Allegra- Fighting against Allergies

Allergies have been the root cause of around 60 million people getting sick with various types of diseases every season. There are so many substances around, which have good potential to illness and disability. Allergies affect around 60 million Americans, or one in every five adults and children, and are as common in women as in men.

Upper respiratory symptoms are allergic to air & environmental pollution problems while up to 10 million Americans are allergic to cats; and two million develop severe allergic reactions to insect stings.

Food allergies are less common; and while about one out of three people say they have a food allergy, only about three percent to eight percent of children younger than three years old, and one percent of adults have true allergic reactions to foods.

People with allergies have to be careful about what their daily routines. They should avoid things that they are sensitive to and try to avoid those things. When a person’s immune system reacts to a normally harmless substance, and the person develops some kind of illness, then it is certainly some kind of allergy.

The body’s immune system treats the allergen as an invader by generating large amounts of a type of antibody--a disease-fighting protein --that attaches to the body's tissue and blood cells.

The cells are then triggered to release powerful inflammatory chemicals. These chemicals act on tissues in various parts of the body, such as the respiratory system, and cause the symptoms of the allergy.

Allergies can be more than just annoying. While some allergies cause symptoms like sneezing, running nose, cough & cold; skin irritations, itching or gastrointestinal distress or more dangerously a drop in blood pressure.

Allergies that create problems in the respiratory symptoms can be caused by molds and fungi, dust, pets or animals, medications, foods. Food allergies can be caused by shellfish and other fishes, peanuts and other nuts, wheat, soy, dairy and eggs.

Contact allergies, or allergic reactions caused by a person's skin coming in contact with a substance, are most usually caused by, nickel, polishes, rugs, fabric softeners, deodorants, cosmetics, perfumes, preservatives, dyes, and foam insulation.