Specific Allergies That Can Cause Harm
People who are susceptible to few or no allergies are fortunate. Most of us are allergic to something that is at the least annoying and at the most life threatening. When we come in contact with an allergen that gives us an allergic reaction it can manifest itself immediately or a few hours later.
It’s best to be aware of any acute allergy enabling you to take immediate steps to counteract any harmful effect. People with a family history of allergies, particularly those that are potentially life threatening should be extra cautious in avoiding certain foods and locales. This is especially true for children and babies.
Anaphylaxis causes death in about one thousand Americans annually. Anaphylaxis is simply a harmful allergic reaction. About 30,000 U. S. citizens suffer some sort of mild to serious anaphylactic reaction from the more than 12 million people who have a food allergy.
Allergies are signs that there’s an imbalance within the body. The symptoms tell you to either get treatment or the body will do all it can to correct the problem itself. Both children and adults endure at least a mild form of allergy.
Children lose two million school days each year due to problems with allergies. To further complicate the problem allergies can cause sleep loss, which leads to slow learning and performance. It’s the same with adults affecting their performance in the workplace.
Many allergies are attributed to food, which triggers an abnormal response in your immune system that protects your body from harmful viruses and bacteria. Food allergies are as varied as the foods you eat but there are eight foods that account for most.
These include eggs, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat and seafood, both fish and shellfish.
An allergen not often considered is a tiny dust mite. Dust mites are animal-like spiders that eat, defecate and reproduce. The life span of the male is only about 30 days but a female dust mite can live up to twice that while laying more than one hundred eggs. The main cause of allergies from dust mites is the remains left from fecal matter. Not pleasant, but mites can be found in rugs, carpeting and other areas where dust accumulates. Symptoms from dust mite allergies can be similar to that of a common cold.
Allergies to latex are becoming more commonplace. Latex is rubber derived from the sap of the rubber tree in Africa and Southeast Asia. Rubber gloves are the main source of allergic reactions occurring mainly in health care workers but reactions can also be suffered in condoms and other medical devices.
Recommended Products for Allergies
