If allergies had a top ten list of their favorite

symptoms what would be on it? Would they prefer life

threatening or just really annoying?

The most common symptoms, that may or may not be on

their favorites list:

Breathing problems.

This one should be fun for an allergy. It really gets

the persons attention. Nothing like the lack of oxygen

to center a person’s attention on the allergy.

Burning, watery or itchy eyes.

This symptom falls into the really annoying category.

It could cause additional problems if you can’t see

where you’re going.

Red, swollen eyes, also called Conjunctivitis.

Certainly annoying, but most people can deal with this

one.

Coughing.

This one gets old real quick. And a constant cough

quickly becomes painful.

Diarrhea.

This one might start out in the annoying category, but

left unchecked could switch to the life threatening

section very quickly.

Headache.

Depending on the severity of the headache, this one

might be tolerable.

Hives.

This symptom is not only annoying and uncomfortable

(possibly painful) it draws the attention of strangers

on the street.

Itchy nose, mouth, throat or skin.

Another in the category of really annoying. An itch

that can’t be soothed is one of the most annoying

things there is.

Runny nose.

Yeah, this one could cause problems with other people.

No one likes to hear someone constantly sniffing or

blowing their nose. Makes people wonder what germs

you’re spreading around.

Skin rashes.

Possibly ugly to look at, but tolerable

Do you often suffer from strange symptoms after eating

certain types of foods? Do you get itchy, break out in

hives, swell up or actually vomit? You could be

suffering from a common food allergy.

It’s estimated that over 12 million Americans suffer

from food allergies. Most allergic reactions are mild,

but around 30,000 visits to the emergency room are

reported each year because of the reactions. As many

as 200 deaths each year are attributed to food

allergies.

Studies report up to 8 percent of children have an

allergy to some type of food. The numbers are slightly

smaller for adults, only around 4 percent.

Many children will outgrow their food allergies. But

some will carry these allergies into adulthood and

suffer from them their entire lives.

Eating prepackaged foods, out in restaurants or even

friends homes can cause problems. It’s often hard to

tell what’s added to the foods we eat.

You hate to ask the cook “what’s in this?”, but

sometimes you just have to. Especially when asking can

mean the difference between an enjoyable meal and a

trip to the emergency room.

With the increased cases of peanut allergies, most

packaged foods have started including on the label the

use of peanut oils and even if the processing of nuts

is handled in the same factory.

There’s no cure for food allergies. So the only thing

you can do is avoid the foods that cause the reactions

you can’t deal with.

To diagnose an allergy, the first thing your doctor

does is talk with you. He’ll discuss your symptoms,

any medications you’re currently taking, and your

personal and family history. A physical examination is

also necessary.

The next step is the tests. There are 3 types of

tests. The skin test, patch test or blood test.

The skin test is the most common test used. It’s

generally the most accurate and certainly the least

expensive. With the skin test, a small amount of an

allergen is put on your skin and then the spot is

pricked or scratched with a needle. You can also have

a little bit of the allergen injected into the outer

layer of your skin.

If you have an allergy to the substance that was used,

you’ll have swelling, redness and itching in the

tested spot within 20 minutes.

The patch test is used to diagnose contact dermatitis.

A small amount of allergen is put on your skin and

covered with a bandage. Your doctor will check the

spot in 48 hours to see if you’ve developed a rash.

The third type of test is the blood test. This may be

used if you have a skin condition or if you’re taking

some type of medication that might interfere with a

skin test.

A blood sample is taken and sent to a laboratory.

There they add allergens to the sample and measure the

amount of antibodies that are produced to attack it.

It’s estimated that 60 million Americans suffer from

some type of allergy. That’s 1 out of 4. It’s the 5th

highest chronic disease in America and the 3rd most

common chronic disease in children.

Many people suffer from more than one allergy type.

Pollen from trees, grass and weeds are in the

indoor/outdoor allergy category. Other common

indoor/outdoor allergy triggers are mold spores, dust

mite and cockroach allergen and cat, dog and rodent

dander.

About 75% of people with allergies have indoor/outdoor

allergies. The most common pet allergy is cat dander.

Skin allergies are another common allergy. The most

common causes of skin allergies are plants like poison

oak, ivy and sumac.

Allergic reactions can also be caused by skin contact

with latex, cockroach and dust mites and even some

foods. Skin allergies are the main allergy for about

7% of allergy sufferers.

While we here a lot about food and drug allergies,

they’re the primary allergy of only about 6% of

allergy sufferers. Food allergies are more common in

children.

Peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat, soy, fish and

shellfish are responsible for 90% of all food

allergies. Food allergies claim over 200 lives yearly.

When it comes to common drug allergies, penicillin is

the winner.

Almost 400 Americans die every year from allergies to

penicillin.

Latex and insect allergies both claim around 4% of

allergy sufferers. Latex allergies result in 10 deaths

a year and nearly 100 deaths a year are the result of

insect allergies.