One of the most horrifying scenes in Firewall, a Harrison Ford thriller, is when Andrew, Ford’s son, is willfully fed peanut butter by those holding Ford’s family, hostage. These criminals knew Andrew was severely allergic to the food and this was their pressure tactic to force Ford into breaking through his company’s security systems.Andrew fell violently ill soon after eating the peanut butter. He couldn’t breathe. As he grasped for breath, Ford tried desperately to prevent his son from going into shock.
Food allergy triggers a reaction almost within minutes of the person tasting the food. While it’s rarely life-threatening, it does cause great discomfort. But while food allergy can be avoided, by simply not eating whatever one is allergic to, most common allergens are literally in the air around you, and hence quite impossible to avoid.
Almost one-third of Americans suffer from some kind of allergy or the other. An allergy occurs when the body’s defense system thinks that a particular substance (in this case the “allergen” like say peanut butter) is harmful and to protect itself it generates an antibody. This antibody (protein that’s produced by white blood cells) then triggers a host of symptoms such as headache, sneezing, watery eyes, runny nose, fatigue and so on.
Common Allergens
Pollen
The most common allergen is pollen. In the past, doctors thought that pollen was limited to hay, hence the name “Hay Fever”. Today, we know that, you don’t need to be surrounded by pastoral expanses to come down with hay fever or seasonal allergic rhinitis. Pollen from trees, grass, and weeds has the same effect.
It’s tough to avoid pollen since its floating in the air. But to protect yourself you could run the air conditioning and try and stay indoors as much as possible.
Symptoms of pollen allergy typically resemble Common Cold – a runny nose, nasal congestion, incessant sneezing and itchy, watery eyes.
Dust Mites
The next most common and equally unavoidable allergen is dust. When spring cleaning, remember how dusting the top of the bookshelf made you double up with sneezing? Bet you don’t know that the dust contained mite faeces, which is what triggered the allergic reaction.
Dust mites are microscopic organisms that live in house dust. They proliferate in humid areas and feed on the dead skin cells of humans and pets (urgh!). They also feed on pollen, bacteria and fungi.
A single mattress can contain up to 2 million dust mites. Try snuggling up in bed with that thought in mind!
The only way to battle dust mites is to keep your home dust free! And we all know how difficult that is! House mite allergy is the most common cause of perennial allergic rhinitis.
Animal Dander
More people are allergic to cats than to dogs. That’s because cats clean themselves more often with their saliva and when the saliva dries it releases proteins into the air, causing sneezing and itching.
To be fair to cats, the same protein is also secreted by dogs, and other animals, by the oil glands in their skin.
If your best friend is allergic to your pet, it might take her months to recover from her last visit to your home – for allergy symptoms persist for months after ending contact with the animal. The solution? Wash your pet regularly and vacuum your carpets frequently.
Insect Stings
Ouch! It hurts when stung by a bee, but most people don’t experience anything more than some swelling and itching. But for less than 1% of Americans, the effect can be almost fatal. From nausea, fatigue and fever to severe breathlessness, hives, swelling of the face, throat, mouth, dizziness and a sharp drop in blood pressure, the symptoms can be frighteningly critical. For such people epinephrine should be administered immediately after a sting.
Try avoiding insects by not going near rubbish bins and wearing shoes by walking in grass. You might also consider avoiding bright colored clothes since insects are attracted to bright colors.
Molds
Molds thrive in moisture and can be found in basements, bathrooms and grass. Inhaling or touching mold or even mold spore can trigger an allergic reaction. You can protect your self by ventilating moist areas in your house.
Latex
How embarrassing it would be if you developed a sudden gastrointestinal uneasiness after using a condom!
Some people are allergic to latex that’s found in gloves and yes, condoms! Latex allergy can cause skin rash, eye irritation, runny nose, sneezing, wheezing and itching. A more severe reaction can lead to breathing difficulties, hives and gastrointestinal problems.
Cockroaches
They don’t need to crawl over your things to make you fall sick. The protein in their faeces releases allergens in the air. It’s easier to control cockroaches than dust mites or pollen allergy! Keep your kitchen and bathroom clean, repair cracks and holes in the floor and use pesticides to kill the roaches.
Fragrance
Some people start sneezing the minute they pour detergent powder into the launder mat. Not just laundry detergent, even perfumes and scented candles can trigger an allergic reaction. Fortunately, the symptoms abate as soon as the scent is out of range. However, repeated exposure can aggravate the symptoms and cause them to last longer.
Food
Food allergy is caused when the protein in the food is not broken down but travels through the digestive system and thereafter enters the bloodstream. The most common food allergies are egg, milk, peanuts and shellfish allergy.
Going back to Andrew in Firewall, the minute he ate some peanut butter, it caused his lips to swell. For some, the first warning sign is an itching in the mouth. As the food travels down the digestive system, it causes abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. Once the protein is absorbed by the bloodstream there is a drop in blood pressure. This is followed by severe skin rashes, itching, hives or eczema. What is frightening is that (as anyone who has seen Firewall will remember), the reaction occurs very rapidly, usually within the course of a few minutes.
The simplest way to avoid food allergy is to studiously avoid eating that food type.
Medical research is currently experimenting with feeding those allergic to certain foods with small controlled quantities of protein extracted from that food - a sort of controlled vaccination against the food allergen.
For those suffering from severe allergic reaction or when medicines fail to alleviate the symptoms, allergy shots is the best solution. However, allergy shots are not advisable for those affected by food allergy since they might trigger adverse side effects.