We all feel as if we have a pretty good idea about the allergies that affect us everyday and how to deal with them (largely by avoidance). However, there are some facts that you probably aren’t aware of that could affect their severity.
1. Your Bad Breath Could be From Allergies
Those who suffer from allergies also often suffer from dry mouth brought on by the antihistamines that doctors prescribe to deal with those allergies. This dry mouth can lead to bad breath because of little pieces of food stuck in your tongue and around your tonsils that go unnoticed.
2. Suffering from ? It Might be Your Digestive System and Not Your Lungs
Even minute changes in the microflora of your digestive system can affect your immune system, even change it completely. This intensifies your reaction to allergens. Our modern use of antibiotics and diet play a part in these changes. Maintaining a diet that’s high in fruit and veggies and low in sugar helps especially when it comes after a round of antibiotics.
3. It’s Impossible to Become Immune to Allergy Meds
If you feel that your allergy meds aren’t working the way they used to, it’s not your meds that are at fault. It’s actually that the severity of your allergies has increased. If this happens, then a change in treatment could be in order. Intranasal steroids, isotonic saline nasal washes, allergen immunotherapy or other antihistamines are all great options to try.
4. Plants Aren’t as Good for Your Health as You Think
The soil in planters and the dust that settled on these plants themselves can cause a reaction from your allergies. To prevent this, put some gravel down on the soil of the plant to hold down the debris.
5. If Your Pets Bring Sneezing or Coughing You May be Allergic
Even if you were around a pet all your life you can eventually find yourself dealing with allergies to it. Being exposed to a pet for a long period can help your build up immunity to its allergens. However, if you go away from that environment and then expose yourself to that animal there’s a chance you may have allergies because that immunity has been lost over the time you were away from them.
6. By the Same Token, It Might not be Your Pet
It may not even be your pet that’s brought on your allergies. There are many different types of indoor contaminants like dust mites and mold that can bring on a similar reaction. Even homes without pets can be affected by this type of allergy because of allergens carried into the house by the wind, guests and sometimes dander brought in on the homeowner’s own clothing and shoes.
7. Factors Like Weight and Birth Order May Also Play a Part
Kids and teens who are overweight are at a higher risk for developing allergies than other children. This is especially true of food allergies. Those who are the first of their parents’ children are also more likely to develop allergies than later children, probably because the conditions in the womb are different for the first child than later children.
