Allergies can cause several unwanted symptoms, such as itchy skin, sneezing, and in more severe cases, breathing issues. To take the best care of yourself and improve your symptoms, you should manage your allergies proactively.
This involves taking the appropriate treatment for your allergies, understanding your triggers, and learning more about allergies. An allergy should never be ignored, as it can cause serious and life-threatening problems. Below we look at how you can manage your allergies proactively.
Table of Contents
Understanding Allergies
To be able to manage your allergies, you should understand how allergies work. An allergy is your body’s natural response to a certain allergen. It occurs when your immune system reacts to something it doesn’t know.
Your body then produces a substance called antibodies. Allergies are more common than you think, and you can get an allergy at any point in your life, even if you have never had an allergy to something before.
The most common symptoms of allergies include:
- red, itchy, or watery eyes
- blocked or runny nose
- sneezing
- an itchy, red, or raised rash, known as hives
- swelling in the face
- shortness of breath
- wheezing
- cough
- stomach pain
- vomiting or diarrhoea
You may get some of these symptoms, or several of them at once. For that reason, you should ensure you are speaking to a pharmacist or doctor who may be able to diagnose you, and provide solutions.
Finding Your Allergy
If you have any of the above symptoms, you need to figure out what is causing your allergies. This can help you to avoid it if you can. Avoiding an allergen is not always possible, but we will go into more detail on that later. The best way to figure out what is causing your allergy is by keeping an allergy diary. Write down what you eat, where you go, what you come into contact with, and how your symptoms are. When your symptoms flare up, you can look back in your diary and figure out what is causing your allergies.
You can also visit your GP, who may recommend getting an allergy test. This is usually done at a hospital and involves applying small patches on your skin. If a reaction occurs, this means you are allergic to the substance. If you think you are allergic to a certain food, the hospital may give you small amounts of the food and monitor your reactions.
Avoiding Allergens
When you find the cause of your allergies, you can start to avoid the allergen. This is sometimes easier said than done, and it depends on what causes your allergies. For those with hay fever, it is impossible to never go outside or avoid pollen. You can reduce hay fever symptoms by closing your windows and changing your clothes if you have been spending time in your garden, especially if you were gardening.
For food allergies, try to avoid the allergen where possible and change your diet accordingly. For those with mild food allergies, you may be able to still eat the food as long as you take an antihistamine beforehand. Avoiding the allergen will not get rid of your allergies though, so you should speak to your doctor when you suffer an allergic reaction.
Try Treating Your Allergies At Home
Allergies require treatment, and depending on your allergen, you may be able to proactively manage your allergy symptoms at home. The most common form of treatment is antihistamines, and these can be found at most supermarkets and pharmacies. You may find that some antihistamines work better than others. For allergies that cannot be avoided, it is best to take antihistamines every day.
When you take them every day, they have time to build up in your system. This means when you come into contact with an allergen, they are more effective. Taking an antihistamine after you get symptoms can still help, but taking control of your allergies is best to take treatment before rather than after. You can also get nasal sprays and eye drops if your symptoms are mainly affecting these areas. You can use a combination of tablets, sprays, and drops, but speak to a pharmacist to make sure you are not taking too much.
Speak To Your Doctor
Some allergies require more than over the counter treatments. If you have a severe allergy, your doctor needs to know, and you will need to carry an allergy pen. In the UK, this is commonly known as an EpiPen. You will be trained how to use this, and you should always tell your place of education or work, so they know what to do if you have a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis).
For milder allergies, your doctor will ask you to try over-the-counter treatments first. When these do not work, they will be able to prescribe a stronger treatment. You should take your medication as your doctor prescribes to proactively manage your allergies, even if you feel like your allergies are getting better.
Allergies can be very frustrating, but proactively managing them can reduce the risk of symptoms. Medication and avoiding your allergies is the best treatment, but you should also speak to your doctor and consider getting an allergy test.