Causes of Allergies

There are different causes of allergies and many of those causes stem from biotechnical inventions that we once discovered. Depending on the cause and fierceness of the allergy, every person needs a personal approach to cure the allergy or to at least find out what sets the allergy symptoms off. A few causes of common allergies are:

Genetic manipulation of food

Food does not have to be necessarily manipulated to cause allergic reactions, but it is a fact that certain foods that trigger reactions are also grown and manipulated genetically. Genetic manipulation is a process to grow food in which for example certain proteins are added to the vegetable to make it more nutritious. Especially foods like soy beans and peanuts tend to cause allergies.

Environmental Factors

Allergy attacks can be provoked by environmental factors, causes of allergies are for example:

• Dust
• Peanuts
• Pollen

These factors can be easily identified and allergy treatment can be taken if one is sensitive to pollen.

Antibiotic Treatment

Prescription treatment for medical problems with antibiotics is causing more and more problems for people who are prone to allergies and asthma. The rising number of people suffering from allergies caused by antibiotics is caused by the fact that the balance of bacteria in the body is imbalanced by these treatments. The immune system could get confused and is not able to define 'real' attacks to the immune system by diseases and responds to for example environmental factors with allergy symptoms.

Diagnosis of Allergies

Allergy testing can be done in two different ways, by doing a skin test or a blood test.

Skin Test

The suspected substance that causes your possible allergy is scratched onto the skin of the arm or on the back. The allergist will then check the area to which the substance has been applied for signs of irritation such as redness.

Blood Test

Blood is drawn and tested for the presence of antibodies pointing to allergies. This test is thought to be less sensitive than the skin test, and it takes longer to get the results of this test.

Treatment of Allergies

There is not one cure that can be prescribed to treat allergies, but some patients may benefit from immunotherapy (the cause of the allergy, for example dust, is introduced to the patient so that the patient's body gets used to it. Some examples of allergy relief medication that can help relieve the symptoms:

Conventional Treatment of Allergies

Antihistamines

Antihistamines block the body from recognising the presence of allergens in or around the body. Itchy and watery eyes can be successfully treated with eye drops contains antihistamines.

Decongestants

Remove nose blocks and allow the patient to breathe freely and stops a persons from sneezing.

Bronchodilators

These treatments for allergy symptoms help to relax muscles near the air tubes in the lungs, making it easier to breathe freely. This treatment is used to stop symptoms such as coughing and wheezing.

Dietary Treatment for Allergies

People who suffer from (suspected) food allergies will most probably be put on a so-called elimination diet by their doctor. Food stuffs that may cause symptoms of allergies are added and eliminated to the diet to see if the patient is still experiencing symptoms.

Alternative Remedies for Allergies

Acupuncture has proven to offer a fairly successful treatment for people seeking allergy relief. The treatment (in which small needles are applied to specific parts in the body, to regulate energy flow) is mostly recommended for people with seasonal allergies.

Can Allergies Be Prevented?

Allergies can not be prevented completely, but once you know what allergies you suffer from you can try to avoid situations that will trigger your allergies or that will make symptoms worse. Allergy relief medication combined with the proper prevention of occurring allergy symptoms will help to make your life as care free as possible.