According to the World Health Organization, the allergy is the third most common disease. In America, it affects every sixth inhabitant of the continent, in Europe, including in Russia, every fourth. And, unfortunately, the number of allergic people grows every year. So what specific factors causing allergies are known to science?
Where does that come from?
Allergy is an increased sensitivity of the body to antigens (otherwise they are called allergens). We encounter antigens every day. But a healthy person does not feel this, because antibodies in his blood and tissues block and destroy irritants. In allergic people, the same struggle is so intense that it causes a painful condition. Supersensitive "guards" take for enemies the usual products, smells and objects. And since allergens affect different tissues of the human body, then the disease can manifest itself in different ways. The first allergic reaction begins, as a rule, with simple forms: urticaria or conjunctivitis. But over time it can pass into more specific factors: asthma, dermatitis, gastroenteritis and even allergic shock.
Know the enemy in person.
The list of allergens is constantly growing. Earlier it was composed of pollen of flowering plants, vegetables and fruits grown on chemical fertilizers, animal wool. Now here are honey, vitamins, many medicinal plants, smells of perfume, tobacco and even your favorite pillow.
If you divide allergens into types, the main ones are four: household, food, pollen, epidermal. Household factors that cause allergies are domestic pincers, fungi, dust. Food - food, causing allergies. Pollen - flowering plants, and epidermal - wool and feathers of domestic animals, birds. Food allergies most often suffer from small children, and adults usually do not tolerate individual foods. As a rule, these are squirrels of chicken eggs, crab and shrimp meat, red-orange vegetables, fruits and chocolate. Pollen and fluff of flowering plants cause a flare of spring allergy among the citizens. The wool of cats, dogs and feathers of birds cause epidermal allergy.
Allergen number one, oddly enough, is a synanthropic (household) mite. They are affected approximately 70-80% of apartments. This tiny creature eats dust, dandruff and scales of keratinized skin. The mites themselves are harmless, but their excrement can cause a strong allergic reaction in the form of dermatitis, rhinitis and even asthma.
How to deal with this?
Unfortunately, it's very difficult to protect yourself from most allergens. How, living in the city, save yourself from smog, and at work - from tobacco smoke or dust? Most allergy sufferers use antihistamines. But the problem is that the action of the drug is directed against histamine. Hence the name - antihistamines. But at the same time histamine - it's not the enemy, it's the same defender who fights against the allergen. Struggling, however, is too active and causes us a lot of trouble. Histamine is released from the tissues, when antibodies are included in the fight against the allergen. Antihistamines actively suppress the release of this substance, but they themselves cause side effects: drowsiness, nausea, inhibition.
As an alternative, doctors recommend dieting. Scientists have found that some foods and vitamins also block the release of histamine. Such properties are, for example, olive oil, fish and fish oil. They inhibit the allergic reaction of calcium, magnesium, zinc, natural vitamin E. There are a number of homeopathic remedies that also inhibit the release of histamine, but act more gently. True, these drugs must be taken continuously or at least 1-2 months before the "provocative" period. And to quickly remove the allergic reaction, doctors recommend antihistamines of a new generation based on nicotinic acid. According to the latest data, this acid blocks histamine better than others.
The best preventive remedy for allergies is to reduce contact with the allergen to a minimum. Since the constant exposure to the allergen only increases the severity of the disease. If your enemy is domestic dust, then it is not difficult to fight it (and therefore with a tick). Often do a wet cleaning, ventilate the room. Use humidifiers. In the winter, clean the carpets on the snow. In the summer it is better to clean them. Feather and feather pillows, replace with foam.
With pollen allergies, close the windows and turn on the humidifiers. If possible, take turns outside and use a mask! As preventive agents (nose spray, eye drops), now increasingly use drugs based on sodium cromoglycate (kromoglin, kromosol, optic).
With food allergy is easier. Eliminate "harmful" products. If your antibodies react even to native strawberries, then do not offer them kumquats and papayas. Contaminated tap water can also cause an allergic reaction. Use filters and water to drink boiled. If you are allergic to cats and dogs, it is best not to have them, of course. The same applies to bald dogs and cats. Remember that the specific factors causing allergies can be put a reliable barrier.