The most common form of allergy is hay fever, which is caused by pollen. In addition to birch, alder, hazel and grass pollen, recently, unfortunately, also the pollen of ragweed and ash cause runny noses and reddened eyes. If the lungs are also affected, this is called allergic asthma, which can already occur in children. In addition to pollen, molds, a high concentration of pollutants in the air, fine dust and ozone can also cause asthma or worsen the clinical picture. In addition, however, there are many other forms of allergy.
Other forms of allergy
- An allergy to dust mites also causes shortness of breath, aggravates atopic dermatitis and can develop into asthma.
- Also with an animal hair allergy, one must expect not only with skin redness, but also with respiratory problems.
- Contact allergies usually manifest themselves in eczema – especially a neurodermitic skin is very sensitive to fragrances, medicinal plants or cosmetics.
- In addition, piercings, tattoos or permanent makeup are also not recommended for everyone – they can lead to allergy if done improperly.
- In the case of sun allergy, the skin reacts with small pimples to UV-A radiation.
- The skin and digestive tract can also be allergic to medications – even stress aggravates existing allergies.
- Food allergies such as chicken egg white allergy, while not quite as common, cause digestive problems of various kinds and are distinguished from the more common intolerances such as lactose intolerance. For example, Chinese restaurant syndrome is a glutamate intolerance.
- Insect venom allergies are rare, but can lead to cardiovascular arrest because of the strong immune response.
Allergies: Prevent discomfort
If you suffer from an allergy it is best to avoid the responsible allergen – often easier said than done. In the case of a house dust allergy, there are many ways to keep the number of mites as small as possible – in addition to care tips and special bed covers, sprays containing neem extracts can also help.
During pollen season, spend a lot of time indoors, keep your nose moist or wet the nasal mucosa with a powder spray. A high concentration of pollutants in the air aggravates asthmatic symptoms, so you should stay indoors when ozone levels are high. Fortunately, ingredients in food must now be more precisely identified, so that an adapted diet is possible for neurodermatitis, lactose intolerance or certain food allergies.
Preventing allergies in children
While excessive hygiene arguably leads to an increase in allergies in young children, infants and children should still not be exposed to all irritants – smoking promotes allergy development and pet ownership is also limited (if parents are not allergic). The supply of lactic acid bacteria during pregnancy and breastfeeding helps the child’s intestinal flora, so that fewer allergies develop later.
Allergies: Alleviate discomfort
To protect the mucous membranes of the nose and bronchial tubes against allergens, various medicines are used – some reduce the perception, which is why you should not drive a car after taking them and also be especially careful as a pedestrian in traffic.
Cortisone is often used against the swelling of the mucous membranes and inflammation, in addition to nasal irrigation, but especially with asthma, treatment has many different facets, including sports. Allergy vaccination (hyposensitization) is lengthy, but often leads to permanent freedom from symptoms. In addition, zinc can also help with hay fever.
Of course, there is a special procedure for each disease with allergen abstinence, tips and medications – more details can be found with the respective disease.
