Allergy Relief Expert

Is it possible for my pet to suddenly develop a allergy?

Best answer:

Yes, any pet whether a dog, cat, rabbit or gerbil can develop an allergy to a substance found indoors or out. Indoor allergies are more common since just like their owners, they tend to spend more time indoors.

Cat Allergies

Allergies can be common in cats when their immune system “overreacts” to foreign substances (allergens or antigens) to which it is exposed. Cat allergies can manifest themselves in three ways.

• Itching of the skin, either localized (one area) or generalized (all over the cat)
• A respiratory system disorder which may result in coughing, sneezing and/or wheezing (can also include nasal or ocular (eye) discharge)
• The third manifestation involves the digestive system which could result in vomiting or diarrhea

There are four common types of allergies that a cat can suffer from:

1. Contact
2. Flea
3. Food
4. Inhalant

Dog Allergies

Dogs will tend to have all of the same allergies as cats but seem to have more allergic symptoms which can affect the skin and ears.  A dogs primary allergy reaction is in their skin. Skin problems can range from:

• Poor coat texture or length
• Itching and chewing
• hot spots

Allergies appear to also play a part in chronic dog related ear infections. We think it may be due to the fact that dogs spend more times outdoors where they can get organic matter, pollen and mold spores into their ears which can become infected according to humidity levels.

Other pet related allergies

Of course, just as humans, any other pet outside of fish can develop allergies from indoor pollutants. In fact, we have seen cases where some pets and their owners are experiencing some type of allergies due to indoor pollutants. When the owners take steps to improve their indoor air quality, then the allergy symptoms clear up for all of the indoor occupants including the pets.

Related Posts: Pet Allergies, Dander Allergy, Feline Allergy and Dog Allergies.

About the author: David Benson owns a popular pet shop and pet sitter service in Cleveland, Ohio.

Pet Allergies & Medications : How to Get Rid of Pet Allergies

Allergies to nightshade plants are common throughout the western part of the world since they are common staples in the typical modern diet.

The nightshade family of plants are eggplant, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes and yes . . . even blueberries and tobacco. These plants have alkaloids which can cause inflammation and cause allergic reactions. If a person is allergic to one nightshade food, then there is a 75% chance they will be allergic to all nightshades.

Nightshade allergies seem to have more symptoms than other food allergens. Here is a partial list of symptoms which can result from a nightshade allergy:

• Constipation or diarrhea
• Depression
• Tiredness
• Headaches
• Joint pain
• Upset stomach
• Skin swelling

The good news is; there are great alternatives to cooking with nightshade foods and just takes some practice like anything else. The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook written by Cybele Pascal is an excellent book with a good range of recipes for people with allergies.

About the author:
Consuelo Vanderof is a master chef for a fine dining establishment in Seattle Washington and writes for a local cuisine magazine in her spare time.

Food For Fibromyalgia: Avoid The Nightshades

There has been much confusion over what causes allergies in the home for many years. Health-care practitioners may tell their patients that it is the outdoor pollutants which really cause their allergies whereas in-home air purifier manufacturers may claim just the opposite.

The fact of the matter is both outdoor and indoor pollutants can cause allergy symptoms. However, indoor pollutants have been shown to actually present a greater problem to long-term allergy sufferers. To start with, people spend more time indoors than out and the indoor pollutants are actually smaller than their outdoor counterparts. Indoor pollutants can actually split up and become smaller particles which are more likely to be breathed deeply into the lung and nasal cavities. In effect, the smaller the particle, the greater likelihood of that particle causing an allergic reaction.

Leading Causes of Environmental Allergies

Small sub-micron particles ranging from household dust to dust-mite feces are a leading cause of environmental allergies. Small particles of mold, pollen and cat dander can also aggravate allergy symptoms in children and adults. Even chemicals found in the following common household products have all shown to cause upper respiratory illness symptoms in children which have chronic allergies:

• Adhesives
• Air fresheners
• Carpeting
• Cigarette smoke
• Cosmetics
• Drapes
• Dyes
• Floor finishes
• Furniture polishes
• Household cleaners
• Paint

Mold Allergy Symptoms and Causes

Many people believe that mold growth which is visual to the human eye is the only mold which can cause allergy symptoms. However, small mold particles are responsible for over 90% of mold allergy symptoms. Mold particles are everywhere in the outdoor and indoor environment. It is the combination of mold particle size to the quantity found in a cubic foot of indoor air which most aggravates allergies. Each cubic foot of indoor air in a home or building can contain millions of particles. These indoor particles are commonly measured in microns, a metric unit of measure. There are 25,400 microns in one inch. Approximately 98-99% of all particles by count of indoor air are in the sub-micron size range of 10 microns or less in size. These sub-micron particles are known as “respirable” and are invisible to the naked eye. The average adult may breathe in as much as 16,000 quarts of air whereas children under the age of 12 can breathe in as much as 10,000 quarts. Each quart of air breathed in contains some 70,000 visible and invisible particles. That’s potentially a billion particles per day taken in by our respiratory system.

Individuals who are hypersensitive or have a predisposed reaction to these sub-micron particles may have an acute allergic reaction. These allergy-causing airborne particles which remain in the home environment for extended periods of time are the primary cause of chronic allergy symptoms in children and adults.

Allergy Induced Asthma

Allergy induced asthma is the term used primarily by health care practitioners to describe persons which are at a higher risk of developing asthma because of their chronic allergic disposition. This is because the inflammatory and sensitization responses of allergy and asthma sufferers are quite similar. Family history usually plays a role in diagnosing allergy induced asthma.

The good news is that the indoor home environment can be made a haven for all allergy and asthma sufferers by implementing the proper technology combined with proper knowledge. In today’s world of technological advances, there is no reason for a child or adult to suffer with allergies while at home.

Related Post: Dust Mite Allergy.

About the author:
The Sick House Center is a resource and information site about indoor air pollution and other related issues. Read their Indoor Pollutant Fact Sheet here.

House Dusting : Controlling Dust Mites

Milk can be divided into two main parts with the first being the watery thin elements called whey and the second being casein. Whey is approximately 20 percent of the proteins found in milk. There are believed to be over 30 types of allergy-causing proteins in milk and casein is the considered to be the most prevalent.  The proteins lactalbumin and lactoglobulin, which are present in the whey proteins are also believed to cause allergic reactions.  It is interesting to note that the molecular structure of casein is similar to gluten and those with celiac disease may also have a allergy reaction to casein.

Many people confuse an allergy to cow’s milk with a lactose intolerance when in effect both of them have totally different affects on the body.  A milk allergy is like many other allergies which creates an immune system response while a lactose intolerance only occurs in the digestive system. There are however, similar symptoms between a whey or milk allergy and a lactose intolerance. Furthermore, a whey allergy has the same symptoms as dairy allergies since many dairy products are made with milk.

Digestive Whey Reaction

Both whey allergy sufferers and lactose intolerance can experience similar symptoms within the digestive system. However, the whey allergy sufferer is more likely to experience more serious reactions such as stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting. The whey in cow’s milk can create a allergic symptoms ranging from a few minutes to hours later.

Respiratory Whey Reaction

Whey allergies can cause very similar symptoms as other seasonal allergies, such as  a runny nose, sneezing and itchy eyes.  An asthma attack is also a possible occurrence in persons who have a whey allergy if they consume enough to produce a more severe reaction.

Skin Whey Reaction

A whey allergy can create skin reaction similar to other seasonal allergy symptoms. These skin reactions include eczema, hives and rashes. However, whey allergy sufferers are more likely to experience swelling around their mouths, accompanied by a tingly feeling or redness.

About the author:

Coleman Baker is a dairy farmer in Jacksonville Texas.

A Talk About Cow’s Milk Allergy (CMA)

Using Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) or similar energy therapies to treat or cure allergies can be a great relief and in some cases can literally be a life saver. But the outcome of these treatments is often misunderstood by people who receive them.

Using energy work to heal allergies started in the 1980s with an accidental discovery by Devi Nambudripad who discovered that allergies could be cured through the use of acupuncture. He called his therapy Elimination of Technical Nambudripad allergy. Since then, thousands of people have found relief using NAET and therapies, such as Bio-Set and Freedom Technique Emotional.

Diagnosis is made through muscle response testing. The patient holds a vial containing a very small sample or equivalent energy the suspected allergen in one hand while sticking out his opposite arm. The practitioner considers the ease with which they can push for the extended arm. If the arm becomes weak and easy to push down, so anything that clings to the patient is considered an allergen.

Treatment involves the professional checking specific acupuncture points, while the patient sits still.  After a few EFT treaments, the patient can generally can eat food again without problem.

The misunderstanding comes when the patient believes he can eat all the foods that are processed without any problems. Almost everybody will test weak (allergic) to table sugar and artificial sweeteners. A few EFT treatments does not insyre that food is safe to eat at once. Using energy therapies to overcome food sensitivity should not be seen as a way to eat the junk food without consequences.

Many people have severe allergies to exhaust from cars and buses. Treatments does not mean you can spend an hour in a closed room with a bus idling outside the door without getting sick.

Sugar from food is simply not good for you and is never part of a healthy diet. It’s always going to be “calories empty” and can lead to tooth decay, obesity and worse.  But being able to eat anything without an allergic reaction, and saying that a food is OK to eat are two different things.

Using EFT to get rid of allergies can be one of the best things you can do for your health. But once the allergies are gone, do not be silly with all foods you can eat.

About the Author:

Reuven Wachsberger is an accomplished EFT practitioner, energy worker. www.supertapping.com.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Common Sense when Using EFT to Treat Allergies and Food Sensitivities

Treating allergies: How to control your allergies

Have you ever had an allergic reaction while reading a newspaper?

Chances are it could be because the newspaper may be only hours old. Ink from a freshly printed newspaper can emit vapors which can cause a host of allergy related symptoms to include watery eyes, sneezing and skin rashes.

There is a quick and easy way to confirm the freshness of a newspaper by wiping a few inches of it with a dry paper towel. If the paper towel is black from the wiping, then it probably is emitting ink vapors. Of course, if you have a keen sense of smell you may try just smelling the paper up close to see if it has a ink odor.

So what can you do about it?

• Try wearing some tight fitting cotton gloves.
• Read the paper outside on the porch, weather permitting.
• Read the paper later in the evening after the ink has longer to dry.

Unfortunately, there are not many options available if you have a sensitivity to newspaper print besides those listed above or reading more news online.

About the author:

Stan K. Hall, the Sick House Syndrome doctor is a recognized specialist in Indoor Air Pollution as well as Health & Safety in the home. He has performed hundreds of indoor environmental evaluations over the past 25 years and has helped a multitude of homeowners make their homes a haven.

Newspaper Allergy

When can I stop feeding my baby a new food at a time to see if allergies?

My son is 10 months old and quickly made the change to table food. He is beginning to eat what we eat more and more.  Should I introduce a new food every few days to wait and see if he is allergic.  If after a few months after he has had a variety of food and has had no allergic reaction, it is safe to proceed with new foods at a faster pace? Thank you!

Yes it is.  As long as you keep in mind thatyou should not combine ingredients.  There are some additional things you may want to do …. keep a good log with dates, time and food given  so if you do have a reaction, you may have some idea what caused it.

Introduce new food categories gradually if you feel he is showing any signs of a possible reaction.  For example, fish is an entirely new category of food and is known to be a possible food allergen.  Go slow and at some point you can other known food allergens such as walnuts or strawberries.  It is best not to give known allergy causing foods all together but to space them out gradually.  Dairy, wheat, fruits and nuts are the four primary foods which may cause baby food allergies.

It is important to remember that you should test the same food multiple times before assuming that a child is not allergic to a particular food.  Additional care should be taken if severe food allergies run in the family since most allergies are hereditary.

Related Posts: Toddler Allergies and Toddlers Asthma.

About the author: Donna West is a San Diego, CA nutritional consultant specializing in children and family holistic health services.

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Millions of people suffer from tree allergies around the world every year.  While there are some trees allergy symptoms during the fall months, spring is normally when tree allergies are at their worst. Trees actually pollinate before other plants and weeds and may start releasing their pollen as early as January in the southern states and as late as June in the northern part of the United States. Tree pollination is critical for the reproduction process and certain tree species such as mountain cedar are known to create havoc in people with allergies and even some who have never had allergy symptoms.

Trees can produce large amounts of pollen which can travel miles away from the original source before causing an allergic reaction. Tree pollen reactions can range from mild to severe with mild symptoms consisting of hives and sinus (runny nose) problems.  Severe reactions to tree pollen may be coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing and hoarseness.

Tree Pollen Allergy?

There are believed to be at least 48,000 different kinds of trees identified worldwide. However, only about 100 of them have been proven to cause allergies.  Here are the most common trees which can cause allergic reactions:

• Catalpa
• Cedar
• Elm
• Hickory
• Olive
• Pecan
• Sycamore
• Walnut

Tree Allergy Strategies

When buying trees for your yard, consider species that are known not to aggravate allergies, such as:

• Ash
• Box elder
• Cottonwood
• Crape myrtle
• Date palm
• Dogwood
• Fig
• Fir
• Maple (red)
• Maple (silver)
• Palm
• Pear
• Phoenix palm
• Plum
• Poplar
• Redbud
• Redwood
• Willow

Note: Some people are known to have ‘cross-reactivity allergies’ with trees in the beech, birch, and oak family, as well as the juniper and cedar families.

About the author:

James Singbush owns and operates the Growing High Tree Nursery in Atlanta, Georgia.

Achoo! High Pollen Count Boosts Allergies

I have become allergic to oysters. What can I do about it or should I just avoid them?

Best Answer:

An oyster allergy is less well known than other seafood allergies. As other shellfish related allergies, symptoms can range from mild such as oral allergy syndrome to the severe such as anaphylactic shock. Seafood related allergies are the most common of all food allergies worldwide.

The technical term for oysters are bivalve molluscs and an allergy to oysters is also associated with allergy to other bivalves such as clams, mussels, and scallops.  If someone has been diagnosed with an allergy to one mollusc, they will usually be advised by their physician to avoid all molluscs. It is interesting to note that people with a known allergy to shrimp can usually consume molluscs without reaction. However, there are rare cases where an individual is allergic to both types of shellfish. Furthermore, persons which are known to be allergic to finfish (such as cod or salmon) do not generally have allergies to shellfish.

All shellfish allergies are primarily due to an individual’s reaction to tropomyosin, a protein present in shellfish.  Symptoms of a oyster and shellfish allergy are:

• Urticaria (hives) and angioedema (swelling)
• Urticaria (hives) of the hands from handling seafood
• Asthma
• Vomiting, looses stools and abdominal pains
• Mild to severe Atopic Eczema
• Anaphylaxis leading to the possibility of death

Source: Yahoo Answers

1990–Viva Las Vegas, Part 6 (Oyster Allergy)

As you may have known already, any food allergy is an abnormal reaction to food that is produced by exposure to certain types of foods which create an immune system response.  An immune system response from egg or dairy related allergy can create some baffling illness symptoms. In fact, egg allergies are believed to be the number one cause of eczema in children while asthma is the number symptom in adults.

Persons with egg allergies are believed to be hypersensitive to two classes of foods with the first being other types of eggs like duck and quail eggs and second (more commonly), poultry, especially chicken.  It has been reported that up to 50% of persons which are sensitive to eggs can eat chicken. Unfortunately, there are a significant amount of people who can not eat either due to proteins known as alpha-livetin or serum albumin which can cause allergies to both foods. There is a common allergy diagnosis referred to as “bird-egg syndrome,” which is mostly seen in persons who handle certain birds for a period of time that can later become sensitized and can develop egg allergies.

Looking closer, these are proteins can withstand high cooking temperatures as well as the acids and enzymes the digestive system. The allergens caused by consuming these proteins can pass though the linings of the gastrointestinal tract, disperse into the blood circulatory system and create different allergy symptoms throughout the body.

Here are some illness symptoms which have been reported to be from an egg allergy:

• Trends insomnia or difficulties sleeping
• Mood swings
• Fatigue
• Acidity
• Constipation
• Symptoms resembling arthritis
• Enuresis or nocturnal enuresis
• Swelling of the face and lips
• Rhinitis
• Migraine
• Wheezing

Eczema which is an inflammation and dryness of the skin can also be attributed to eggs and other dairy products.  Persons with chronic egg allergies can also develop hives which can take some time to heal once the egg protein leaves the body. It is suggested that one should consider allergies by a parent to dairy products to include eggs as a pre-cursor to children developing similar allergy symptoms at an early age.

About the Author: Joshua Cohen is a chicken farmer in up state Pennsylvania.

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