Five Common Allergies - And Tips to Get Rid of Them

Allergy season is now in full swing, and people everywhere are looking for tips to get rid of allergies. One of the first things you should do if you suspect allergies, is to go have an allergy test done. This test is usually done at either your primary care physician's office, or at the office of an Allergy and Immunology doctor. The test is usually performed by a nurse or medical assistant and the results are interpreted by the doctor. After this test is complete, you will have a better idea of what is triggering your symptoms. Then you can take steps to prevent allergy symptoms, and ultimately, learn how to get rid of your allergies!

This article will discuss five of the most common allergies and tips on how to get rid of them. First you may ask, what is an allergy? Basically, an allergy is an unnatural immune reaction to a normally benign substance (whether plants, animals, insects or food) that your body thinks is harmful. These substances are called allergens. When you come into contact with an allergen, your body releases a chemical called histamine into the bloodstream, (in hopes of destroying what it thinks of as an invader) which causes inflammation. This is called an allergic reaction. Sometimes, an allergic reaction is so severe, it can become fatal. What are some of the most common allergies? They include substances such as:

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1 Pollen
2 Mold
3 Pets/animal hair
4 Latex
5 Food

Of all common offenders, pollen is the number one allergen in the United States, and is the most common allergy during seasonal allergy months. Pollen comes from a multitude of plants, herbs, trees and flowers, and spreads like wildfire through the air. The most prevalent time for pollen is during the spring and summer, when most plants bloom to life. Plants release pollen on into the autumn season, and while winter is usually a time for pollen-allergy sufferers to breathe a sigh of relief, there are still some plants that release pollen even in the dead of winter.

Mold is pesky little fungi that loves to grow in warm, moist, dark places. Mold releases spores into the air, and when mold is touched or the spores are inhaled, they cause inflammation in the airways and bring on an allergic reaction. It is important to have your house routinely checked for mold, especially if you live in a humid climate. The longer a mold problem persists, the harder it is to eradicate.

An allergy to animal hair is a very common, yet unfortunate, allergy to have. The most common cause of an allergy to animal hair is the proteins that coat the hair. Those oils/proteins are there to protect the animal's coat of hair and keep it shiny. Unfortunately, those shiny coats trigger respiratory allergies in many people, which can be very sad for animal lovers. Sometimes, animal hair allergies are so severe that the afflicted person, sadly, cannot keep a pet.

Latex allergy is another quite common, yet often times severe, allergy. The protein contained in the latex rubber is the offender here, and usually leads to an immediate, sometimes very severe allergic reaction. For those who work in the healthcare field, and those who require frequent doctor visits, this allergy can be problematic, since many healthcare items contain latex. Fortunately, more and more medical manufacturers are coming out with latex-free gloves and other latex-free equipment.

Last on this list of the top five most common allergies, but certainly not least, are food allergies. Food allergy can, at times, be the most problematic allergy of all. This is because nowadays, in this age of food additives and preservatives, there are many hidden ingredients in processed and pre-prepared foods. The most common food allergies are nuts, shellfish, wheat and milk/dairy products. When a food allergy sufferer eats an allergy-causing food, their bodies release histamine into the bloodstream, causing inflammation which can be severe. This reaction can be anywhere from diarrhea and stomach cramps to anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction that causes the airway to close or swell shut.

Now that you know some of the most common allergies, and you know that getting tested to identify your allergies is the first step, it's time to talk about how to get rid of your allergies. Many (but not all) modern doctors believe that adults won't be able to totally get rid of their allergies. Children tend to grow out of their allergies, but most adults retain their allergies for life. Don't groan just yet - keeping positive is a huge step in dealing with your allergies. Contrary to popular belief, there is hope - yes, you can get rid of your allergies! Some more good news is that many naturopathic doctors, herbalists, and natural healers believe that you can indeed get rid of allergies.

The next step to getting rid of your allergies is to avoid the things that give you allergic reactions. That sounds fairly simple, but it can be complicated when it involves allergens such as food. Modifying your environment can go a long way to getting rid of allergies. Keep an allergy diary and write about your reactions - this will help you learn what to avoid. If you have mold in your house, make sure it is cleaned out and totally eradicated by specialists that deal specifically with getting rid of mold. If you are allergic to your household pets, don't fret. Do some research into allergy-friendly pets that you can own - yes, there are allergy-friendly animals out there. There are even allergy-friendly dogs such as the short-haired Chihuahua. If you are allergic to pollen, make sure to have someone help you keep your grass mowed and your yard in tip-top shape, and take your prescribed allergy medicine daily. If latex is what gets your allergic response going, be sure to alert any new doctors to this allergy, and carefully read labels on household and cosmetic supplies to make sure they are latex-free. Food allergies can be the trickiest, but if you become an avid-label reader and carry allergy medicine (including an Epi-Pen for serious reactions) with you that should go a long way to helping you avoid the offending substances. Do a diet of elimination - meaning, eliminate all the problem foods from your diet for a period of time (usually around 6 weeks) and then slowly introduce them back in, one at a time. Many times, elimination diets have huge success rates, even to the point that the previous allergy-causing foods no longer cause problems!

Next on the list is treatment. Take your prescribed allergy medicine every day. If you know you are going to come into contact with any allergens, take your medicine beforehand to lessen or even prevent symptoms. Talk to your doctor about getting what is called allergy shots. These shots contain very small amounts of the substances to which you are allergic, so as to desensitize you. The theory is, which each shot, you become less and less allergic to that particular substance. The good thing is, many people have a huge success rate with allergy shots. Another option is alternative treatments such as chiropractic and acupuncture sessions.

A lot of allergy sufferers swear by acupuncture to alleviate their allergies. Other alternative treatments would be vitamin, antioxidant and herbal supplements that boost the immune system, stabilize cells, and repair damage. Examples of these would be vitamin C, vitamin B complex, vitamin E, Quercetin, green tea, and omega-3 fatty acid supplements. Saline sinus rinses also have a high success rate, since they flush out irritants and bacteria. Speaking of flushing out irritants - a good intestinal cleanse has worked wonders for many food allergy sufferers.

Remember to always talk to your doctor before taking any supplements, doing any kind of cleanse, or starting any kind of alternative therapy for your allergies. Though you may want to, you can't diagnose yourself. Allergy sufferers need to be under the care of a physician. Don't fret or get discouraged, though! No matter what the naysayers say, there are options and you can get rid of allergies. Allergies don't have to last forever - and when you follow the tips outlined in this article, you can kiss your allergies goodbye.

Five Common Allergies - And Tips to Get Rid of Them

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Causes of Water Retention - 10 Common Reasons For Swelling of the Body

Water retention is a common health problem that greatly affects the day to day activities of the sufferers. Water retention - medically referred to as edema - is the accumulation of excess fluid that leaks into the body tissues. The leakage will lead to swelling in all over the body (generalized swelling) or more localized swelling, such as swelling in legs, feet and ankles or fluid retention in abdominal, the face, hands, arms, and around the lungs.

Although there are many different conditions and diseases associated with the term water retention or edema, there are several more prominent causes of water retention. And here is some of them:

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1. Arthritis
Arthritis, which means "joint inflammation", is described as an inflammation of one or more joints that involves the mechanical failure of cartilage resulting in joint pain, swelling, and limited movement. It can affect any joints in the body from hip, heel, spine, shoulder, knee to the big toe.

There are more than 100 different types of arthritis but the three most common types are: osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gout. Different types of arthritis show different symptoms. Common symptoms of arthritis include: persistent joint pain, fever, tenderness, joint swelling, stiffness, redness, joint malformation, inflexibility of joint and unexplained weight loss.

2. Kidney disorders
Certain form of kidney disorders such as kidney failure and glomerular disease will lead to swelling throughout the body as well as localized swelling in the abdominal, ankle, feet and leg swelling. This occurs because the kidneys have lost its normal functions including to efficiently removing salt and water out of the body. This will in turn cause the body to retain fluid and over time, get accumulated in the body tissues.

3. Chronic lung disease
Chronic lung disease is a general term of persistent lung disorders that damage the function of the lungs. Severe chronic lung disease will cause water retention in the body include fluid retention in lungs (pulmonary edema), ascites, neck, face, ankle and feet swelling. Chronic lung disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), smoke inhalation injury, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), lung cancer, mesothelioma, etc. may lead to pulmonary edema, abdominal edema / ascites, fluid retention in the neck and face, swelling in the ankles and feet.

4. Cirrhosis of the liver
Cirrhosis of the liver usually causes abdominal fluid retention. It also causes low protein albumin synthesis by the liver and results in legs and abdominal fluid retention.

5. Congestive heart failure, cardiomyopathy disease and heart valve disease
Congestive heart failure obstructs the normal circulation of the blood and often leads to water retention. Two most common causes of water retention in congestive heart failure patient are: (1) the blood flow to the heart backups and leaks into the lung and vein; (2) the kidney retain fluid due to the insufficient amount of blood flow. Both cardiomyopathy and heart valve disease are a variety of heart disease and lead to heart failure.

6. Excess sodium intake
In people who are more sensitive to sodium, excess sodium intake will raise the blood pressure and lead to water retention especially in the lower extremities such as swelling in the ankles and feet.

7. Gravity
Standing or sitting too long in one position because of occupation necessity or after long trips may cause fluid retention in legs. This is usually worsened in high temperatures.

8. Pregnancy
In some cases, the developing uterus in pregnant women may press the vena cava leading to fluid retention in the legs. Hormone imbalances and increased amount of blood flow also responsible for water retention during pregnancy. The most affected areas of swelling during pregnancy are in the lower extremities especially the ankles and feet.

9. Side effects of certain medication
Certain medication such as anabolic steroid, calcium channel blockers, levitra, methadone, etc. may affect the normal functions of the body and lead to swelling particularly in the legs, feet and ankles.

10. Venous Insufficiency
Venous insufficiency is a disturbance of the blood flow in the leg veins because of the damage of the veins itself or the valves causing the fluid to backup and leak into the surrounding tissues. This disorder is one of the most common causes of water retention in legs.

Look over the list of water retention causes and decide if you are indeed experiencing one or more. Remember, many diseases take years to appear after the symptom does. Thus, you should speak to your doctor if you have any questions regarding water retention in any parts of your body. Your doctor is the one who can tell you just what exactly the cause of your swelling and what treatment options will work best for you.

Causes of Water Retention - 10 Common Reasons For Swelling of the Body

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Dog Cancer Symptoms - What Causes Cancer and Common Illnesses With Dogs?

As loving responsible pet owners, the last thing we want is our pets to suffer from cancer or any low quality of life illnesses.

Different types of cancer are unfortunately very popular with all types of breeds and sizes of dogs. One should be very aware of your dogs health and should be able to recognise any form of cancer appearing as soon as possible. The sooner the cancer is found the better chance of treating and minimising the dreadful effects of this disease.

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Cancer symptoms to watch out for on your dog

Unusual lumps or swellings that appear all of a sudden, a biopsy is required to confirm if it is cancerous. Open wound and skin related problems that don't go away, skin cancer form because of reaction to allergies, exposure to certain chemicals and UV rays from the sun from being exposed in the sun for too long periods. Prostrate cancer can also be found with older dogs, common symptoms are hard to see but dogs tend to have problems urinating and defecating. Often bloody urine and stools can be seen. Stomach, liver and kidney cancer are more popular with dogs. They tend to stop eating and drink a lot of water all of a sudden. Occasionally they will start eating grass and certain plants. Rapid weight loss is very common, along with chronic diarrhea. Bone cancer known as osteosarcoma which is a common long bone tumour, is often diagnosed with symptoms like arthritis and muscle pains. When you dog starts behaving out of the ordinarily, take note and investigate what the problem might be.
So what is the most common cause for all these cancer diseases?

If you look all the ingredients on a cigarette pack, it's no wonder why smokers suffer from lung cancer and other deadly associated diseases.

Same applies here, if you look at the ingredients in commercial dog food products, it is unbelievable what passes for nutrition for dogs. The cheaper the food, the worse the ingredients get. Most commercial food is loaded with all sorts of toxic chemicals and preservatives.

There are traces of Sodium Pentobarbital found in some commercial food. This is the same chemical used to euthanize animals. It is present because the meat in the food they use is processed meat which is made from dead animals or euthanized animals.

Dog food manufactures also use the chemical ethoxyguin (EQ) to preserve the dog food and give it a longer shelf life. This chemical is not allowed in human food, care to guess why? The chemicals and preservatives in commercial dog food is not fit for consumption.

If you think about all the common illnesses and problems dogs have, you realize that they are common symptoms that humans have when we are poisoned by chemicals.

Some illnesses like Kidney cancer, bladder cancer, stomach cancer, hair loss, chronic diarrhea and other major organ failure is directly related to these chemicals and ingredients used. Dog food is simply not regulated.

The only true way to prevent your dog from getting ill or getting cancer in the long term from harmful dog foods, is to make the dog food your self. Your dog could live nearly twice as long if you do this. They are easy simple methods of making home made dog food. The best way is to make dog food in bulk and to freeze it for later use in the week. If you follow the recommended recipes your dog will get al the protein, vitamins and minerals without much effort.

Dog Cancer Symptoms - What Causes Cancer and Common Illnesses With Dogs?

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The Common Causes for Food Poisoning

People suffer from food poisoning when they consume contaminated food or water. It is believed that in US only, nearly 75 million of such cases are reported every year. Though there are strict laws to prevent this ailment, the number of causalities is rising. This is because most people are not even aware of the common causes for it.

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There are several common causes because of which this ailment occurs. As a result, people suffer a lot for few hours to days. Sometimes, many succumb to this ailment due to negligence or lack of treatment. I have listed down some common causes for this ailment. They are:

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1. Food or water containing bacteria, viruses or parasites
2. Polluted food products
3. Dairy products which are not pasteurized
4. Fruits and vegetables containing pesticides
5. Exposure of prepared foods for a long time to the open atmosphere and temperature
6. Foods containing toxic elements such as poisonous mushrooms
7. Contamination of eatable items by animals while preparing or packing or harvesting
8. Preparing foods in an unhygienic place
9. Eatable items coming into contact with wounds or infections of food makers
10. Storing food items in refrigerator without proper methods such as putting raw meat without a proper covering
11. Consuming meats, seafood or poultry products which are undercooked
12. Someone mixing toxins in the food items purposely

These are some common causes for food poisoning. Usually, a person may show these following symptoms like upset stomach, dizziness, rapid heart rate, weakness, numbness, vomiting, diarrhea, nausea and fever lasting more than a day. That person may die if any of these symptoms reaches complicated stage.

The Common Causes for Food Poisoning

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Common Ailments Of Dogs

Our favorite pets are mostly dogs and if they are in good health, dogs are a source of joy to us. They are always playful or frisky and excited when they see us. However, there sometimes comes a time when these dogs are in a differently quiet mood. One cause for this is often due to the health condition of the dog. It is important for us to be sensitive to the condition of our dog, especially if he is suffering from an ailment. It is also useful as a dog owner to identify the common ailments of dogs, which are often viral in nature. Below are just some of the common dog ailments to guide you when you notice your dog is not acting his normal state:

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1. Heartworm- Heartworm infestation is a dog ailment of parasitic worms transmitted by mosquitoes. The worms in live the chambers of the dog's heart. This infection needs strong drugs and may even require hospitalization if the chance of survival for the dog looks impossible. To prevent heartworm infection, have an annual blood test for your dog. The preventive medication for this is ivermectin.

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2. Canine distemper- This is an incurable canine ailment which requires an expensive treatment. If a dog survives this ailment, the setback to it is a permanent or lifelong neurological damage. Symptoms of canine distemper are diarrhea, coughing, and mucosal discharge from the nose and eyes. In the last or final stage of the ailment, seizures occur.

3. Parvovirus- This is an illness caused by a virus and is extremely dangerous to puppies. It attacks the digestive tract and its severe symptoms can be too difficult for puppies. Symptoms include vomit that looks like frothy, decreased appetite, gelatin-like stool that may become bloody, malaise, massive fluid loss, and fever of the dog. Treatment includes increasing fluid intake and antibiotic. Parvovirus is an ailment that is preventable by vaccine.

4. Bloat- This is also called gastric dilatation - volvulus and often due to overeating. Two effects of this is gastric volvulus wherein the stomach is twisted and gas cannot get out. In gastric dilatation, the stomach is full of gas and this gas stays disturbingly and painfully in the stomach. This digestive tract ailment is extremely dangerous if not treated within one to two hours. Symptoms include drooling saliva and a distended abdomen that sounds like a drum when tapped.

These ailments show primary symptoms which are reasons enough to bring your dog to a vet once these are visible in your dog.

Common Ailments Of Dogs

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