Allergy. What allergies are and products to control them

Allergies - what are they?

You can find comprehensive and authoritative information on allergies on Allergy Be Gone , a major American allergies and asthma specialist website and products retailer. You'll also find there the products you need for allergy control.

Allergy Be Gone website sells directly online brand names for: Air Filters, HEPA Purifiers, HEPA Vacuums, Hypoallergenic Bedding, Pet Grooming Products, Respiratory Care Products and many more categories. It's probably one of the online retailers with the widest range of products for allergy sufferers.

Look at its useful Allergy Avoidance Products Guide. It will custom tailor the right products for you to attack your specific allergy.

----------------------------

One in 5 Americans suffer from allergies or asthma.

The immune system has the function to free our bodies of bacteria, viruses, cancer cells, microscopic parasites, fungal spores: any body that shoundn't be there. Aids is what happens when the immune system cannot perform its task. Allergy is the opposite: it's what happens when the immune system becomes over-sensitive and over-performs.

The immune system can be described as a secret police force. Individual cells roam around our bodies, picking up and destroying intruders. There are at least four different type of immune cells, each with distinct functions. One identifies the intruder; the second, instructed by the first, produces a marker called immunoglobulin, which latches on to the foreign body; the third destroys the invaders that carry markers.

The fourth type of cell is the mast cell. Mast cells are full of chemicals, like histamine, causing tightening of the muscles, and prostaglandins, causing pain. If mast cells break and these chemicals are released, we suffer many unpleasant symptoms: and this is what happens when allergy occurs.

Allergies are more and more widespread in the Western world, whereas they are not common in underdeveloped countries. The explanation could be that our immune system has lost its power, due to over-sterlisation and eccess of hygiene.

There are many forms of allergy. Foods and pollen are among the most common allergens, but also latex and an ever increasing number of household objects can provoke allergies. High pollution levels and large pollen counts are responsible for allergic rhinitis. Pollen provokes the form of allergy known as hayfever.

Back to Top

 

Allergies - genetic predisposition

It's been established by scientific research that there is a genetic component in propensity to allergies. A series of genetic mutations can make all this allergic reaction be triggered more easily. Genetic abnormalities, therefore, passed on from a generation to another, give particular individuals a predisposition to suffer from allergy. In these individuals, the immune system has some innate faults, and if the relevant allergen or allergens (the substance or body triggering the allergic reaction) enter the body in sufficient quantity, the allergic process is started.

Recent research shows an increased likelihood of children being allergic if there is a family history of allergies or atopic disorders, for instance respiratory problems like asthma and hayfever, or skin disorders like eczema.

Back to Top

 

Food allergies

Food allergies are reactions to an otherwise harmless food or food component, involving the body's immune system. A reaction happens when the immune system responds abnormally to the protein or proteins present in that particular food. The body reacts by flooding the the sytem with histamines and other chemicals to fight what is perceived as an intruder. Reactions to foods or food ingredients that don't involve the immune system, on the other hand, are known as food intolerance or food sensitivity.

Allergies to foods include allergies to seeds, nuts, peanuts, milk, eggs and dairy product. They can be very severe and cause anaphylactic shock, sometimes with fatal consequences. Foods containing large protein molecules can produce allergic reactions. Eczema, asthma and hayfever, or allergic rhinitis, are considered forms of allergy.

Allergies to peanuts have increased recently. Peanuts are not nuts, but legumes or pulses, like peas, beans and lentils.

Breast-feeding helps to prevent allergies in young children, because the large protein molecules to be found in bottled milk products are known to trigger allergic reactions.

 

Back to Top