Causes and Treatments of Eye Allergies

When most of us think of allergies, an itchy, runny nose comes to mind first. But allergies do not only affect the nasal and sinus cavities. These pesky conditions can invade the eyes as well, leading to symptoms like itchy, watery eyes that can become red and swollen. The good news is that just like nasal allergies, eye allergies can be effectively treated with over the counter and prescription medications. It can also be helpful to follow the principles of prevention when it comes to eye allergies. But before we discuss how to treat them, it is important to understand why they occur.

Causes

When you consider the cause of eye allergies, it is actually not surprising at all to realize how many people might suffer from allergy symptoms in this part of their bodies. Our eyes are exposed to our environment and its allergens every day. And unlike the nasal passages, there is no means to protect the eyes from many of these harmful substances. While the nose contains cilia, which are tiny hairs that filter out many of the environmental particles, the eyes have no such built in protection system. This leaves our eyes vulnerable to the effects of our environment and the allergens within it.

It is thought that of all of the people who suffer from allergies of one type or another, nearly half of these folks will also suffer from eye allergies. This means that if you experience seasonal allergy symptoms, you have a higher chance of having eye allergies as well. You might also have an increased risk of allergies to this area if you have atopic dermatitis or a family history of allergies. The good news is that there are options for treating eye allergies, so that you can find comfort once again.

Treatment

In many cases, the best way to treat eye allergies is through prevention. This means avoidance of known triggers. It also includes not touching or rubbing your eyes, especially if your hands have been in contact with an allergen. Rubbing can also bring on an allergic reaction in some people. If prevention and avoidance of your allergy triggers is not sufficient to bring relief from your itchy, watery eyes, there are medications available as well. Some are found over the counter and others are prescribed by your doctor. Most of these medicines are allergy eye drops that can be used once or twice each day.

Eye allergies can be difficult to cope with, but there are ways to reduce and even eliminate uncomfortable eye allergy symptoms. Talk to your doctor today about the best choices in allergy treatments for you.

What Your Doctors Know About Dairy Allergies

Dairy allergies are becoming one of the most common causes of ailments in both children and adults. Although some people do not really experience strong symptoms from dairy allergies, there are some people who react strongly to dairy products that they end up with some incapacitating symptoms and may even have to be hospitalized for a few days. If you are one of those people who have strong allergic reactions to dairy products, here are some of the things that you should know about dairy allergies.

What Is Dairy Allergies?

Medical professionals define this type of allergy as hypersensitivity to milk or egg protein. The allergic reaction to these otherwise harmless types of food can be quite crippling for some people. The most common symptoms of this type of allergy are diarrhea, wheezing and vomiting. Children who are prone to dairy allergies should never be given these types of foods to avoid any medical complications. Milk is known to be mucus forming, thus, people who are suffering from asthma should limit their intake of milk or simply do away with milk.

Shouldn’t children be given milk and eggs to help them grow? Yes, your children needs eggs and milk to help them grow but if they are allergic to these food, you just have to find other types of food for your children. Instead of giving your children milk based products, you might want to give them more fresh fruits and vegetables. There is really no point of tempting fate is so if your children manifest allergic reactions to milk and eggs, ovoid giving them these types of foods to reduce the possibility of allergic reactions and medical complications. Always remember that it is best to be safe than sorry.

Lactose Intolerance Versus Allergies

Many parents mistake lactose intolerance for dairy allergies. According to medical professionals, these two are really not the same. While dairy allergies are the negative reaction of the body against the nutritional components of dairy products, lactose intolerance is simply the inability of the body to digest the sugar found in milk.

In most cases, lactose intolerance will cause stomach cramps but it does not really trigger the other symptoms associated with allergic reactions. However, although the symptoms of lactose intolerance are not really serious, the effects of lactose intolerance can be quite uncomfortable. To avoid discomforts, especially when you are traveling or working in the office, it would still be a good idea to avoid milk based products if you have lactose intolerance.

The Most Common Food Allergies and How to Treat Them

Common food allergies occur most frequently with children, but it is possible for adults to develop them as well. Symptoms of food allergies might include tingling around the mouth, swelling of the lips or a skin rash. It might also include the more common allergy symptoms like a runny nose and congestion. Stomach upset is typical with many of the common food allergies, and might include symptoms like cramps or diarrhea. In some cases, dizziness may also be a symptom. More severe allergy symptoms, also known as anaphylaxis, may include swelling of the mouth and airways, difficulty breathing, vomiting or fainting. These symptoms require immediate medical attention, since anaphylaxis can become life threatening very quickly.

It is always a good idea to see your doctor if you think that you are suffering from a common food allergy. Even if your first reaction was mild in nature, it is possible that future exposures to the allergen can cause a more severe reaction to develop. Your doctor can use a number of different methods to try to determine whether you do indeed have a common food allergy and what exactly you are allergic to. This can be done through skin tests, blood tests, an overview of the things that you have eaten, and an elimination plan of taking certain foods out of your diet. Sometimes the exact culprit of a common food allergy can be identified, but other times it can be more difficult to pinpoint. One piece of information that makes precise diagnosis a little bit easier is a list of the most common food allergies. This is often a good place to start in the testing process.

The Top Eight

Eight foods have now been identified as the most common food allergies. These include milk and eggs, peanuts and tree nuts, fish and shellfish, and wheat and soy. This list of the top eight most common food allergies can explain around 90% of all of the food allergies that are diagnosed today. The good news is that the FDA has now required food manufacturers to list these eight allergens as ingredients in all food products so that people with these common food allergies can more effectively avoid their triggers in the food they eat. This is important because avoidance of allergens is generally the best treatment option for the common food allergies. If you know that you have an allergy to one of these foods, it is necessary to get in the habit of reading the labels on the foods that you eat, so that you can effectively avoid ingredients that you know you will have a reaction to.