Monthly Archives: July 2016

Allergy Doctor: Taking A Look At The Different Types Of Allergies

You are said to have an allergy when your body reacts to a given substance. Allergy symptoms include: sneezing, wheezing, running nose, coughing, vomiting, abdominal pain, coughing, shortness of breath and many others. There are many types of allergies that you can have. The most common being:

Food allergy

Food allergy or food intolerance happens when you develop allergic symptoms after taking certain foods. According to allergy experts, all of us suffer from food allergies at some point in life. You can be allergic to different types of foods including: nuts, eggs, milk, wheat, casein, soy, sulfite and many others.

Seasonal allergies

From their name, these are allergies that come about at different times of the year. In most cases, they come about during spring when trees start blooming and pollen gets airborne. While the most common seasonal allergies are those that happen in spring, there are many others such as fall, summer, and winter allergies that occur at the said times.

Insect allergies

They come about when you get into contact with insects. The insects can be stinging such as yellow jackets, wasps, bees and hornets or they can be non-stinging such as cockroaches and dust mites. You can develop allergic reactions when the insects sting you or crawl on you. Other people have developed allergic symptoms from smelling the insects.

Pet allergies

From their name, these are allergies that come about when you get into contact with pets. It’s also common to have allergic symptoms when you get into contact with the pet dander. Two of the most common causes of pet allergies are dogs and cats.

Latex allergies

They are common with people in professions that require wearing of latex gloves. People have also been reported to develop allergies from getting into contact with balloons, condoms, and other natural rubber products containing latex.

How to deal with allergies

If you are prone to allergies the first thing that you should do is know the triggers for your condition. If you are allergic to certain types of foods, you should know the specific food that you are allergic to. To avoid the allergies you should avoid taking the specific type of food. If you have pet allergies, you should get rid of the pets. If you are living in a house that has pets, you should avoid getting into contact with them. You should also keep the house thoroughly clean to get rid of all pet dander.

There are many allergy treatment options that you can go with. All you need to do is visit a reputable allergy doctor who will recommend the best treatment for your condition.

Asthma Treatments: Everything That You Need To Know About Asthma

Asthma is a medical condition that often comes about due to exposure to a trigger. When it happens, the airways swell making it difficult for you to breathe. In addition to this, it’s also common to have a cough or get a tight feeling in your chest. There are plenty of things that can cause the symptoms. These things include:

Smelly stuff such as pollution and smoke
Invisible stuff such as cold air and dust
Gross things such as kitty cats and mold
Activities such as walking, running or jumping

Asthma can be fatal; therefore, you should visit an allergy doctor as soon as possible so that he/she can recommend the best way of fixing it.

Tips on how to beat asthma

There are many ways of beating asthma. One of the best asthma treatments is taking corticosteroids. These treatments block the inflammation response in the lungs; therefore, the airways don’t swell. There are both over the counter and prescription medications. Before you take any, first consult your doctor.

How to prevent asthma

It’s often said that prevention is better than cure. One of the most effective ways of getting rid of asthma is minimizing your exposure to the allergens. Smoke has been found to be one of the leading causes of asthmatic attacks. To protect yourself you should minimize your exposure to smoke sources including: fires, incense, candles and even fireworks.

Cold has also been shown to worsen asthma. You should avoid close contact with people having a cold, flu, or any other respiratory infection. In situations where you can’t avoid contact, ensure that you clean your hands thoroughly after shaking hands or touching items that may have been handled by people with a respiratory infection.

In addition to avoiding contact with people having a cold or flu, it’s also wise to get a flu vaccine. You should have the vaccine once a year and you will prevent asthma symptoms from getting worse.

Conclusion

This is what you need to know about asthma. To be safe when dealing with the condition regularly visit your allergist. Professionals recommend that you do it when you feel the condition getting worse. It’s also recommended that you visit a professional at least once every month even if you have no symptoms. As rule of thumb, ensure that the allergy clinic you visit is reputable.

Asthma Treatments: Taking A Look At The Different Types Of Asthma

Asthma is a chronic condition that results in the inflammation of air passages making it hard to breathe. Due to the inflammation, you tend to experience coughing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and wheezing. In severe cases, you have decreased activity and inability to talk. There are many types of asthma. The most common ones being:

Allergic asthma

You are said to have allergic asthma when an allergen sets off an asthma flare-up. The flare-up can be due to seasonal allergies or everyday allergens. Many allergens such as animal dander, mold spores, cockroach feces, pollen from grasses, weeds, and trees tend to provoke the condition. When you have this attack you have many symptoms including: shortness of breath, quick breaths, coughing, wheezing, and chest sightedness.

Non-allergic asthma

Many people feel that most asthmatic attacks are brought about by allergic reactions but it’s not true. There are some allergies that aren’t provoked by allergic attacks. Most of these attacks are set off by upper respiratory infections. When you have this type of asthma you tend to have cold or flu-like symptoms that can be easily treated using corticosteroids.

Occupational asthma

This is a type of asthma that comes about due to exposure to substances in your place of work. The substances cause asthma in different ways. You can have the condition due to an allergic reaction, irritant reaction or reaction due to the buildup of naturally occurring chemicals such as histamines. Classic examples of occupational allergies are those that result in health care professionals that develop an allergy to latex gloves by breathing in the powdered proteins. Workers working in the chemical industry can also develop asthma due to exposure to the chemicals.

There are plenty of things that can cause occupational allergy. These things include: chemicals, grains, papain, beans, cotton, flax, metals, and animal hair.

Exercise-induced asthma

If you are asthmatic you might have noticed that you experience asthmatic symptoms when you are exercising. This is often due to physical exertion. To get rid of the symptoms you should stop the exertion. Asthma experts have also been able to show that when you take bronchodilator medications you tend to stop the symptoms.

Conclusion

As you have seen, there are many types of asthma attacks that you can have. The attacks can be fatal if you don’t address them soon enough. To avoid a catastrophe, you should visit a doctor who will recommend the best asthma treatments for your condition.

How To Deal With Seasonal Allergies

From their name, seasonal allergies come about at different times of the year. If you are prone to them it’s paramount that you know how to deal with them. To help you out here is how to go about it:

Stay indoors when the allergens are high

Spring allergies come about due to the presence of pollen in the air. To avoid the allergy you need to avoid contact with the allergens. One of the most effective ways of doing so is staying indoors. If you can work indoors you should go ahead and work from home. To avoid the allergens from getting in the house close the windows and doors. Also, ensure that the air conditioner is working perfectly.

Protect yourself from the allergens when outdoors

If you can’t avoid being outdoors, take measures to protect yourself. One of the ways of doing it is wearing a mask when you are going outdoors. You can get a good quality mask from your local hardware store or from a home improvement center. All you need to do is ensure that the mask is of high quality. As rule of thumb, it should have a good quality filter.

You can also minimize exposure by going outdoors when there is less pollen in the air. This can be during the evening or after it has rained.

Get treatment for your seasonal allergies

If already you show symptoms of the condition there are plenty of treatment options that you can go with. The medications range from over-the-counter to prescription medications. To ensure that you are taking the right ones, first, visit an allergist to analyze your condition and recommend the best medication. If you suffer from severe allergies, consider taking allergy shots.

When taking the medications be cautious as you can easily harm yourself. For example, taking decongestants for more than 3 days can result in a “rebound” effect. This is where you have more severe symptoms than you had before taking the medications.

Take an allergy vacation

If you have tried everything and failed, you should consider taking an allergy vacation. This is where you move to an area that is less affected by pollen. In most cases, this is at the beach or at the seashore. Even when you are on vacation it’s wise that you have your spring allergy treatment with you. This is to ensure that you don’t develop complication in the event the symptoms get severe.