Allergy: when the whole color is not nice

Allergy has been known to mankind since ancient times. Even the Roman physician Galen, who lived in the 2nd century BC, described a case of allergic rhinitis caused by a blooming rose. Composers Ludwig van Beethoven and Antonio Vivaldi, writers Charles Dickens and Marcel Proust suffered from allergies. And according to some historians, Napoleon's seasonal fever was the cause of the defeat at Waterloo.

Allergy: a disease of the 21st century

If the scourge of the 20th century was cardiovascular disease, then the scourge of the 21st century — allergy. According to doctors, every fourth person on the planet suffers from it, and during the flowering season — up to 16% of the world's population. This process is long, it lasts from the beginning of April until the first frosts, and strictly obeys the flowering of plants, the pollen of most of which is an allergen.
• In April-May, pollen from flowering trees (birch, alder, hazel, oak, ash, walnut, maple) causes allergies.
• In June-August, cereal crops bloom: bluegrass, fescue, wheatgrass, rye grass, rye, bluegrass, corn, bonfire. At the same time, poplar blossoms, the pollen of which most often causes allergic conjunctivitis.

• In September — weeds: wormwood, quinoa, ragweed, dandelion, hemp, quinoa.

It is not difficult to determine that you have become a victim of this particular seasonal allergy (or, in the language of doctors, hay fever). It is enough to compare the time of flowering with those symptoms that, when manifested, make it difficult to breathe and make the eyes constantly watery. And the reason for this — that tiny allergen of pollen or germ cells of grasses and trees, which, picked up by the wind, is carried through the air, entering through the respiratory tract into the human body, causing a painful reaction of the immune system.

Typical allergy symptoms

• Itching of the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, palate.

• Nasal congestion (swelling of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract).

• Cutting, itching, burning, watery eyes.

• Sneezing.
• Difficulty breathing.
• Decreased blood pressure.

A feature of hay fever is that it can simultaneously cause cross-food allergies. For example, those who are allergic to birch pollen should be careful with the use of apples, tomatoes, potatoes, plums, hazelnuts, celery. For those whose ambrosia causes tears and, alas, no emotion, it is worth giving up bananas and melons.

• Banned — nuts and mustard. The threat is cherries, apples and peaches.

• The danger is fraught with natural honey due to the presence of a large amount of pollen in it.

Not everything is simple with alcohol. It is better for allergy sufferers to refuse a glass of champagne. And it’s worth forgetting about vermouth at all — it contains wormwood, to which the body can react violently, up to anaphylactic shock.
Another warning applies to herbalists.

This is especially true for parents who love to bathe their children in all sorts of herbal decoctions. Of particular danger are string or chamomile, which contain a huge amount of pollen. Needless to say, if a child has a tendency to allergies, such a washing process can lead to a sharp deterioration in well-being.

Allergies: a difficult legacy

Despite the fact that hay fever has been known since ancient times, it has only recently been possible to shed light on its nature. And if it was previously thought that it was his fault — hereditary predisposition, today doctors are sure: hay fever is inherited.

This is due to — genes susceptible to various allergens. As a rule, they are transmitted through the maternal line. Less often — paternal.

• If one of the parents — allergic, then the probability of having a child with this disease — thirty%.

• If both parents suffer from allergies — then the risk is 70%.

Quite often, the disease occurs spontaneously in children of healthy parents. Scientists also prove that there is a relationship between a certain type of hay fever and "defective" genes. From all of the above, it follows that since hay fever is considered as a hereditary pathology, then preventive measures should be appropriate.

• If one of the parents has hay fever, then conception should be planned.

• The greatest danger to the baby is the last three months of its intrauterine development and the first six births.

• It is important to limit the baby's contact with the pollen of allergenic grasses in the early stages of his life. Especially during the flowering period.

The mechanism of hay fever is explained by increased susceptibility to plant pollen. It is to her that the receptors that are located in the mucous membranes of the nose, larynx and eyes react and contain biologically active substances. The latter begin to activate macrophages, which leads to the release of histamine.

By expanding the capillaries, it contributes to the fact that water from the blood begins to flow into the peripheral tissues, resulting in mucus. And since other active components often penetrate with water from the blood, which not only support allergic reactions, but sometimes intensify them, it becomes clear why sneezing occurs along with a runny nose.

• In this regard, the rhinoconjunctival syndrome is noteworthy, in which allergic reactions of the mucous membranes of the nose, eyes, and upper respiratory tract are observed.

Allergy: how to protect yourself from an attack

The first rule to follow is — protect yourself from contact with allergens as much as possible. Ideally, at the time of flowering, it is good to go to another area where everything has already faded or has not yet begun. However, this is not always feasible. Therefore, if this is not possible, it is worth remembering that allergies — it is a certain way of life, a way of life, which should be followed.

The Ten Commandments for an Allergic

1. In hot or windy weather, when there is a maximum concentration of pollen in the air, try not to go outside. Walk in the evenings. Preferably when it's cloudy. 2. Clean your home frequently. Hang cotton curtains or gauze on the window frames and constantly moisten them.

3. Remove carpets, soft toys — all those things that can become "accumulators" dust.

4. Avoid strenuous activities during flowering.
5. Try to shower and change clothes as often as possible. And when you come from the street, be sure to remove everything from yourself and rinse your nasopharynx with water.
6. Carefully use cosmetics, as well as household chemicals. It is advisable to first test the first on a small area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe skin, and work with the second, having previously put on a gauze bandage on the face.
7. Dry the washed clothes at home, not on the street, and cool the apartment with an air conditioner, not open windows.
8. Watch your diet. Exclude from it foods that can release histamine (smoked meats, chocolate, alcohol, delicacies).
9. Remember that antibiotics and other medications can cause an allergic reaction. Warn your doctor about this.
10. Always carry medication with you to help in an emergency.
capable of releasing histamine (smoked meats, chocolate, alcohol, delicacies).
9. Remember that antibiotics and other medications can cause an allergic reaction. Warn your doctor about this.
10. Always carry medication with you to help in an emergency.

capable of releasing histamine (smoked meats, chocolate, alcohol, delicacies).

9. Remember that antibiotics and other medications can cause an allergic reaction. Warn your doctor about this.

10. Always carry medication with you to help in an emergency.

However, even with all the above precautions, it is extremely rare to avoid an allergic attack. And here antihistamines come to the rescue, such as suprastin, diphenhydramine, pipolfen. They help to remove the symptoms of the disease, but are not able to cope with it, for which they are nicknamed "handkerchiefs." You drink pills — and relief comes, you stop — allergy immediately makes itself felt.

But, firstly, such medicines give only temporary relief. Secondly, they are unable to cope with severe forms of the disease. And, thirdly, they are not suitable for everyone. These drugs dry out the mucous membrane of the throat, thicken the already thick sputum and, as a result, clog the lumen of the bronchi, which contributes to the development of infection in the deep sections of the lungs.

Antihistamines are contraindicated:
• with bronchitis, bronchial asthma;

• with difficulty breathing;

• with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;

• in some diseases of the nervous system.

Allergists advise preparing for the flowering period in advance and using scarification tests for this. They are carried out in winter, when the patient is in remission, and in nature — state of rest. This method is especially suitable for those who do not know the cause of the allergy, because the tests allow you to determine the patient's reaction to 40 different allergens.

Several scratches are made on the forearm for this. A couple of drops of diagnostic allergen extracts are applied on top. And after 20 minutes, the doctor can determine which of them is a strong irritant, and which — no.

Another method of treatment — hyposensitization — consists in the subcutaneous injection of the identified allergen in scanty doses. It is somewhat reminiscent of vaccination, due to which the body gets used to the allergen, and the patient develops strong immunity to it, which allows it to survive the flowering time. If not completely forgetting about the disease, then at least significantly facilitating its course.

 

Source estet-portal.com