SHARE“Everyday” factors could be making your allergy symptoms worse.
Read on to find out what could be causing your chronic allergy symptoms:
Your pets’ dead skin cells can trigger an allergy.
People with over-sensitive immune systems usually react to the proteins from their saliva, urine, and hair fibres. All these factors can cause a reaction. The reaction ends up as inflamed eyes and an itchy nose. If you own pets, rather have them stay outside.
If you visit a home with pets, make sure you stay clear of them and change clothes if there’s been a prolonged exposure to them.
Allergy symptoms may not appear until days later, after contact with the animal, dependent on whether your symptoms are less sensitive or minor.
Dust mites are tiny bugs that live in your house. You will find these critters in your bed, pillows and soft furniture. Many people wander if dust mites are visible, but they are too small to be seen with the naked eye.
Once in contact with these disruptive little bugs, you will sneeze and have a runny nose, itchy roof of the throat or mouth and red eyes. Many people with dust allergy experience signs of asthma, difficulty in breathing and a wheezing chest.
Therefore, limit your exposure to dust. Dust mites are known to feast on dead skin cells, so make sure you change your bedding every two weeks to eliminate dust mites. Additionally, wash your bedding with hot water to kill dust mites naturally. Use an air conditioner or humidifier to limit the humidity where dust mites are most comfortable.
Mould can cause allergies. Mould is is a type of fungi that you find in damp, warm and humid spaces. You’re likely to find mould on walls, concrete, shower stalls and any moist or wet areas.
The symptoms of mould allergy is due to the irritable substances that this fungus carries and that can trigger allergy symptoms like a rash, runny nose, postnasal drip, coughing and sneezing.
Therefore, get rid of the irritation by preventing any leaks in your home. Wear a mask when in contact with mould while cleaning, and wash your dustbin regularly to prevent a build-up of mould.
What is pollen allergy?
Well, pollen is a fine powder that’s produced by trees, plants and weeds. When you inhale pollen, hay fever is triggered. You end up with nasal congestion, itchy eyes, and a stuffy nose.
Hay fever is more common in pollen season: spring and summer. To get rid of this allergy naturally, keep your windows shut when the pollen count is high.
Fresh flowers in your home are pretty, but these may contain flower pollen which could also trigger your allergies. Smear some Vaseline around the insides of your nostrils to stop the pollen from entering your nose. Splash your eyes with water to soothe itchy eyes from allergies.
Your immune system reacts to certain foods. Food allergies may cause symptoms such as a rash, red swollen parts on the body, lips and mouth. Severe symptoms include a drop in blood pressure, trouble swallowing, turning blue and experiencing shortness of breath. You may also feel pain in the abdomen including diarrhoea, excessive farting, nausea, indigestion and vomitting.
There are different types of food allergy. A food allergy is your immune system misguidedly taking food for something harmful. The most common food allergies are caused by nuts, milk, wheat and grains, fish, shellfish and soy.
Allergic reactions may come on a few minutes after you’ve eaten or hours later. Food allergies may last for some time. Therefore, control your food allergy by avoiding problematic foods that cause a reaction.
Most insect bites are harmless, but some carry serious diseases, while others can cause an allergic reaction.
Depending on the type of insect bite, you will experience various allergy symptoms, including itchiness, swelling, numbness, tingling and redness at the bite site. Some life-threatening symptoms include chest pains, face and mouth swelling, abdominal pain and a rash.
What to do for an insect sting? If you’re stung and the stinger remains in your skin, be careful of how you remove it. Scrape it out. Don’t use tweezers! This simply releases more venom into your skin. You want to try and get the stinger out intact.
Lower your risk of insect bites by covering up well when you’re in natural settings. Keep your food covered and wash your hands when handling sticky foods.
Smoke is a common allergy trigger. The tar and reactive compounds in the cigarette cause a reaction in the nasal passages. This causes inflammation, irritation and swelling.
You can also be allergic to secondhand smoke; therefore, avoid secondhand smoke, and if you are a smoker, try to quit.
Severe allergic reactions
Here are the signs of severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) that you should go immediately to the ER, or contact a healthcare provider, if the develop:
Drop in blood pressure: This will result in nausea, blurred vision, and light-headedness, lack of concentration, dizziness and fainting.
Trouble breathing: This is due to the swollen airways in the chest, this could trigger an asthma attack for those who have it.
If both these reactions are left untreated, it could lead to death.
