Allergies are the most common form of diseases in America. As many as 30% of the population living in an industrialized area have developed some sort of allergies. There are multiple forms of allergies most common being allergic rhinitis, asthma, and food related allergies.
In a normal person, the body’s immune system has an organized defense mechanism for harmful foreign substances. These external existences are known as antigens. When these antigens enter a body, the body responds by creating antibodies. These antibodies consist of protective proteins designed to tackle that particular antigen. However, an allergic person develops another type of antibody which is called immunoglobulin E or IgE to combat even harmless substances.
Allergies can be avoided by dodging specific types of foods, or animals or protecting yourself from the weather. Some people react mildly to allergies and the aftereffects go away as quickly as they came. Others suffer through a lot worse and the symptoms affect their way of life and everyday tasks become more difficult. Here are some of the necessary steps you can take to escape from making your life painful.
Discussion with Family:
If you have just recently found out about your allergy, then your family doesn’t understand why you have to be cautious of few things all of a sudden. Take some time to talk to your children about it and tell them why these changes in your lifestyle or eating habits are necessary. When you explain to them your situation, you are giving them a way to help you and make you feel better by supporting you.
In a case where you are affected by a food allergy and the case can get to the point where you may need a medic, you must advise your children to follow a planned procedure. Lay down a step by step guide for your off-springs so that they know who to call and what to tell the person they are calling for help. Whether you are a new parent or living in a home care facility, it is important to keep your family in the loop.
Working Environment:
Traveling and eating out for meetings is a part of some jobs and you would need to let your office colleagues know if you have any allergies. Telling them the exact things that you are advised to stay away from can guide them in setting up business lunches with clients in places that do not host such atmosphere or food that may trigger your allergy. Moreover, other people might be cautious of wearing certain scents around you, or offering you food that can affect your health adversely.
Marital and Physical Affairs:
There are times that you would need to keep astray of being physical with someone due to protecting yourself from allergies. A person who has been near a dog and has not yet changed clothes would need to get washed and changed before he sits or gets physically close to you. This also applies if he/she has eaten a food that you are allergic to, as the food will have a lasting effect on his/her saliva and would help trigger your allergies if you kiss using your tongue. If you are allergic to a specific food or medication and your partner has eaten that substance, then those food components will still be in their saliva. Symptoms from these things include itching, rashes, throat or lips swelling or hives. In order to stay safe from these incidents, you must have your partner wait a few hours after having that food.
Natural Ingredients:
Be wary of processed food and ingredients that have a lot of unnatural flavoring added to it. The chemicals added to these products may also result in getting allergies. Keeping your home clean of any food waste or other garbage to keep the air clean and fresh and avoid any airborne allergens. Vacuuming your carpets, curtains, and fabric furniture can reduce the amount of dust particles that can create more trouble in breathing and prompt a reaction for asthma. Natural cleaning agents are also harmless towards these allergies so use more vinegar and baking sodas if some interaction with the chemicals of factory made cleaning agents can give birth to problems for you.
If the situation is as such that you are dependent on home care for providing you these services, work with the staff to set a schedule to clean your room more often than the other residents. The staff working at 24/7 homecare centers and nursing homes is supportive of customers’ requests and can work along to provide you more comfort
Things such as these add up to you leading a healthy life. You need to make the effort to protect yourself from allergic reactions and think about the environment and the food you have. People will only understand your problem once you fully acknowledge its existence to yourself and your loved ones.
Author Bio:
Sherley Alaba is an eagle-eyed wordsmith; a writer and translator, always interested in ways which can help individuals (especially youth and women) reach their full creative potential. Her focus has been on writing, producing and editing stories on business, finance, interesting personalities, entrepreneurs, culture, the environment, gastronomy, lifestyle, and social issues.