Allergy Symptoms

Allergy is an abnormal sensitivity to a harmless substance. The human immune system reacts to these substances by overproducing chemicals to combat them. These chemicals produce the allergy symptoms.If a person is sensitive to an allergen, it is likely that they are affected by more allergens. Allergies may be caused by various environmental factors such as food, mold, pollen, pets, dust, insect venom, synthetic materials, medications, etc.

The most common allergies affecting the eyes, throat and nose are:

1. Eye Allergies - These allergies are responsible for the itchiness and redness of the eye’s membrane. Eyes can feel gritty, become watery, swollen, red and tender.

2. Throat Allergies - A percentage of hay fever sufferers experience itching in the back of the throat and mouth. The itching happens because the small hairs inside the lungs are wafting the animal dander that has been inhaled up toward the back of the throat.

3. Nose Allergies - When the nose is affected by allergens, nose membranes overproduce mucus in order to effectively secrete substances. Normally, the nose secretes a clear fluid to act as a filter and trap particles in the air, such as dust or pollen.

Allergic reaction symptoms are categorized in three groups: mild, moderate and severe.

Symptoms from a mild allergic reaction are typically symptoms that do not affect other areas of the body. Mild allergic reactions include watery and itchy eyes, rashes and congestion.

Moderate allergic reaction symptoms such as itchiness and difficulty in breathing are not as localized as mild reactions and may affect different parts of the body.

Severe allergic symptoms are also referred to as anaphylaxis. This condition is dangerous because is affects the entire body and thus has greater potential of being fatal. Typically, anaphylaxis starts with a sudden itching on the face that may soon be followed by these symptoms: cramps, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness or mental confusion, and swelling that make it difficult to breathe or swallow.

Care must be taken to keep allergens at bay. Here are some tips to help.

1. Performing a general cleaning on a weekly basis is the key to keeping dust and other air borne allergens at bay. Make sure to clean places where dust settles, such as book shelves, bents, curtains, etc.

2. If there is carpeting in the house, make sure to vacuum it every week.

3. Minimizing outdoor activities during high pollen count days may seem obvious, but you might want to close that open window as well.

4. Use a damp cloth instead of a feather duster when cleaning so that the dust sticks to the cloth, and is not easily inhaled.

5. Take your allergy medication before engaging in outdoor activities. Preventative medication works a lot better than reactive ones.

6. Considering that a person spends a third of his life sleeping, it is a must to wash bedding regularly -- at least on a weekly basis.

7. Although one might not be allergic to pets, it is a good idea to keep them off the bedding and the furniture during allergy season. Pets can carry air allergens on their fur.