Hypersensitivity, Sensitivity, Susceptibility
Root Cause of Disease
Airborne allergens, such as pollen, animal dander.
Symptoms
Allergy symptoms, which depend on the substance involved, can affect your airways, sinuses and nasal passages, skin, and digestive system. Allergic reactions can range from mild to severe. In some severe cases, allergies can trigger a life-threatening reaction known as anaphylaxis.
Hay fever, also called allergic rhinitis, can cause:
- Sneezing
- Itching of the nose, eyes or roof of the mouth
- Runny, stuffy nose
- Watery, red or swollen eyes (conjunctivitis)
A food allergy can cause:
- Tingling in the mouth
- Swelling of the lips, tongue, face or throat
- Hives
- Anaphylaxis
An insect sting allergy can cause:
- A large area of swelling (edema) at the sting site
- Itching or hives all over the body
- Cough, chest tightness, wheezing or shortness of breath
- Anaphylaxis
Causes
An allergy is where your body reacts to something that’s normally harmless like pollen, dust or animal fur. The symptoms can be mild, but for some people they can be very serious.
Home Remedies to treat Allergies
Remedy – 1: Tulsi
Materials: Tulsi
Tulsi is proven to be the safest skin cream that can be used and the benefits are massive. Tulsi reflects on your skin when you consume it as well as apply it. This wonder herb is used to treat acne, skin infections, lighten dark spots and improve skin texture. Here is a list of benefits that tulsi does to your skin.
Procedure:
- Consume Tulsi leaves raw, plucked fresh from the plant, add it to your tea or make it out of it.
- Tulsi tea: To make tulsi tea, boil 1 cup of water and pour it over 1 tsp of fresh tulsi leaves, 1/2 tsp of dried tulsi leaves or 1/3 tsp of tulsi powder. Cover the water in a pot or mug and let it seep for 15-20 minutes. Then strain the leaves, add honey if desired and enjoy.
Remedy – 2: Neem
Materials: Neem
Neem is one of the most essential herbs used in Indian households to treat a lot of skin ailments, and itchy skin is one of them. Neem has anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties that helps soothe itchy skin. Bathing with neem water cures itching and rashes in children who get chicken pox or hand foot mouth (HFM) disease. Neem water bath is an ideal home remedy for itching in the whole body.
Procedure:
- Soak a handful of neem leaves in hot water for half an hour.
- Once lukewarm, take a bath with the neem water.
- You can also make a paste by grinding neem leaves with water.
- Apply the paste on the irritated skin. Wash once dried.
Product link: Neem
Remedy – 3: Aloe vera
Materials: Aloe vera
If general irritation is causing your rash, like from an allergy, aloe vera might work to soothe itching and inflammation. It might improve the appearance of the rash, too. However, proper studies are lacking to support its use over conventional treatments. Also keep in mind aloe vera can’t “cure” an allergic reaction.
Using aloe vera for any type of rash is pretty simple. Liberally apply aloe vera gel all over the area where you notice symptoms. Use products made of pure, 100 percent aloe vera to avoid introducing other allergens or ingredients that could further irritate your skin.
Procedure:
- Aloe vera gel takes a few minutes to dry.
- Let your skin absorb it completely before you put clothes on over the area.
- You can reapply the aloe vera gel every couple of hours to see whether it helps your symptoms.
- Twice per day should be enough to see results, if aloe vera is going to be effective for your particular rash.
Product link: Aloe Vera
Other Remedies
Eucalyptus
As a natural allergy cure, eucalyptus effectively calms coughs and relieves nasal congestion and is often found in cough and cold remedies, chest rubs, and various oils and liniments to relieve pain. It is both an antiseptic and a stimulant with expectorant and antibiotic properties. The powerful vapour from eucalyptus clears congestion and loosens mucus. It is especially effective when used in conjunction with steam treatments. In lozenge form, eucalyptus increases the production of saliva to reduce the urge to cough. Given these properties, eucalyptus is considered to be one of the best natural allergy remedies.
Red Clover
Red Clover is a traditional remedy for asthma when taken in the form of a tea and as allergies and asthma may be associated, can be used as an allergy remedy. It has antispasmodic and expectorant qualities and dried has even been used in “anti-asthma” cigarettes. It is not uncommon today to find red clover wine which makes an excellent cough remedy.
Licorice Root
Powdered licorice root has been used since ancient times as a cough remedy and is often present in modern cough syrups. Beyond its helpful qualities, licorice is sweet to the taste and thus more pleasant as a “medicine.” It should be used with caution by anyone prone to high blood pressure as excessive use of licorice will make hypertension worse.
Preventions
There’s are vaccines for the allergies, but you can take common sense precautions to slow the spread of allergies:
1. Keep your indoor air as clean as possible
To do this, keep your windows closed and, if it’s too warm, use air conditioning to stay cool if you can. We know this is a bummer, but letting air in also invites allergens into your home—which is exactly what you don’t want. Be sure to also check your window sills and frames for condensation, which can contribute to mold growth.
2. While you’re at it, keep your floors clean too
After running or spending other time outside, if you can, remove your shoes and avoid wearing them inside. Allergens can cling to your shoes, and the less you can track inside, the better. Vacuuming weekly with a vacuum cleaner that has a HEPA filter to help eliminate pollen or mold spores from your floors.
3. Take off your outside clothes when you come inside if possible
Allergens can land in your hair, on your skin, and on your clothes while you’re outdoors. When you come indoors, toss your clothes in the hamper and take a quick shower to wash any pollen off of your skin and hair. Similarly, avoid hanging your laundry outdoors. This may be an energy-efficient way to dry your clothes, but it’s also one way to reintroduce pollen and other allergens onto your clean items.
4. Allergy-proof your bedroom as much as possible
Dust mites are the most common trigger of year-round allergies and allergic asthma, but they especially thrive in humid environments, which can become worse from spring to fall. To help reduce your reaction to dust mites, wrap your pillows, mattress, and box spring with zippered, dust-proof covers. Additionally, change your sheets weekly (wash them in hot water if you can) and avoid sleeping with your pets if possible—even if you’re not allergic to your pet specifically. Animals can have dust, pollen, and other allergens on their fur—which you don’t exactly want in your bed.
5. Skip outdoor morning workouts if you can
Pollen counts are typically highest in the morning, so you may want to wait until the afternoon to go for your run. If you have severe seasonal allergies, you may want to skip exercising outdoors and try an indoor workout.
6. Stay inside as much as you can on high pollen days
You can typically find this information from your local weather forecast or by using an allergy tracker app, like my pollen forecast. And remember that staying inside is most helpful when you also keep your doors and windows closed as much as possible.
7. If you’re allergic to pollen, be mindful of certain foods
“The proteins in raw fruit and vegetables are similar to the proteins in pollen. So if you’re allergic to tree pollen, when you take a bite of apples, cherries, pears, among others, your body sees it as pollen. “And then you get an itchy mouth and throat.” Carrots, peanuts, almonds, and hazelnuts may also cause a reaction. However, if you cook these foods, “the proteins come apart and your body doesn’t recognize them as anything dangerous or bothersome,”. For a full list of potential food reactions.
