Allergy

Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, are a number of conditions caused by hypersensitivity of the immune system to something in the environment that usually causes little or no problem in most people. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic dermatitis, allergic asthma, and anaphylaxis.

Causes

• Foods
• Latex
• Medications
• Toxins interacting with proteins – like poison oak
• Genetics – hereditary
• Hygiene hypothesis
• Stress
• Other environmental factors

Signs and symptoms

• Many allergens such as dust or pollen are airborne particles. In these cases, symptoms arise in areas in contact with air, such as eyes, nose, and lungs.
• Food allergy causes gastro intestinal tract symptoms.
• Insect sting, medicines and antibiotics cause systemic reactions called anaphylaxis.

Common symptoms

Diagnosis

• Skin prick testing
• Patch testing
• Blood testing
• Other tests

Prevention —The consumption of various foods during pregnancy has been linked to eczema; these include celery, citrus fruit, raw pepper, margarine, and vegetable oil. Probiotics, high intake of antioxidants, zinc, and selenium during pregnancy may help prevent allergies.

Management – It includes

• Avoiding what triggers the allergy.
• Medications to improve the symptoms.
• Allergen immunotherapy may be useful for some types of allergies.

In homoeopathy there are so many medicines which help to cure different kind of allergies. The complete cure can be achieved only by consulting homoeopathic physician who gives suitable homoeopathic medicine according to patient’s constitution.