Tag: Allergens

The Most Common Food Allergies

* Milk *

Being allergic to cows milk isnt the same as being
lactose intolerant.

* Eggs *

You can be allergic to either the whites of the yolk.
This type of food allergy is more prevalent in
children, but does affect some adults.

* Peanut *

Most people, adults and children with food allergies,
are allergic to peanuts too.

* Tree nut *

More children have nut allergies than adults. The
symptoms of nut and peanut allergies are the same, but
being allergic to one doesnt necessarily mean youre
allergic to the other.

* Seafood *

This is more common in, but not limited, to children.
The fish allergens can be passed through the air by
people eating or cooking fish near you.

* Shellfish *

Similar to seafood allergies. But having one doesnt
mean being allergic to the other.

* Soy *

People allergic to soy need to be especially careful
when eating Asian foods or using Asian sauces.

* Wheat *

This is most commonly a food allergy, but can also be
a respiratory contact allergy.

In the United States these are referred to as the big
eight. Over 90% of U.S. food allergies consist of
these foods.

Allergens differ in other countries, but these 8 make
the top 10 in many places through out the world.

Food allergies may be based on contact. In East Asia
where rice makes up a large part of the diet, rice
allergies are more common, as are celery allergies in
Central Europe.

Heres A Test To Fail

To diagnose an allergy, the first thing your doctor
does is talk with you. Hell discuss your symptoms,
any medications youre currently taking, and your
personal and family history. A physical examination is
also necessary.

The next step is the tests. There are 3 types of
tests. The skin test, patch test or blood test.

The skin test is the most common test used. Its
generally the most accurate and certainly the least
expensive. With the skin test, a small amount of an
allergen is put on your skin and then the spot is
pricked or scratched with a needle. You can also have
a little bit of the allergen injected into the outer
layer of your skin.

If you have an allergy to the substance that was used,
youll have swelling, redness and itching in the
tested spot within 20 minutes.

The patch test is used to diagnose contact dermatitis.
A small amount of allergen is put on your skin and
covered with a bandage. Your doctor will check the
spot in 48 hours to see if youve developed a rash.

The third type of test is the blood test. This may be
used if you have a skin condition or if youre taking
some type of medication that might interfere with a
skin test.

A blood sample is taken and sent to a laboratory.
There they add allergens to the sample and measure the
amount of antibodies that are produced to attack it.

Asthma Attacks

To healthy individuals, asthma may be a simple health problem but for the sufferers, its really a different thing especially when the attack is slowly setting in.

Asthma attacks happen when the air passages constrict. This may be due to allergens, air impurities, food, exercise or strenuous activities, and many others. Severe attacks are often characterized by wheezing or whistling sounds, dry cough, and breath-shortness. In an asthma attack, the air passage of the individual is clogged by mucus, the air tubes lining is swelling or inflamed. Gasping for breathe is a dreaded situation for asthmatics and so you should try to prevent the attacks as much as possible.

There are several layers in the air tube. A muscle located outside relaxes or tightens and it is responsible for controlling the air tubes opening. It is guided by the nervous system, particularly the portion for the reflexes. The muscle works like that of involuntary blinking.

You cant control how the muscles work. The outside muscle of the air tube reacts to irritants like perfume, dust, allergens, pollution, pollen, or cigarette smoke by tightening or relaxing. In the case of asthma patients, the outside muscle overreacts to the irritants, thereby causing an attack.

Aside from reacting with irritants and allergens, the muscle also reacts to other factors like exercise, cold air, pressure changes, and viral infections. When the muscle tightens, the airway narrows.

Asthma attacks are not only limited to the tightening of the muscles of the air tube but it can be caused by the inflammation of the airways lining as well. Have you ever experienced scraping your knee? If youre observant, you will notice that the knee area swells and a fluid oozes out. This fluid is made up of cells which fight the infection but it also contributes to swelling. The same thing happens in the airways. When the airways are inflamed, the lining oozes out fluid which contributes to swelling and at the same time, it obstructs the air passage.

Mucus found in the airways in not all that bad. It normally aids in the smooth flow of air into the lungs but during an asthma attack, the mucus increases and it clogs the air passage. The mucus becomes sticky making it more difficult to breathe. As long as the mucus clogs the air passage, the asthma attack will persist. You need to consult a doctor right away so that you can receive appropriate medical attention.

Keep in mind that if you leave the mucus clogs untreated, it can lead to infections. Only the doctor can give you the proper antibiotic that suits your situation. Attacks can last for a couple of minutes but for severe attacks, it can last for many hours or even days. There are intervals wherein the asthma patient will not feel any of the symptoms but it will soon return if no proper medication is given.

Doctors often conduct a breathing test to determine if the person has asthma and it is called spitometry. During the evaluation, several tests will be conducted to identify what caused the asthma attack. Once the trigger or triggers are identified, you need to stay away from them as much as possible. You have to work closely with your doctor if you want to prevent future asthma attacks. The attacks can be deadly, so dont disregard them.

Asthma And Air Purifiers

Asthma is caused by different triggering factors. The most common triggers are pollution, dust, pollen, and air irritants. If you breathe-in these triggers, you will have an asthma attack soon. Breathing is already part of the bodys natural functions. Many people take breathing for granted but asthma patients already know its true value. Even if they can inhale with ease, they will have a difficulty in exhaling. Have you ever experienced gasping for breathe when youre in the water? Thats exactly how asthmatics are feeling during an attack. If you want to breathe-in fresh air, why not use air purifiers?

The air passages and lungs are the main sites for the asthma attack and because of this, asthmatics usually have severe problems in their respiratory tracts. To lessen the symptoms and attacks, you can use air purifiers at home or even in the office.

The air contains a lot of allergens and impurities like chemicals, dust, pollen, etc. Its quite hard to avoid these impurities especially in todays times but with the aid of the purifier, the allergens and impurities are filtered out. You can breathe in comfortably at home and in the office; you can also avoid the attacks and so you can live with ease.

When purchasing air purifiers, you need to consider some things. The first one is to identify the kind of air purifier you need and the other one is the capacity of the purifier. Some air purifiers are suitable for small rooms but there are also purifiers designed for bigger rooms. There are lots of air purifiers to choose from and once youve identified your needs, you will not have any difficulty in looking for one. You can either shop online or you can also shop in local stores. If budget is a great consideration on your part, you can choose an affordable air purifier but keep in mind that quality is still very important. There are quality air purifiers which are sold at very affordable price; you simply need to shop around a bit.

Asthma can be tackled effectively at home if you have an air purifier. Asthmatics suffering from frequent attacks should have the purifier at home because this is the best way to address allergen-induced asthma symptoms.

When the air passages constrict or become inflamed, asthma attacks occur. During the attack, the air passage is already narrowing and the muscles tend to squeeze the airways further. Once the airways are swelled up, the patient is going to suffer mild, moderate, or even severe asthma symptoms.

The asthma attack can take place anywhere and at any time. Once youre exposed to the allergens and impurities, the attack will come very soon. This can be easily handled especially if youre already aware of your triggers. You must remember that you cant remove air impurities entirely and you cant just stay inside the home all the time; you have to go out somehow. The air purifier works in a limited space and so you cant use it outside where theres too mush open space.

Know your needs and your current budget for the home purifier. Shop around and check if the product is of good quality. If you have an air purifier at home and in the office, you can work comfortably and once you get home, you can spend bonding moments with your loved ones.