Take action to control your allergies. Breathe easy by learning more about how to manage symptoms. According to research or other evidence, the following self-care steps may be helpful:
- Clean it up
- Control household allergens like dust, mold, and animal dander to reduce your overall allergic load
- Help children avoid allergies with beneficial bacteria
- Take a probiotic supplement containing high-potency beneficial bacteria (probiotics) during pregnancy and give them to newborns to help reduce the risk of children developing allergies
- Watch what you eat
- Work with a specialist in food sensitivities to see if certain foods are causing your allergies
- See a healthcare provider
- Find a professional to help you manage your allergies
These recommendations are not comprehensive and are not intended to replace the advice of your doctor or pharmacist. Continue reading the full allergies and sensitivities article for more in-depth, fully-referenced information on medicines, vitamins, herbs, and dietary and lifestyle changes that may be helpful.
About allergies
Allergies are responses mounted by the immune system to a particular food, inhalant (airborne substance), or chemical. In popular terminology, the terms “allergies” and “sensitivities” are often used to mean the same thing, although many sensitivities are not true allergies. The term “sensitivity” is general and may include true allergies, reactions that do not affect the immune system (and therefore are not technically allergies), and reactions for which the cause has yet to be determined.
Some non-allergic types of sensitivity are called intolerances and may be caused by toxins, enzyme inadequacies, drug-like chemical reactions, psychological associations, and other mechanisms. Examples of well-understood intolerances are lactose intolerance and phenylketonuria. Environmental sensitivity or intolerance are terms sometimes used for reactions to chemicals found either indoors or outdoors in food, water, medications, cosmetics, perfumes, textiles, building materials, and plastics. Detecting allergies and other sensitivities and then eliminating or reducing exposure to the sources is often a time-consuming and challenging task that is difficult to undertake without the assistance of an expert.
Product ratings for an allergy or sensitivity
