Allergy Relief

In the medical term, an allergy is a hyperbolized immune reaction to substances which are usually not detrimental. People who suffer from allergies can be sensitive to more than one substance. The substances which often lead to allergic reactions include pollen, mold spores, dust mites, animal dander, food, medicines and insect stings.

Allergy symptoms
Allergy symptoms can be mainly assorted as mild, moderate and severe.

Mild allergy symptoms- Mild allergy symptoms usually affect a particular part of the body. Hives, itchy and watery eyes are some of the mild allergic reactions that do not extend to other body parts.

Moderate allergy symptoms- Moderate allergy symptoms are basically those reactions which can spread to other body parts. Itchiness and intricate breathing are few moderate allergic reactions that one experiences after being in the contact with an allergen.

Severe allergy symptoms- Severe allergic symptoms are those reactions which are life-threatening and affect the whole body. Severe itching of the eyes or face, abdominal pain, vomiting, cramps, diarrhea, hives, and dizziness are names of few.

Types of Allergy
Allergies occur due to a number of substances or allergens, including dust mites, pollen, animal dander, molds, certain food and drugs.

Allergy to pollen- Allergy caused by pollen is also known as allergic rhinitis or hay fever. People who are allergic to pollen experience inflammation, swelling of the protective tissue of the eyes and lining of the nose.

Allergy to dust mites- Dust mites are microscopic organisms which are found in dust and in the fibers of household things that are not regularly cleaned such as carpet and pillows. The symptoms caused by dust mite allergy are similar to those of pollen allergy.

Allergy to molds- Molds are parasitic and microscopic fungi which are found in the damp areas. In some cases, symptoms of mold allergy get worse with the intake of certain food like cheese comprising fungi. The symptoms of mold allergy include sneezing, congestion, watery eyes, cough and runny nose.

Allergy to animal dander- The proteins released by an animal's skin, which are discarded with dander, and proteins found in an animal's saliva leads to allergic reactions in some people. Such allergies can take two or more years to build up and congestion, sneezing, itchy and watery eyes are some of their common symptoms.

In addition, there are few other substances which also result allergic reactions in people. They are as follows:

• Latex
• Certain food or food allergies
• Insect venom
• Certain drugs

Allergy relief
When it comes to allergy relief, the most superlative way to alleviate allergy symptoms is avoidance of the substances which result allergic reactions. This is absolutely paramount in case of food and drug allergies. As far as the application of anti-allergy drugs is concerned, it relies on the type and sternness of allergy symptoms. Antihistamines, nasal sprays, and allergy shots or immunotherapy are primary allergy relief medications that are profoundly utilized to treat allergy symptoms.

• Antihistamines are found in two types, namely short-acting and longer-acting antihistamines. Short-acting antihistamines such as Loratadine (Claritin) and diphenhydramine (Benadryl) can be purchased without a prescription and alleviate mild to moderate allergic reactions. Whereas, longer-acting antihistamines such as fexofenadine (Allegra) and cetirizine (Zyrtec), need prescription and cause less drowsiness compared to short-acting antihistamines.
• Nasal corticosteroid sprays such as fluticasone (Flonase) and triamcinolone (Nasacort AQ), are safe and used when allergy symptoms do not go away with the application of antihistamines alone.
• Allergy shots are sporadically applied when one is incapable of avoiding allergens and allergy symptoms are also hard to abridge. Allergy shots prevent one's body from overreacting to the allergen.