Allergy Symptoms Can Vary Tremendously

Allergy symptoms can vary tremendously from person to person, allergen to allergen and place to place. In one person, the symptoms of allergies might be the typical sneezing, stuffy nose and runny eyes. Another person might suffer a general feeling of illness or malaise or stomach problems that they don't understand are related to allergies. The human immune system is extremely complicated, and there are many different ways it can become disturbed and overreact to allergens. Getting your allergy symptoms under control can take months or even years.

Most seasonal allergy symptoms are pretty easy to diagnose. Many people are allergic to mold, grass, pollen in the air and other environmental allergens that come and go from month to month and from season to season. People with seasonal allergies may get sick during a certain week in April when a particular plant is in bloom or always get a flare up of sinus symptoms for a day or two after big rainstorm when there is more mold in the air. Treating these allergies is often pretty simple. Allergy sufferer can simply take an antihistamine when the allergies flare up and go medicine free for the rest of the year. For more severe seasonal allergies, they might have to take shots to desensitize them to the allergens.

Food allergy symptoms are a little more tricky. Food sensitivities and allergens vary tremendously, and can often develop later in life as a response to an illness or some other condition. Upset stomach is a common symptom of food allergies. Sufferers may also get headaches after certain foods or get a cloudy, uncomfortable feeling in their heads. Often, a wheat allergy, peanut allergy or other food symptom can go undiagnosed for a long time before suddenly flares up.

Treating allergies to food is unfortunately a little more complicated than treating environmental allergies. Almost always, you will have to avoid the food completely for quite a while. You may also have to go on a certain diet to reduce allergies and inflammation of your immune system so you can tolerate the food. Some food allergies never go away. Others clear up over time so that eventually you can eat the foods that used to bother you. Either way, having the help of a doctor is extremely beneficial. A doctor can test you for sensitivities, recommend medicines and supplements and monitor your progress. If your allergic condition does not improve, you can try other things until you get your symptoms under control.