7 Things You Need To Know About Allergies
Fifty million Americans are allergy sufferers—and boy, do they suffer. If you're one of them, you know all about the itchy, watery eyes; sneezing fits; congestion; and headaches. While most have allergic rhinitis (aka hay fever), millions—mostly children—have food allergies. And both kinds are on the rise, say experts. Despite this uptick, allergists say that many people don't fully understand how to best cope, which leads to unnecessary misery. (The Power Nutrient Solution is the first-ever plan that tackles the root cause of virtually every major ailment and health condition; get your copy today!)
Here are seven things allergists want you to understand.
Please don't self-diagnose.
Is it allergies or just a cold? "Colds are often accompanied by fever and chills; allergies are not," says Beth A. Miller, MD, chief of the division of allergy and immunology at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. Of course, not every cold comes with a fever, so it can be hard to distinguish. If you guess wrong, you could be dosing a cold with allergy medication or vice versa—which would likely be futile and maybe even come with annoying side effects. Meanwhile, ignoring allergies (because you think it's a cold or are hoping they'll just go away) can be dangerous: "Uncontrolled allergic nasal symptoms can lead to other problems, such as sinusitis, otitis [ear infection], and asthma," says Miller.
Food allergies are even more important to get right, since at best you could be avoiding a food unnecessarily. At worst, you could end up eating something you shouldn't and have a potentially lethal reaction. "You need a correct diagnosis, and possibly a prescription for an EpiPen," says Martha V. White, MD, director of research for the Institute for Asthma & Allergy.
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Ask us about meds, even if they're OTC.
Most allergy medications are perfectly safe, and drugstore shelves are now crammed with over-the-counter options. Even though you don't need an Rx to get these, it's smart to consult an allergist before making your selection. Some have side effects you should know about, and some can cause trouble for people with certain ailments, like heart disease or prostate cancer, says Purvi Parikh, MD, an allergist/immunologist with the Allergy and Asthma Network. (Want to go the natural route? These natural allergy remedies actually work.)
Another issue, adds Miller, is that many OTC cold and allergy meds are multisymptom, so a single pill might contain an antihistamine as well as a pain reliever, cough suppressant, decongestant, and mucolytic (an ingredient that helps you expel mucus). That's probably overkill, and combining so many drugs increases the risk of side effects. "Oral decongestants can increase heart rate and blood pressure, and some antihistamines can cause sedation," says Miller. If your doc determines that you have seasonal allergies, she might instead point you toward a nasal corticosteroid spray (Flonase and Nasacort are two that are now available over the counter).
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Try to be a little patient.
You've finally decided to get tested for allergies—great! Just don't expect instant answers. Allergists work a little like sleuths, and the investigation starts with a careful, detailed medical history. "When a patient comes in, an exam and that history is what guides our testing," says Parikh. The next step is usually a skin test or blood test. "Allergists typically start with skin tests and back up those results with a blood test, because they're trained and equipped to do skin testing, whereas pediatricians or general practitioners will do blood testing," says White.
Skin testing involves either a prick/puncture test (where a small amount of diluted allergen is put just under the skin's surface) or an injection test (where diluted allergen is injected with a very thin needle a little deeper under the surface). Anything you're allergic to should produce a reaction—a "flare" or raised, red wheal—but you'll have to sit around getting itchy for 15 to 20 minutes first.
A blood test detects specific antibodies that your body produces in response to invading allergens. It can be used to identify allergies to pollen, mold, animal dander, dust mites, foods, medications, insect venom, and even latex. But you'll have to wait a few days for the results, and you may have to come back for multiple rounds of testing to narrow down the culprit, says White.
You can develop allergies later in life.
You can be born with the propensity to develop allergies, but no one is actually born with allergies, says White. It's all about exposure; the more you are exposed to possible allergens, the more likely you are to build up a reaction to them. Many kids seem to "become" allergic between ages 4 and 6, but adult-onset allergies are perfectly normal, too. A change in your environment is just one reason why symptoms may start later in life. "Let's say you move from California to Kentucky, and you never had allergies before, but you have a genetic tendency to develop them. After a few seasons of being exposed to previously unfamiliar allergens in Kentucky, you may become allergic," says Miller.
While it's more typical for seasonal allergies to strike for the first time in adulthood, research shows that about 15% of food allergies—including serious ones to nuts, tree nuts, and shellfish—start after age 18.
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You won't necessarily be allergic forever.
Some allergies tend to lessen over time, although that's not always the case. "Children may eventually outgrow allergies to milk and eggs, but not nuts or seafood," says White. Food-allergic children should be monitored with periodic blood tests; never assume on your own that a kid is over it without testing. "When their IgE levels fall below a certain threshold, we'll do an in-office challenge, giving the child a small amount of the allergen to see if there's a reaction," says White.
As for environmental allergies (to pollen, ragweed, etc.), some people do outgrow them—but there are no guarantees. The best way to get rid of them, says Parikh: "You can get immunotherapy, or allergy shots, which work to desensitize you."
Don't fear peanuts simply because you're pregnant.
While it was once conventional wisdom to tell pregnant women to avoid peanuts and peanut butter to protect their offspring from developing a life-threatening allergy, it now appears that the opposite might be true. Research from the New England Journal of Medicine found that the kids of moms who ate peanuts and peanut butter while pregnant and breastfeeding were less likely to become allergic to peanuts later. The same study found that babies who started eating peanut products (but not peanuts themselves, because of the choking hazard) between 4 and 11 months of age were also less likely to develop peanut allergies.
Your allergies might be better one year and worse the next.
No, you're not imagining things. "Weather patterns greatly affect seasonal allergies," says Miller. A frost or heavy rain in early spring can put an abrupt end to the production of tree pollen, lessening your allergy symptoms. Then there's climate change, which has worsened allergies for many people. "When carbon dioxide levels are higher in the atmosphere, plants super-pollinate, because they feed on the extra CO2," says White. According to a report produced by the Natural Resources Defense Council, hotter weather increases the production of pollen from ragweed, a main trigger of allergic rhinitis (nasal allergies).
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