What is Allergy and How to Treat It?
An allergy is a response of our immune system to a substance that usually does not trouble most other people. Individuals who get allergies often are vulnerable to more than one thing. Things that often trigger reactions are allergy-producing substances known as “allergens.”
Examples are dust mite, pollens, dander, molds, and even food. To recognize the nature of allergy it is vital to know that allergens are stuff that are foreign to our body and that’s why trigger allergic reaction in some people.
Scientists believe both genes and the environment play important role when it comes to allergy. Usually our immune system defends us against germs. It is our body’s protection system. In most allergic responses however it raises a false alarm.
Allergy causes a runny nose, itching, sneezing, swelling, rashes or even asthma. Allergy symptoms differ most times. Although allergies can cause reactions allergens rarely kill a person. However, a brutal response of our immune system can cause what’s known as anaphylaxis which is life-threatening.
It was due to Austrian pediatrician Clemens Pirquet (1874-1929) who first discovered term for allergy. He related to both immunity that was useful and to the destructive reaction as “allergy.” The word allergy is taken from Greek pronounced as “allos” It means dissimilar or varied and “ergos,” means action. Allergy was known as “changed reaction.”
Some facts about allergy:
50 million North Americans are known to suffer from allergic conditions.
The cost of allergy treatment in the US comes to more than $10 billion dollars a year.
Allergic rhinitis (nasal allergies) is a common occurrence in 35 million Americans, of whom, 6 million are children.
15 million Americans suffer from asthmas, of whom, 5 million are children.
Over the last 20 years the frequency of asthma cases has doubled.