10 Facts You Must Know About Allergies
What would you give to be able to eat what you want or go out wherever you want to? Do you always succumb to the effects of your allergy? Believe me, there’s a way out. Sure, there are medicines to combat allergy, but it’s all about understanding it instead of getting freaked out by it. Has your child or friend been complaining about constant sneezing problems, or tongue swelling on eating some fruits of red rashes on skin when they play? Combat all of this after arming yourself with these ten basic know-hows about how to deal with allergies.
1. Proper diet
Feel like shutting your ears when your mom talks about ‘have a healthy diet’ for the umpteenth time? Join the club. My mother keeps saying the same thing to me over and over again too. But I finally thought, “Hey, why not listen to her for a change, and see how it works out?” I started including ample fruits, vegetables and wheat products in my diet on a gradual base. Take my word – most of my minor allergies were literally erased out of my system. I thought this was miraculous. So when I read up about this, I figured that they negate the acidic conditions of the body which usually fuel allergies. Too much acid predisposes the immune system to food allergies, pollens and other external toxins. Why not start up with these good habits in your youth itself, so that allergies would never ever come to you. I did it on a proven basis – you can follow suit too.
2. Understand your allergies
Are you under the impression that allergy generally happens from pollen, dust, fruits and rashes? Hardly true. As surprising as it may sound, allergies also include asthma, eczema, headaches, facial swelling, frequency of urination, light sensitivity and appetite related problems. You might have actually acquired allergies from childhood itself, either through a genetic structure or external environmental conditions. Here’s something I tried to test what allergies I had. For starters, it’s called the Coca test. I measured my pulse just before eating. Then I tested one food at a time and measure my pulse 30 and 60 minutes after eating each one type. There was a slight variation in my pulse rate, which meant that I may be potentially allergic to that food. If the same happens to you, try and reduce the usage of that particular food, so that you don’t become highly allergic to it later. If there’s no variation, you’re good to go!
3. Symptoms
Let’s see if your answers to all these questions are a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Do you have itchy and burning eyes once in a while? Do you sneeze uncontrollably? Do you keep getting cough and cold on and off even when it’s not winter or you haven’t had anything too cold? Do you get blisters in the mouth or do your lips swell up when you eat particular types of food? If your answers are swinging towards ‘Yes’ for even one of these questions, it’s a confirmation that you are allergic to something. Now the trick is to find out what that ‘something’ is. Read on to find out.
4. Recognizing your allergy
Okay, so now you are on level one where you know about allergy and may have experienced some of its symptoms from time to time. But damn! You still can’t understand what exactly is causing it. Amongst the cleverest ways that I figured to curb allergies is to identify the elements that can trigger it. If you are asthmatic, caution yourself from dust – don’t go out for that baseball match with your friends. If you are allergic to pineapples but still love eating them, take them in alternative flavors such a Cool Aid, cake or ice cream where you are not directly consuming it. Can you believe some people are allergic to perfumes and mosquito repellents? Poor things, try and think of what they could possibly do.
5. Pet allergies
You love your best friend’s little kitty but every time you visit her place, you end up with a terrible itch or a rash. Whether you like it or not, you’ll have to stay off the little bub for a while! Since pets jump around the house, they leave all their fur and loose hair everywhere they go. I am allergic to pets and whenever I visit someone’s place where a pet had jumped around, I start sneezing vehemently. If you love your friend’s pup or feline and can’t keep your hands off them, all you can do is quickly pet them, but that’s about it.
