anaphylactic shock, and as they get older, they need to know this. They need to stay careful and keep their Epipens with them, even if it’s not cool.

Now we have a study to support all of this.

Sources:
http://children.webmd.com/news/20110620/food-allergies-in-kids-more-common-than-thought

http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/06/20/food.allergies.pediatrics/index.html