Allergies are very common and they are at an ever increasing rate. A statistic shows that they affect over 30 percent of adults and 40 percent of children. Asthma is an allergic disease and is one of the leading chronic diseases in the US.

How do allergic reactions occur

An allergy occurs when your immune system reacts to harmless foreign substances. They can come from something eaten, inhaled, touched or simply injected into your body.

Unfortunately there are no known cures for allergies and prevention is the best way to manage this cumbersome reactions. Before you learn how to protect yourself from allergies, you need to understand the different types.

The different types of allergies

Skin allergies can be caused by contact to plants like poison oak and poison ivy. It usually causes inflammation. Certain foods may also cause skin allergy

Food allergies can be caused by taking foods such as milk, peanuts, eggs, wheat, fish, and so on. Children are the most affected by this type of allergy

Insect allergy is often caused by bee, wasp or ant bites.

Outdoor and Indoor allergies are caused by pollen, mold spores, rodents and dust mites

Latex allergy is caused by latex material like latex gloves.

Drug allergies leads to an unexpected reaction when a certain drug is taken. Antibiotics like penicillin are the most common allergens.

How to protect yourself from allergies

You must be prepared in case you experience an allergic reaction

This is the simplest way to stay safe. Ensure that you always have something to manage the allergy in case it occurs. An inhaler for asthma patients is a good example.

Ensure that your house is always allergen free

Carpets can be a home for dust mites so you need to eliminate carpets especially in your bedroom. Houseplants make your house look attractive but are dangerous as they can be a haven for mold spores. Don’t let dust get into your living room and clean your house regularly.

Manage your pets

Ensure that your pets don’t wander off unsupervised as they can bring allergens to you. You should also be careful since even pets like cats and dogs can cause allergic reactions. Don’t sleep with your pets.

Watch the time

Scientists have concluded that pollen count is at its highest between 5am and 10am. You should therefore not go out running at this time to prevent any reactions. This is important if you want to learn how to protect yourself from allergies caused by pollen.…