Allergen – A substance that induces a specific immunological response that may lead to allergic disease. Allergist – A physician specializing in treating allergies. Allergy – Symptoms induced by exposure to an allergen to which previous sensitization has occurred. Antibody – An antibody is a protein (also called an immunoglobulin) that is manufactured by lymphocytes […]
Peanut allergy occurs when your immune system mistakenly identifies peanut proteins as something harmful. Direct or indirect contact with peanuts causes your immune system to release symptom-causing chemicals into your bloodstream. Exposure to peanuts can occur in various ways: Direct contact. The most common cause of peanut allergy is eating peanuts or peanut-containing foods. Sometimes […]
Peanut allergy is one of the most common causes of severe allergy attacks. Peanut allergy symptoms can be life-threatening (anaphylaxis). For some people with peanut allergy, even tiny amounts of peanuts can cause a serious reaction. Peanut allergy has been increasing in children. Even if you or your child has had only a mild allergic reaction […]
Even with summer over if you’re still sneezing odds are you’re among the 10% to 30% of Americans who suffer from hay fever, or allergic rhinitis. And most cases of hay fever are caused by an allergy to fall pollen from plants belonging to the genus Ambrosia — more commonly known as ragweed. Like all allergies, […]
Proteins in your pet’s skin flakes, urine, feces, saliva and hair can trigger asthma. Dogs, cats, rodents (including hamsters and guinea pigs) and other warm-blooded mammals can trigger asthma in individuals with an allergy to animal dander. The most effective method to control animal allergens in the home is to not allow animals in the home. […]
Causes Like any allergy, mold allergy symptoms are triggered by an overly sensitive immune system response. When you inhale tiny, airborne mold spores, your body recognizes them as foreign invaders and develops allergy-causing antibodies to fight them. After the exposure has passed, you still produce antibodies that “remember” this invader, so that any later contact […]
Hundreds of thousands of people suffer from hay fever, and this season is shaping up to be one of the worst in years. The late spring has compressed the season, and there’s been little rain to wash the pollen out of the air. Tree pollen is very large and very obvious, but wild bluegrass and other […]
Spring has finally arrived and with it comes allergies and high pollen counts. When it comes to home remedies for allergies you hear a lot about local raw honey preventing them. It is supposed to work because the gradual intake of local pollen will help build up your immunity before the symptoms start, thereby providing […]
Some people have suggested that honey consumption may be linked to a reduced risk of allergies, especially when the honey comes from local bees, which presumably visit many of the plants involved in provoking a local allergy sufferer’s symptoms. According to this popular belief, exposure to local honey works somewhat like a vaccine against local […]
Infants raised in a home with moldy areas may be more likely to develop childhood asthma. A new study shows that infants who lived in moldy homes were nearly three times more likely to have childhood asthma by age 7. “Early life exposure to mold seems to play a critical role in childhood asthma development,” […]