WHAT IS AN ALLERGY?

Simply put, an allergy is the result of the immune system mistaking a substance as harmful or poisonous. In the case of a food allergy for example, the body will react as though you had literally ingested a poison.

IgE is formed against allergens such as pollens, dust and foods and where an allergic reaction occurs, the sufferer will produce allergic antibodies when confronted with increasing exposure to a certain allergen. Subsequent exposures will then produce symptoms of allergic reaction. This process is medically known as desensitisation. In layman's terms, the body has quite simply been exposed to a substance more times than it thinks it should be.

COMMON ALLERGIES

Food allergies occur when a food is ingested and incorrectly registered by the body as being a poisonous substance. Possible symptoms including: Itchy rashes, angieodema (swelling of the face or mouth), nasal problems and breathing difficulties, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and anaphylactic shock. Anaphylactic shock can be life threatening where breathing difficulties and other symptoms cause the body to try to shut down.

Pet allergies, including those to cats and dogs, will usually involve a significantly different set of symptoms to those from food allergies. A contact allergy to a pet may find result in a lick or nuzzle causing the skin to break out in an itchy rash such as hives. It may also result in a pet causing a person's nose to bung up and the corneas of their eyes to swell.

Sinus allergies come in several different forms including hay fever and dust allergy. Pollen and dust particles are unfortunately regularly airborne which is bad news for those with allergies to either. Symptoms include pressure along the sinus passages, nasal congestion, tearfulness, excessive mucus production and in some cases breathing difficulties too.

Seasonal allergies are defined by an allergenic substance being considerably more common at a certain time of year. For example hay fever is considered a seasonal allergy. As with sinus allergies, a sufferer can expect pressure along the sinus passages, nasal congestion, tearfulness, excessive mucus production and in some cases breathing difficulties too.

Skin allergies, otherwise known as contact or exposure allergies, are the result of a person's skin coming into contact with a substance the body perceives as being harmful. The most common symptom by far of a skin allergy is a localised or generalised

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