Archive for the ‘Allergy’ Category



What Causes a Dog Skin Allergy?

The most common cause of dog skin allergies is fleas. Some dogs can carry hundreds of fleas and never display any signs of itching. They do not have an allergy to the flea saliva and therefore do not have the itchiness or urge to scratch after they bite. These dogs are not allergic and generally the fleas don’t seem to bother them. On the other hand, some dogs will have a reaction after 2 to 3 flea bites because of their flea allergies.

The second most common cause is from inhaling an allergen. Depending on the time year, there are a number of things that could cause a skin allergy. In the spring and fall, inhaling pollen from trees, grass, flowers, and such can cause allergies. Similar to some humans having problems with these annoying signs of spring, so do some dogs. If your dog spends more time outside, it increases the exposure and raises the risk of allergies. Mold and dust can be a form of inhalant allergies as well.

The third most common cause of dog skin allergies is from food. Some dogs can be allergic to grains or even certain types of. Some vets recommend a lamb and rice dog food to help alleviate allergy symptoms, but sometimes dogs can become allergic to that as well.

Where Can These Allergens Take Your Dog?

Scratching, licking, and rubbing are typically some of the first signs of dog allergies. As a dog’s skin becomes more inflamed, he or she will resort to these methods to try and stop the itch. With our dogs this progressed to dog ear infections. She would get an ear infection and we would take her to the vet and get some medicine. It would clear up in a few weeks only to happen again. This recurring theme may us start looking for an underlying cause to the problems and we found a dog skin allergy was the culprit. As if the ear infections were not bad enough, the constant shaking of her head led to an ear hematoma. This occurs when the flaps of the ear separate and fluid builds up inside.

Another place skin allergies can lead is dog hot spots. This is when an area becomes red and inflamed and the dog chews and licks it, which only makes it worse. This typically circular area can become red, hot, and swollen as it becomes more irritated. As the dog continues to lick the area, hair loss can sometimes occur.



During different times of the year, many people are stricken by seasonal allergies, depending of course, on what they are allergic to. A common time of the year when the general population experiences this is in the spring or summer time when plants and flowers are bursting into bloom. In fact, more people each year are becoming regular suffers of unpleasant allergic reactions to seasonal irritants, as many as one in every three people.

Over-the-counter or prescription medications may help to alleviate the symptoms somewhat, but there are always side effects to consider, such as dry mouth, sleepiness or insomnia, and general irritation.

There are other more natural methods to try including a few lifestyle alterations along with the use of an allergy vitamin or other natural substances. These more natural methods may help to counter a person’s problematic reaction without having to resort to medication.

An allergic reaction occurs in a person’s body by encountering a certain allergen via inhaling it, eating it or touching it and their body rebelling against it. The person may sneeze, cough, wheeze, experience runny eyes, itchy noses, exhibit a skin rash, or have intestinal distress. The culprits that cause this may be many substances, but some of the more common ones found in nature include tree pollen, grass pollen and weed pollen.

One thing that you can do to help the sufferers in your family be more comfortable is to keep them away from cigarette smoke which tends to make their susceptible breathing system even more aggravated as they deal with dust and pollen.

Another lifestyle change is to keep your windows closed and to change your “outdoor” clothing when you re-enter your home. This will help to keep the pollen outside. Did you know that the prime-time high pollen hours are from between 5 and 10 am? It is a good idea to curtail outdoor activities during that time.

Some natural and allergy vitamin remedies to try include Stinging Nettle, Quercetin, Vitamin C and Fish Oil. Stinging Nettle is a leaf found at your local health food store.

It has been shown to aid in relieving symptoms common in hay fever. Quercetin is also a plant based remedy and helps in reducing histamine moving through the body, aiding in not only allergies, but asthma.

Vitamin C is an allergy vitamin that is well known to encourage the body’s immune system and also has been quite helpful in managing allergic reactions. Fish Oil has wonderful anti-inflammatory properties which help to soothe the lungs.



Anti aging Skincare products are meant to slow down the aging effect and preserve the youth. Sadly to say, that does not work well for those have sensitive skin. When apply the normal skincare products to their sensitive skin over a long period of time, it will cause uncomfortableness to their skin. Rashes and parched skin entailing when the sensitive skin is under the non-hypoallegenic skincare products during normal daily use. Continue using it will just alleviate allergies and itchy skin. Eventually, instead of treating the aging skin problems, it irritates skin further and damages are more than benefits. After the thorough analysis and careful studies, most of the allergies and problematic skin are mainly caused by the petrochemicals ingredients in the skincare products.

Fortunately, that does not mean there are no skincare products which is suitable for those who has sensitive skin. Some skincare manufacturer had started to swift their focus on natural skincre products and only plant-based ingredients are being used. Thus, Hypoallegenic Skincare products was created for those who has disrupting and problematic skin. Hypoallegenic Skincare not only good for those with sensitive skin but also beneficial to those with normal skin conditions.

In a simple layman terms, Hypoallegenic Skincare system avoids ingredients like perfumes in skincare creams which cause users to break out in mild to severe rashes. Another important ingredient to avoid is Paraben, which is commonly used as preservatives in most industries. The purpose of adding paraben into the skincare products is non other than to extend the selves life span. If you find ingredients like methylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben, these are the family of paraben.

Paraben can lead to allergic reaction called contact dermatitis and other skin irritations in people with certain sensitive skin conditions such as Rosacea. It is very important to use only paraben-free skincare, because studies has shown paraben can increase the risk of getting cancerous diseases. The most concerned risk is particularly about breast cancer, in which examination has found Parabens in some breast cancer tissue. As for man, the risk is on the reproductive system as it reduces the sperm count. Another risk is with this paraben skicare products, it exelerates the damage of skin under UV light.

So, in hypoallegenic skincare system, you must at all cost, use only peraben-free skincare products, to free your mind from all those skin irritation problems, Most importantly, practice your hypoallegenic skincare system without the risk of cancerous diseases.

Don’t be fooled by what is being printed on the label of some the hypoallegenic skincare products because hypoallergenic is a label that a manufacturer can put on any product and is not required by the FDA to back up the claim. Some skincare companies simply use the term as a marketing tool, but the actual fact is, it might not be paraben-free skincare product.



Sleeping in pure linen sheets will give the allergy sufferer a more comfortable nights sleep. Made from pure flax these sheets are crisp and cool in the hot summer nights. Flax is a natural fibre and has particularly good absorbent qualities allowing absorption of perspiration during the night. It is also anti-static and resists dust. All these qualities are particularly good for asthma sufferers. Flax is the most ecological of natural fibres using few chemicals compared with cotton.

Best quality fabric comes from Western European sources. Belgium remains famous for growing and processing flax and Belgian linen is accredited with the Masters of Linen label as very little is now woven in Ireland. Using best quality fine flax yarns it is woven to a higher 1300 thread count than from other countries; with yarns more densely packed the higher thread count enables a smoother finish and gives a more superior quality. Many mail order companies are selling more coarse sheets often made in Eastern Europe, sizes are often not as generous as weaving machines are smaller and sometimes these sheets even have a seam.

Linen sheets are hypo-allergenic and provide allergy sufferers with much needed comfort. They are also renowned for their luxurious feel and are now acclaimed by interior designers for their opulence, transporting the user back to the Edwardian era when such sheets were de rigeur. Belgian sheets are marketed in more contemporary packaging and fitted linen sheets are now available for convenience in the home. They are much more affordable than the old fashioned boxed sheets we knew in the past enabling such luxury to reach the homes of everyone with an interest in style in the bedroom.

Linen sheets and duvet covers can be bought on line in the UK but buyers are advised to look for thread count 1300 as 1400 is much more expensive. Many mail orders are selling at around 1000/1100 from Eastern European sources which does not give same crisp cool quality feel as it is made from coarser flax yarns.



You will find that food allergies will give rise to many symptoms and these symptoms will vary depending on the person. One of the most common food allergies symptoms is the itching skin humans tend to feel. Generally the itching skin humans feel with food allergies is related to hives. In this article we are going to look at what a food allergy can do to your body and then describe in more detail the itching skin humans have related to the food allergies.

Food allergies occur because the immune system is at battle with a property of the food you ate. Most often it is related to a protein that is contained in the food. This is why nuts, peanuts, eggs, dairy, shellfish, seafood, and wheat tend to be the most common allergens. You will notice that especially peanuts, nuts, and eggs have a high quantity of protein. The immune system doesn’t recognize this property and therefore it begins to fight against the protein. The idea is that the protein cannot be broken down through regular means, so the immune system releases various chemicals to help the process. These chemicals in turn cause the symptoms most of us see with food allergies including itching skin or the hives.

Hives are red bumps or welts that form on the top layer of skin. Usually they will appear in a small area first, but they can then spread. You will find that the hives can appear on the face, arms, neck, or all over the body. The nature of hives is to be itchy. This means that food allergies cause itching skin in humans. Often the skin may appear itchy before the actual hives or reddened patches of skin will appear. For the treatment of food allergies itching skin on humans you can purchase products such as hydrocortisone. Hydrocortisone is used for a great many allergies that cause skin issues because the properties take away the itch and help to reduce the redness in a quicker manner. Just using a lotion can actually increase the problem.

There are of course more symptoms related to food allergies and it is important to deal with each one as it comes up. While hives are a rather mild reaction if anything more serious occurs, especially breathing problems it is recommended that you seek medical attention immediately for the issue. Food allergies can be very serious for some individuals.



Allergy

Allergy is body hypersensitivity to some substance. Our body can react by breathing system allergy (rhinitis and asthma), intestine allergy (diarrhea) and skin allergy. Skin allergy may occur in the form of mild skin redness until dermatitis, which can appear in many places.

Skin Allergy Identification

When you suddenly get the red spots and suspect an allergy, question your self these:

-Do the red spot appear in a broad part of your body (at your arms and legs) or just in a small part (at your palm hand)?

-What unusual food or even drug and food supplement have you taken?

-Do you change your detergent?

Small part of itchy redness in your palm may indicate that you have a skin contact allergy. Avoid touching the suspected substance. Broad skin redness may be suspected as caused by food allergy-something that goes with the blood flow.

Skin Allergy Treatment

Corticosteroid combined with antihistamines cream or ointment can be used to relieve skin redness. Dermatologist may prescribe a mixture cream contains anti histamines, anti redness, and itchy reducer. Some topical corticosteriods used for allergy treatment are betamethasone, clobetasol, clobetasone,

desonide, desoxymethasone, dexamethasone, difluocortolone, flumethasone and fluocinolone.

There is also natural herbs contained cream for allergy relieving. Some herbs have anti histamine factor in their extract. You can use natural herbs to relieve allergy. Check the label before buying some natural herbs base allergy treatment to find any drug substance inserted in it. A natural herbs treatment should not use any drug substances otherwise they are called allergy drug.

Skin Allergy Alerts

Put a greater consideration in your skin allergy and consult your doctor if:

-Any topical treatment did not work out. No allergy symptoms like skin redness and itchy feeling are reduced.

-You have another severe allergy symptoms like breath difficulty, faster heartbeat, headache, nausea, and vomiting. Those symptoms are leading to serious allergy that cause anaphylactic shock and should be treated soon by a medical doctor.

Further Steps to avoid Skin Allergy

-Take an allergy test to know what substances you are allergic to. It is called a patch test. Doctor will give some allergy suspected substances on your skin and see which one cause you allergy. It is not a painful test but useful to prevent from contact skin allergy.

-Always remember what you are allergic to and avoid things that can cause allergy.

-Prepare an allergy cream as a first aid. At least the cream will prevent from scratching your allergic skin.