What is an Allergy?
An allergy or an allergic reaction is your immune systems way of telling you that a certain substance, whether it is food or an element of nature like pollen or weeds, does not agree with your body. The only times your immune system reacts this way is when your body’s defences are weak and cannot counteract the effect certain allergens might have on you. What substances cause you to have an allergic reaction is determined by factors like genetics and the environment you live in.
When these allergens come into contact with various elements of your immune system, your body releases certain inflammatory chemicals that cause you to have the allergic reaction in question.
Hay fever, for example, causes constant sneezing, a runny nose and an itchy sensation on the roof of your mouth, your throat and your eyes.
Types of Allergies
Hay Fever
Hay fever is referred to in medical terminology as ‘allergic rhinitis’ hay fever refers to a condition which sees you sneezing a lot more than normal, having a runny nose and itchy eyes, among other common hay fever symptoms. Hay fever is in no ways caused by hay, nor is it a fever.
Hay Fever is caused as a result of exposure to things like ragweed and pollen. While the average human nose is equipped to counter the invasion of such elements, in some situations and with some people, the nose is unable to perform its task to the best of its abilities, allowing a significant percentage of ragweed and other pollen to enter your nose. This will cause you to exhibit allergic rhinitis or hay fever symptoms.
Asthma
Asthma is a condition that affects people making it difficult to breath due to sensitive airways being contained within their lungs. When these sensitive airways are exposed to particular triggers, they narrow and it is this narrowing that makes it difficult for people to breathe. Asthma has the potential to begin at any age and the severity of the symptoms can change over time – many people actually grow out of asthma as they get older and their physiology develops.
Sinus Pain
Sinuses are air spaces found in the bones of your head and face. There are four pairs of sinuses and they are located in the forehead bone above the eyebrows (frontal), between the eye sockets (ethmoid), below the eyes in the cheekbones (maxillary) as well as in the back part of the eye sockets towards the nasal area (sphenoid). Sinus pain or sinus health usually refers to sinusitis (also known as rhinosinusitis), an inflammation or infection of the sinus area.
Yeast Infection (Thrush)
Yeast is a fungus often found naturally on skin, in the mouth and vagina, the most common of which is known as candida albicans. A breakdown in the immune system can cause the fungus to grow and cause candidiasis or thrush. In rare cases (candidemia) the fungus can enter the blood stream and affect the throat, intestines and heart valves.
