Sneezing, wheezing and coughing are all features of the cold and flu season. Experts say these symptoms are not all about the flu

and cold season at all times but could be due to allergies caused by objects, like flowers, dust, drop in temperature or pet hair, reports Sade Oguntola.

THE next time you dismiss that runny nose when you step out of an air-conditioned room or sneeze when cutting an onion or sweeping a dusty room, consider this: Experts say such common symptoms, caused by allergic reactions to different environment and substances, can affect work and school performance.

The occurrence of allergies seems to be growing exponentially and has been described as “epidemic” by some individuals. It is true that allergies are not only diagnosed due to better awareness, but that they have also become more common in the population over time.

What defines an allergy is an abnormal over-reaction of the immune system to a substance. The body typically has seen the substance at some point in the past, known as a previous exposure to the substance. The body for some reason sees it as foreign and harmful and mounts an exaggerated immune response to it, known as hyper-sensitivity.

At a future time, when the body is exposed to the substance again, it has a rapid response that is designed to try to avoid or quickly get rid of the offensive material, known as an allergic reaction. Things that provoke allergies are called allergens. Needless to say, allergies are widespread and can occur to almost any allergen.

Having allergies could mean a variety of things. Allergies may range from problems, such as mild sinus and nasal allergies that cause cold-like symptoms affecting the nose, throat and eyes, to severe life-threatening reactions (anaphylaxis). It can take about nine different forms. For instance, allergic rhinitis is caused by an allergic response to certain airborne substances such as house dust mites. Sufferers experience cold-like symptoms affecting the nose, throat and eyes. These range from a stuffy or runny nose to itchy, red and watery eyes, and can occur irregularly or all year round.

Some individuals have allergies to environmental triggers that affect the eyes and eyelids (allergic conjunctivitis). Allergic skin condition can result in a rash that may be triggered by something in the environment, food, or chemicals that touch the skin (such as cosmetics, fragrances, metals, and adhesives) is called eczema/dermatitis.

Allergic reactions to foods and food additives is called food allergies while allergic reaction to venom from stinging insects such as bees, wasps, hornets, and fire ants is referred to as stinging insect allergies. Many people are also allergic to latex used in the manufacture of items such as hand gloves, condoms and plasters.

Unfortunately, the reaction can be centered on a variety of different organs. Allergic reactions in the lungs take the form of asthma, while eczema occurs when the allergic reaction is centred on the skin.

Allergies sometimes run in families. But, the specific type of allergic problem that a person has is not necessarily the same type of allergic problem that his/her child will have. For example, a person may have asthma and sinus allergies, called allergic rhinitis, while his or her child may develop food allergies and eczema.

Allergic reactions are not most times life-threatening conditions, but many people underestimate its impact on their daily activities. For instance, quality of sleep in individuals with allergic rhinitis which causes symptoms that ranges from a stuffy or runny nose to itchy, red and watery eyes is affected.  Also, the symptoms of allergic rhinitis such as frequent sneezing or constantly itchy eyes can also be very tiring and adversely affect performance in school or at work.

Unfortunately, many symptoms of allergic rhinitis such as sneezing or runny nose are taken for cold or flu. Dr Soji Ige, a chest physician at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State, stated “when individuals sneeze or cough, it is not necessarily due to pneumonia or other infections that affect the upper respiratory tract. It could be due to an allergy.”

“There is called seasonal allergy. Seasonal allergy means, it occurs in the season when those allergens are in the air. Some people experience cold-like symptoms affecting the nose, throat and eyes due to dust during the harmattan season.  During the new corn season, some people also have allergic symptoms. Others have runny nose when there is a drop in the temperature in their airway, some people due to mould and food particles such as milk, fish and dairy products,” he stated.

Individuals with allergies can be helped to relieve their symptoms. They would cope better with their allergic reactions with medications in the class of antihistamines. Some antihistamines are sedative, but the newer ones are not.

With allergic rhinitis, he stated that “some nose drops are very good in controlling cold-like symptoms affecting the nose, throat and eyes. When a person drops the medication into the nose, it takes care of allergic reaction inside these  structures because they are centrally connected.”

Are things like hot water massage, menthol balm and vitamin C helpful with nasal allergies? “The one that is quite useful in relieving allergies in the nose are the antihistamines or a family of nose drops with steroids in them,” declared Dr Ige.

“Things such as menthol balm, hot water bath and vitamin C do not work with allergic reactions in the nose,” he said. “What is required to stop the problem must be able to address the release of histamine, thus the reason for prescribing antihistamines.”

Nonetheless, Dr Ige declared that “using hot water to massage the nose, steam inhalation or use of menthol balm will help those with blocked nose. It can make for passage of air again, thus easing breathing. But the newer nose drops because of their steroidal content are better in taking care of allergies in the nose.”

“In addition, practices such as wearing of cardigan will not treat such allergic symptoms. The problem with allergic reactions is that it is really when a person is exposed to the allergen that he or she develops its symptoms. With or without a cardigan, once the person is exposed to the allergen, the symptoms is immediate.”

Individuals with allergy can make their symptoms less worse by the following:
•Avoid stressful work deadlines. Allergy sufferers had more symptoms after they took an anxiety-inducing test, compared with when they performed a task that did not make them tense. A sleep deficit can worsen both allergy symptoms and stress.
•Alcohol can raise the risk of perennial allergic rhinitis by three per cent for every additional alcoholic beverage consumed each week. Bacteria and yeast in the alcohol produce histamines, chemicals that cause tell-tale allergy symptoms like stuffy nose and itchy eyes.
•Medications that block histamines work best before one is even exposed to allergens.
•One time not to forget one’s allergy medication is before bed, so the medication will be circulating in the bloodstream early the next day. Symptoms such as sneezing, weepy eyes, and runny nose peak in the morning.
•Cigarettes with their numerous toxic chemicals and irritants are bad for health, but allergy sufferers may be especially sensitive.

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vitamin C
written by now vitamins, February 03, 2012

vitamin C by means of dietary uptake. Plants produce large amounts of l-ascorbic acid to facilitate resistance to the oxidative stresses associated with myriad biotic and abiotic challenges and inherent to photosynthesis. Plants also are the primary source of vitamin C intake with respect to human diets. www.1wallmart.com/category.php?id_category=23 Consequently, the study of plant ascorbate synthesis is highly relevant to both plant biology and human nutrition, with eventual engineering of plant ascorbate metabolism a logical and important target for crop quality improvement (1). Although the pathways responsible for l-ascorbate accumulation in plants are not completely understood, a major component of plant ascorbate synthesis is through the l-galactose pathway (2), in which GDP-d-mannose is converted to l-ascorbate

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