A negative reaction to a certain substance by the immune system. The immune system defends us against invaders and when it is mistaken it reacts to harmless substances as if they were invaders.
Most people do not develop illness after they are exposed to dust, dust mites, mold, pets, freshly cut grass, ice-cream, a hot slice of fresh bread etc. Allergic people will commonly develop hay fever, asthma, hives, eczema, and even digestive symptom after exposure to certain of these usually harmless substances.
Allergies commonly affect the nose, eye and sinuses, they can be classified under 4 categories:
- Allergic rhinitis: Inflammation (swelling ) of the nasal membranes due to pollen, dust, dust mites, mould, pet dander (loose akin scales) etc.
- Non-allergic rhinitis: Inflammation (swelling) of the nasal membranes due to chemicals, for example, cleaning agents, smoke, perfume, scented candles, petrochemicals etc.
- Allergic conjunctivitis: Inflammation of the eyes causing red, watery, itchy, puffy, swollen eyes.
- Sinusitis: Acute and chronic infections of the sinus cavities if left untreated could cause sinus pressure, headaches, asthma, chronic cough and wheezing.
Hay fever is the term we are all familiar with, but it has nothing to do with hay and it does not cause a fever. Hay fever is the common term for the condition called allergic rhinitis. This is when the nasal lining is inflamed and swollen, resulting in unpleasant symptoms that involve the nose.
It is brought on by allergens in your environment, which causes your immune system to overreact to the offending allergens as if they are dangerous. The body then releases chemicals (histamine and others) that cause the mucus membranes in your nose to become inflamed, producing itchiness and excessive mucus.
For lifelong sufferers, dealing with allergies is a daily endeavour, but if left unchecked it can lead to more serious health issues such as bronchitis, asthma, chronic sinusitis or middle ear infections.
The most common symptoms are a feeling of congestion, a blocked or runny nose, excessive sneezing or an ongoing nasal drip, and you may need to clear your throat often. A loss of smell is also associated with allergic rhinitis. But some symptoms do not involve the nose, there is a high incidence of associate conjunctivitis, which means the eyes are affected by the allergy too, so sufferers complain of itchy, red eyes at the same time they experience nasal congestion. They may also feel that their ears and palate are also itchy and have an irritating cough that doesn’t go away or complain of a constant sore throat. We also find patients with allergic rhinitis feel extreme fatigue, as their symptoms keep them awake so they are unable to sleep properly. As a result of this, many patients experience some irritability.
Interestingly, other seemingly unrelated symptoms, have also been associated with allergies i.e. hyperactivity, fatigue, bed-wetting, depression and epilepsy.
To non-sufferers, these symptoms may seem like nothing more than a mild irritant in the grander scheme of chronic conditions, but grouped together and combined with a lack of sleep, they can seriously affect the daily lives of people with allergies, who often find that their productivity at work takes a knock and their quality of life is reduced.
Gene-environment interactions can lead to allergic reactions, this means if one parent has allergies their child has a 40% chance of developing allergies and if both parents have allergies the child then has a 70-90% chance. When the gene is inherited and exposed to various environmental conditions it will result in allergies.
Atopic diseases in children often have the following progression:
- At 3 – 4 months of age some children develop upper respiratory tract infections e.g.: RSV or other viral infections causing their first wheeze (asthma symptoms beginning)
- At 4 – 5 months of age when first get introduced to solids they begin with eczema
- At about 2 years of age, most of these children have been diagnosed with allergic rhinitis
- The progression goes something like: eczema – allergic rhinitis – asthma OR Asthma – eczema – allergic rhinitis
- Poorly treated allergic rhinitis could result in asthma
Food allergy also goes with these atopic diseases. The 5 most common foods that cause allergy in children are as follows:
- Peanuts
- Milk
- Wheat
- Soy
- Eggs
We are seeing more and more adults presenting with signs of allergy for the first time. The adults are presenting with nasal congestion, asthma, urticaria (hives), angioedema (swelling of the lips, tongue, face and or body), sudden allergies to shellfish and nuts.
For some unknown reason, tolerance in the immune system has shifted and this results in hay fever symptoms upcoming in adulthood. Several articles are implicating obesity and hormone imbalance as an underlying cause. The exact mechanism is not yet clearly understood.
Too much oestrogen (oestrogen dominance) in the body can cause a chain reaction triggering allergies in adults.
What are some of the causes of oestrogen excess in the body :
- Your own body producing too much oestrogen, this needs assessment and then we need to asses how we will lower your own oestrogen production
- Oestrogens from our environment that trigger our oestrogen receptors on our white blood cells.
- Xenoestrogens (Oestrogenic chemicals in the environment that mimic oestrogen) e.g.: Herbicides, Pesticides, Various cleaning chemicals used in our homes, some cosmetics and hair products, to name a few
- Phytoestrogens (Plant oestrogens also capable of binding our oestrogen receptors) e.g.: Alfalfa sprouts, bay leaves, Celery, Cinnamon, Cumin, Tea tree oil, Lavendar oil, Rosemary, Caffeine, Coffee, Decaffeinated coffee, safflower oil, cocoa, sunflower oil and seeds, only to name a few.
