Friday, April 25, 2008

Allergy Asthma, What Can You Do?

30% to 35% of all North Americans have allergy asthma. These numbers have increased significantly in the past 20 years. As a result both the sufferer and the sufferers? family have seen a reduction in both quality of life and productivity. The impact can be devastating and even life threatening.

The allergy asthma population is on the rise yet research is on the decline. That doesn?t make a lot of sense. If you suffer from allergy asthma depending on the level of severity you can try to make improvements on your own or you may have to seek medical assistance.

There are several natural medicines that have shown excellent results for allergy asthma that is considered mild to moderate. Anyone dealing with severe problems needs to consult their doctor. Sometimes changes in lifestyle such as what you are exposing yourself to can help. Other times boosting the immune system or reprogramming it will make all the difference in the world.

Allergy asthma is one of the fastest growing allergies and asthma is becoming the fastest growing hospital admission in children and it is killing hundreds every year.

Allergies in general are growing with 2-5% of children and 10% of adults developing food allergies with many able to resolve themselves with dietary changes and often the use of herbal supplements. A small percentage will be dealing with more life threatening factors that must be addressed immediately. And many dealing with allergy asthma will need to work with their doctors.

Hay fever now affects about 25% of the population and it often leads to sinusitis and although it is often trivialized it is like allergy asthma seriously impairing a person?s ability to function.

Many of you might not realize the eczema can be a result of an allergy. In fact 10% of all eczema is allergy related and like allergy asthma you may need the help of your doctor to find the best approach to reducing it. There are many excellent herbal and natural products that can work well to eliminate eczema and reduce symptoms.

Anaphylaxis is the most serious allergy asthma ? this is a reaction that can kill so suddenly those surrounding don?t realize what is occurring until it is too late. Anaphylaxis affects around 2% of the population and what happens is when the allergy strike the air ways are restricted and the person cannot breath thus suffocating.

Thankfully we are becoming much better at recognizing allergies in both children and adults. That means those suffering from allergies, and allergy asthma are getting better diagnosis and thus better treatment. In some cases with a little bit of diligence you can do a lot to help yourself using natural and herbal products. In more severe cases you will have to work with your doctor for the best outcome.

If you believe you have allergy asthma it is important to diagnose and find out exactly what is going on treating it before it gets more serious or even life threatening. There are some excellent asthma medications on the market that help you breathe and they have very few side effects.

So don?t delay if you think you have allergy asthma. You want to deal with it before it affects your quality of life.

Get all the latest information about Allergies from the only true source at http://www.1allergyinformation.com Be sure to check out our Allergy Asthma pages.

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Living With A Gluten Allergy

If suddenly you find yourself suffering from a gluten allergy you are not alone. It?s important to learn to live with a gluten allergy and the best way to do that is to understand the allergy.

With a gluten allergy your immune system will respond to the gluten which is found in a variety of foods that have the proteins found in cereal grains. The difference between a wheat allergy and a gluten allergy is Celiac a disease of the gastrointestinal tract.

Not everyone but a majority of people that suffer from a gluten allergy will develop Celiac which targets the gastrointestinal tract. In fact it wasn?t until recently when it was determined that Celiac was caused by a gluten allergy. Prior there had been no connection made.

A person suffering from a gluten allergy must ensure that they have a gluten free diet. When diagnosed with Celiac disease one must ensure that their diet is gluten free to ensure that the problems associated with Celiac are avoided.

When a gluten allergy turns into Celiac disease the biggest problem is that it does not just affect the gastrointestinal tract, it also affect the brain causing brain dysfunction, inflammation of the lungs, and arthritis.

The classic symptoms that accompanies a gluten allergy that has become Celiac is diarrhea, abdominal pain, and bloating, weight loss, iron deficiency, and malnutrition as a result of not absorbing the nutrient. And that?s just the beginning of what this dreadful disease can do.

For example a gluten allergy can actually affect the tissue causing eczema, skin rashes and itching, and it can even cause hives. It can also cause respiratory problems including asthma and it can cause

Arthritis will develop in about 45% of those suffering from a gluten allergy that do nothing about it and about 15% in those that change to a gluten free diet. Those with Celiac see an increased risk of esophagus, pharynx, and small intestinal cancer. Fibroid lung disease is also seen at a much higher rate than in those that do not have Celiac or a gluten allergy.

Recently studies have shown that a gluten allergy is often combined with a dairy allergy. If you know you have a gluten problem it?s a good idea to replace dairy products with soy products or some other alternative.

Be sure to include natural supplements in your diet when suffering from a gluten allergy. There are several things they can do for you. They can replace the nutrients you are missing because of a diet that is gluten free and they can help restore the body to health and build the immune system back up to a healthy state.

With a gluten allergy you want gluten free diet will have no wheat, barley, rye in any form. The best diets are made up of foods that are good for you and also foods that taste good. Try to make the changes so as not be depressed by a long list of what you can?t eat. You gluten free diet should be comprehensive.

A gluten allergy can be a tough diagnosis to hear but once you know what?s wrong it?s much easier to start making yourself feel better.

Get all the latest information about Allergies from the only true source at http://www.1allergyinformation.com Be sure to check out our gluten allergy pages.

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Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Food Allergy

Food allergies happen when your immune system messes up. Your immune system is supposed to protect you from disease and germs. If you have a food allergy your immune system makes a mistake and thinks the food is going to harm you.

The response is the same whether it is a food allergy, an allergy to medicine, an allergy to a flower or tree, or an allergy to peanuts. Although the foods themselves are not harmful the reaction the body has can be life threatening.

In recent years we have heard a lot about the peanut food allergy mainly because the reaction is usually very severe leading to anaphylactic shock.

Here?s what can happen if a child or adult for that matter eats a peanut topped brownie which they have a food allergy to ? the antibodies in the body over react releasing histamine in the blood.

The histamine released eyes, throat, nose, respiratory, skin, and even the digestive system can be affected by the food allergy. The reaction could be mild or severe and it can happen almost right away or a couple of hours later.

Some of the first signs of a person suffering from a food allergy can be a runny nose, hives, itchy skin, tingling lips or tongue. Other signs can include tightness in the throat, hoarse voice, coughing, wheezing, stomach pain, diarrhea, and nausea or vomiting.

And with a serious food allergy anaphylaxis occurs which is a severe allergic reaction that comes on suddenly and with several serious problems all occurring at once ? the heart, digestive system, respiratory all react at the same time and the breathing tube narrows while the tongue swells making breathing difficult if not impossible ? this is a medical emergency.

If you have a serious food allergy and not necessarily to peanuts you need to make sure you know exactly what you are eating. If there is any doubt don?t eat it. You might also carry the proper medication with you.

Kids often suffer from milk and eggs but the often will outgrow these. Severe allergies are commonly seen in peanuts, shrimp, and fish and these do not usually disappear with age.

Not sure how to tell if you have a food allergy? Sometimes it?s pretty easy to figure out. Hives may appear or perhaps stomach problems occur. But other times it?s harder to tell. And sometimes even if you know you have a food allergy determining to what can be really difficult.

Many medical professionals believe that allergies are genetic and inherited so if you have a parent that suffers from hay fever you can expect to do so yourself. Food allergies can resolve themselves over time.

It is important that you do not confuse a food allergy with food intolerance such as with lactose intolerance which can cause severe stomach pain and diarrhea. But that doesn?t make it an allergy.

For some food allergies it?s as simple as not eating the food anymore. Other food allergies are harder to diagnose and harder to avoid. You should see a doctor that specializes in allergies. The doctor will ask you a lot of questions to help determine if you have a food allergy.

A liquid extract of the food or foods that are suspect is used to determine the food allergy. A tiny scratch is made on the skin and then a drop of the extract placed on the scratch. The doctor will watch for the development of a red spot which will indicate you have a food allergy to that particular food.

Once a food allergy is determined the doctor will decide on the best course of action and whether treatment is needed. Once you know what your allergy is it becomes much easier to deal with.

Get all the latest information about Allergies from the only true source at http://www.1allergyinformation.com Be sure to check out our food allergy pages.

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Coping With A Dog Allergy

Recent studies show that 15% to 20% of the population is allergies to either their dog or cat. But for 25% of those people they choose to continue to keep pets and suffer through the allergies. In fact studies show even when told by their doctor to give up their dog only one out of five choose to do so while the rest live with their dog allergy.

When surveyed many of those suffering from a dog allergy felt that their companionship their pet provided far outweighed the allergy itself. For those that choose this route learning to manage their allergy is very important.

The biggest mistake made is to blame the fur when actually the allergy is caused by the protein that is secreted by the oil glands and then shed with their dander which is microscopic particles of skin, hair, and fur. Since animals continuously shed this dander is always present and a person can develop a dog allergy when the immune system mistakes this allergen as the enemy.

These allergens can be transmitted through the air or they can be transmitted through touch. When the allergens land on your nose, eyes, or are inhaled into the lungs the allergy symptoms begin. Contact with your skin can cause hives. For most a dog allergy is an annoyance but for some it can life threatening causing severe asthma attacks that block the air ways. The severity will vary from one person to another.

Just as severity can vary from person to person so can how long it takes for the symptoms to occur. They can develop instantly upon exposure or they can take hours to develop.

Another big misconception is that there is such a thing as a non-allergenic dog breed. For example many believe that dogs with fur that is tightly woven such as poodles have no shedding so therefore there is no allergen dander but this is not true. You can still have a dog allergy

What is true when it comes to a dog allergy there are some dog breeds that seem to both some people less. Size often has a lot to do with because the smaller the dog the less dander that is likely to be released. For example a large breed such as a Shepherd would have a lot more dander than a toy breed like the poodle.

Sensitive people are actually more likely to have a cat allergy than a dog allergy. When a person is allergic to animals they can even suffer when the animal is not present because the allergens or dander still reside in the house. And it does take more than a vacuum to clear a house of the dander.

For pet lovers who discover suddenly they have developed a dog allergy it can be devastating and giving up a beloved pet is simply not an option.

One method of reducing allergens and then perhaps the dog allergy is to groom your pets often. It?s bet if you can do this outside or in a room that has no carpeting, and a hepa air purifier. Wear a dust mask while your grooming. You need to wash your hands after handling

Placing hepa air purifiers throughout your house can reduce the amount of dander. Bathing your pet once a week will reduce allergens by more than 80% and if you suffer from a dog allergy this can be the difference between suffering and not suffering. That said some breeds don?t do well with bathing that often so watch for symptoms of dry skin and reduce bathing accordingly.

A dog allergy doesn?t have to be the end of the road for you and your dog. It may take you a while to determine the best way to manage your allergy but when you do both you and your best friend will be very happy.

Get all the latest information about Allergies from the only true source at http://www.1allergyinformation.com Be sure to check out our Dog Allergy pages.

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