Allergy Care Questions And and Answers

Q: It’s possible that I have an aspirin allergy. What symptoms am I likely to display?
A: The most common problem people have with aspirin is sensitivity to this drug. People suffering from asthma or sinus problems are more likely to be susceptible. The real aspirin allergy, which involves excessive reaction of your immune system, is quite rare. The symptoms you may display, if affected, can be mild or severe, and include the following:
-Nettle rash (hives)
-Swollen lips, tongue, throat
-Trouble breathing, wheezing
-Watery eyes
-Itchy skin
Notice, that these symptoms are most likely to happen within the period of several hours after taking the drug.
If you had a particular reaction to aspirin, it’s important to carefully read the labels of any medications you are going to take, as many over-the-counter products contain components similar to aspirin (ibuprofen and naproxen – the most commonly used anti-inflammatory meds). It’s recommended to avoid these medications to prevent a similar reaction from happening.
It’s quite rare when patients develop serious, life threatening conditions after taking aspirin. However, if you suspect it might be the case, consult your doctor as soon as possible.

Q: I’ve been using Afrin (spray for nasal congestion) for a while now, as it appears to be a good allergy medication for me. Is addiction possible in my case?
A: No. It’s impossible to develop an addiction to this kind of spray. Addiction can be defined as the condition of being abnormally dependent on some habit, which is considered psychologically or physically harmful. Nasal sprays like Afrin don’t cause any cravings as they don’t include ingredients able to cause dependency. One thing that can happen if you use certain allergy medication for a long time is tolerance to its components, and, as a result – inefficiency of the product.
Nasal congestion is one of possible reactions your body may have to allergens – especially if allergy season is in progress. The condition involves membranes of your nose dilating and partly blocking nasal passages, making it difficult for you to breathe through the nose. Special nasal sprays decrease the congestion by narrowing blood vessels, which allows breathing with ease.
However, you should consider switching to another kind of medication, as many people tend to become tolerant to the spray after just several days of using it. With time, you may be required to apply more spray each time, as the membranes become less and less responsive to the active components. If at this point you suddenly stop using the spray, your congestion can actually get worse; this condition is called a rebound congestion, which should not be understood as addiction to the drug.
If switching to another spray is not an option, you can easily reverse the drug tolerance by not using it for a few weeks. During this period, it’s important to treat your nasal congestion in other ways – to learn more about possible solutions talk to your doctor. There are other types of allergy drugs – such as saline sprays or steroid sprays – that are not likely to cause rebound congestion.
It’s also recommended not to apply the same nasal spray for over 4 days in a row: in this way, the probability of developing rebound congestion reduces significantly.

Q: My eyes are constantly watering. I tried different medications – even allergy shots, but the problem doesn’t seem to go away.
A: There may be two reasons for this condition:
Firstly, watery eyes can be attributed to irritation. Your body starts to produce tears in response to some irritant, but very often the substance that caused causes the reaction is unknown.
This problem is characterized by certain amount of moisture in the eyes, but it’s not common for tears to pour out. The best advice is to visit your eye doctor and deal with this minor problem.
Secondly, it may be the case of obstruction to the drainage of tears into your nose. Tear duct obstruction should be evaluated by the doctor, who can help you treat the condition.
The process of assessment of this condition is tricky: the methods used most often include placing dye in the tear film and exploring nose passages with a tiny metal probe. If you have this condition, the tears are running down your face in such abundance you barely have time to wipe them off.
Another symptom connected with tear duct obstruction is dryness of the eyes, which results from excessive secretion of liquid.

Q: Our child is 13 years old and she has intolerance for milk (which we used to think was milk allergy). This condition probably has to do with her taking many antibiotics. While she is OK when eating ice cream and yoghurt, other dairy products cause an adverse reaction. When she takes Lactaid she can sometimes vomit. Why does she react differently to similar diary products?
A: Many people are not able to handle lactase – the enzyme responsible for breaking down lactose sugars dairy products contain (cream, milk, cheese etc). When such a person consumes dairy products, even in small amounts, he or she is likely to experience bloating, flatulence (excessive amount of gas in the alimentary canal), nausea, and vomiting, and cramps.
Intolerance for lactose is often hereditary, but it can be caused by contagious diseases, operations, and certain kinds of medication – in other words, anything that could in some way harm the intestines. It’s a good idea to talk to your daughter’s doctor and find out whether the reason for milk intolerance is the use of antibiotics.
Lactaid is not hundred percent efficient for every individual, especially considering that in your daughter’s case lactose may have nothing to do with the symptoms. Another possibility here is an allergic reaction to milk protein; in children, allergies symptoms can include swelling of the face, hives, itching, vomiting, especially after consuming milk. Lactaid will be inefficient if the reason is milk allergy.
If we stick to the assumption your child is intolerant to lactose, the next thing you need to do is to determine how well she can deal with this condition. Usually milk contains more lactose than other dairy products. So, she probably can eat yoghurt and ice cream because lactase enzymes manage to break down the amount of lactose that the body receives in those products. The fact that she can’t drink milk shows that she doesn’t have enough lactase for it.

Q: What does “Hypoallergenic” stand for?
A: This word means that the probability of the product causing an allergic reaction is lower than that of a usual one.
Allergic reaction can be easily triggered by almost anything we use in our daily life – soaps, cosmetics, toothpaste, ; all sorts of cleansing substances contain components that can cause an adverse reaction of our body. Contact dermatitis is an abnormal condition of your skin caused by application of artificial ingredients. The affected area is often red, itchy, ; the skin may be swollen, ; in rare cases blisters can may appear. While for some people contact with certain chemicals can remain unnoticed, others develop the symptoms listed above.
Many companies that produce makeup and fragrances label their products as hypoallergenic, which means the components reported to cause adverse reactions in some people have been excluded from the list of ingredients. However, there are no regulations or any procedures to monitor such claims, so, basically, any one of such products may potentially cause an allergic reaction.
Contact dermatitis can be prevented, if you carefully choose products that are less likely to cause an allergic reaction. However, you don’t have the guarantee exceptbesides the one provided by the manufacturing company. The best advice would be to conduct your own “experiment” and apply the product on a small area of skin (use the inner wrist or elbow, as the skin is the most sensitive there) before using it with full confidence.

Q: What is “Pollen Count”?
A: Pollen count is a measure of the pollen present in the air over a 24-hour period, often published to enable sufferers from hay fever to predict the severity of their attacks. Pollen count usually covers three kinds of pollen: trees, weeds and grasses. The concentration of pollen in the air per 1 square meter is commonly reported in the form of 4 levels of danger – high, medium, low or absent. This helps people plan their outdoor activities and prevents them from experiencing unpleasant symptoms of pollen allergies.
“Low” level of concentration is suitable for most sufferers, except for the most sensitive ones. “Medium” means all people with this type of allergy should be careful with spending too much time outdoors, while “Highhigh” count means the probability of most people developing symptoms is quite high.
Even though this measure gives numbers that are not exact and may change quite fast, it’s so far the only guide available to people suffering from pollen allergies, that makes allergy care more efficient.

Q: I have been experiencing exercise-related hives. Is there any treatment that would be highly effective? Also, is this condition likely to go away on its own? I have to take antihistamines every day, ; otherwise it hives inevitably appears after exercising.
A: Hives (a.k.a. nettle rash, a.k.a. urticaria) can develop within several hours after strenuous exercise. This condition can be accompanied by other symptoms.
“Cholinergic urticaria” is the condition characterized by small areas of skin affected by nettle rash. “Exercise-related anaphylaxis” is the term used to describe hives appearing on a larger area, along with a swollen throat, headache, nausea and lightheadedness. Both these conditions can display appear along with trouble breathing, as well as wheezing.
“Exercise-related anaphylaxis” is commonly caused by a food allergy. It’s not completely clear how food consumption and hives are connected; however, there are scientists and health professionals who think it’s the exposure to the proteins of in food that causes an allergic reaction, as while exercising you alter the way and the speed at which food is being digested.
This belief assumption is based on some patients’ observations. According to some of them, exercise doesn’t cause any adverse reaction if it takes place 6-8 hours after they had their meal; others find it helpful to exclude certain kinds of food from their diets a day before exercising. Some food allergies seem to contribute to the development of Exercise-Related Anaphylaxis. They include wheat allergy, shellfish allergy, as well as allergy to eggs, nuts and other potentially allergenic products. So, the only way to establish your individual triggers is the old trial-and-error method; once you know what foods to avoid, it gets a lot easier to deal with the condition.
However, you should be very careful if you experience multiple symptoms of anaphylaxis along with hives. In that this case, make sure you have a person you know exercise with you, and bring epinephrine every time you go to the gym. You may use antihistamines to deal with hives, but these drugs will not protect you from the attack.
Cholinergic urticaria is often called "heat-induced urticaria." This condition occurs when you are sweating or your body temperature suddenly increases. You can experience this kind of hives when going through emotional worries, eating spicy or hot food, even taking hot showers. In caseIf you have Heat-induced Urticaria, it’s recommended to take an antihistamine before exercising; you should also avoid doing exercises when it’s hot.
This condition can continue to display be present for quite a long time. Many cases have been reported, when people continued to experience certain symptoms during 30 years after the treatment.
If you managed to figure out the food trigger that causes the trouble, your allergy care plan should be altered in accordance with it.

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