Don’t let allergies get you down

An allergy is a medical condition that makes you feel ill when you eat or come in contact with a particular substance. General physician Dr Shahid Barmare says, "Allergies happen when the immune system mistakenly believes that something the person ate or came in contact with, is harmful to the body. To protect the body, the immune system produces IgE antibodies to that allergen. IgE antibodies then trigger mast cells (allergy cells in the body) to release chemicals into the bloodstream. One of these chemicals is histamine. Histamine acts on the eyes, nose, throat, lungs, skin or gastrointestinal tract and causes symptoms of an allergic reaction. Once the body has made antibodies against a certain allergen, these antibodies easily recognise the allergen. Each time the person comes in contact with the allergen, the body releases histamine into the bloodstream again, creating allergy symptoms," says Dr Barmare. Cosmetic physician Dr Rashmi Shetty lists common allergies that affect people: Dust allergy Having runny or stuffy nose, itchy, watery eyes and sneezing due to dust exposure such as vacuuming, sweeping, and dusting means you are affected by dust allergy. Symptoms Well-known dust allergy symptoms are unmanageable sneezing, itchy, watery eyes and in some cases a small red coloured dust allergy rash located on some part of your body such as your stomach or your upper arm. Pollen allergy During spring and summer, tiny particles are released from trees, weeds and grasses. Known as pollen, these ride in the air and enter noses and throats, triggering a type of seasonal allergic rhinitis called Pollen Allergy. Symptoms: Although pollen allergy symptoms are similar to cold symptoms, you can tell the difference because colds are associated with thicker nasal secretions, sore throat, hoarseness, and possibly fever. Also, colds tend to get better fairly quickly. Contact allergy Contact allergy is caused in sensitive individuals, who can get allergic reactions through different things such as metals (gold-silver oxidised jewelry), leather (wrist watch), synthetic fibers (clothing such as undergarments). Symptoms: Symptoms of a contact allergy usually occur within 30 minutes after exposure to the allergen, although symptoms may take up to several hours to appear. Common allergens include poison oak and poison ivy, latex, rubber, nickel, preservatives, dyes, medications, fragrances, and cosmetics such as hair dye and perfume. Sun allergy Sun allergy is having small white patches due to sunlight on the exposed areas of the body. Symptoms: Having small white patches due to sunlight on the exposed areas of the body. In addition, there is a syndrome known as "sun drunk" which affects some children who suffer from a sun allergy. Food allergies Symptoms include itching in the mouth, hives, itching or eczema, redness around the mouth, swelling of the lips, face, tongue and throat or other parts of the body, wheezing, nasal congestion or difficulty in breathing, pain in the lower abdominal area, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting, dizziness, light headedness or fainting. "These symptoms are immediately seen after having an allergy causing food. While severe allergy can cause drop in the blood pressure, tightening of the airways making it very difficult to breath, losing one's consciousness. The best way to avoid allergies is to avoid foods that can cause allergy. But it's also important that for foods that are excluded, suitable alternatives are introduced to avoid nutrient deficiencies. Equip yourself with enough knowledge to read and understand food labels to know if there is any allergy causing ingredient present before buying any ready-to-eat food stuff," says detician and sports nutritionist Deepshikha Agarwal. Be safe -When in restaurants, avoid calling for a dish with too many ingredients or anything which is completely unknown to you. Always ask ingredients used before trying a new recipe. -Avoid salad bars, juice bars or self-serve buffets. Arm yourself with enough knowledge so you can be constantly vigilant about what you eat, and what you need to avoid. -Go for food intolerance/ allergy tests as a precaution to know about its intolerances beforehand. -If you're unsure if you have an allergy or hypersensitivity, withdraw the food for two weeks, than reintroduce it to see if you get a reaction. Foods known to cause allergies It is observed that many infants under one year old suffer from cow's milk allergy, making it the most common food allergy of childhood. The substitute to cow's milk can be soya milk. In adults, the most common foods that cause allergic reactions are shellfish (shrimp, crayfish, lobster, and crab), soybeans, peanuts, honey, milk, eggs, peanuts, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, almonds and walnuts, soya or wheat.