Fall Allergies and Children

Fall is a tough time for children who are allergic to ragweed and other plants that send out pollen in the fall. The start of school means increased exposure to other children which gives germs more of an opportunity to find them, and a busier schedule can often lead to a weaker response from their immune system. Here are 5 ways you can anticipate the fall allergy season and keep your child healthy.

1. Stay Informed About Daily Pollen Levels-If you child is allergic to fall pollen ragweed is the likely culprit. Allergies to this weed account for more than half the problems that fall pollen can generate. There are others weeds that send out pollen at this time of year including cocklebur, pigweed, tumbleweed, and sagebrush.

The internet allows you to get pollen count by zip code, and local TV, radio stations, and newspapers give pollen levels daily. If high pollen levels are likely to trigger an attack, consider having your pediatrician write a note that excuses your child from outdoor activities when the pollen climbs above a certain level.

2. Push Fluids-One of the body’s ways of ridding itself of the pollen that it sees as harmful is to flush them with watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing, coughing, and by producing mucous that causes congestion. Keeping the body hydrated replenishes the fluids that are lost and keeps your child healthier, and feeling less depleted because of the constant loss of fluids.

3. Consider Over-the-Counter (OTC) Help–The last thing most parents want to do is to push a pill at their child. However, it only takes several days of your child’s misery for you to take a look at over-the-counter medications that might offer some relief. Zyrtec and Claritin both come in children’s doses and your pediatrician can recommend one that might offer relief for your child.

Be sure to try them out on a weekend day first. Different children react in different ways. Some children don’t react at all, some feel sleepy, and others become more active. How it affects your child will help you decide when to give it. If it causes sleepiness or increased activity, giving the dose a few hours before bedtime and/or after school will avoid having it interfere with school, but can still offer much needed relief.

4. Provide Adequate Sleep Time–With the crowded schedule that fall can bring for children, it’s easy for activities to encroach on adequate sleep time. Hold to a regular bedtime and insure that your child gets at least 8 hours of sleep each night. Allowing the body to rejuvenate is a healthy and natural way to keep your child feeling good and their body strong.

5. Continually Filter Indoor Airborne Allergens–Regardless of how many precautions you take, pollen will get into your indoor air. Pollen attaches easily to hair, clothes and pets when entering from outside. Using a high efficiency particle arresting (or HEPA) air purifier that is specifically designed to remove airborne pollen is an essential allergy management tool.

Continuous filtration of your indoor air means that pollen levels are never allowed to increase to the point that cause your child to become uncomfortable. This kind of air cleaner is also able to work not only on fall pollen other normal airborne pollutants that are present in your home all year long.

Are Allergies on the Increase?

A third of the population believe that they suffer from allergies, and even though some of these people may be mistaken, everyone agrees that eczema, asthma, hay fever, irritable bowel syndrome, etc. are now more and more common. So, what has happened?

Genetic Predisposition

Allergy problems undoubtedly do run in families, so there may be a genetic component, although the exact mechanism is not clearly understood. Some small genetic mutation can cause the immune system to be triggered more easily, so that family members sharing this mutation will all have a tendency to allergic reactions, although not necessarily to the same substances, but this does not explain the rise in the incidence of allergies in recent years.

Severe Virus Infections

A severe virus infection can lead to damage to the immune system, so that the individual is more likely to develop allergies in the future. Again, although this may explain why someone has allergies, the incidence of virus infections is not on the increase.

So we have to look elsewhere to explain the rise, and there are several completely different possibilities.

Parasites

One allergy theory now being proposed is that the lack of the proper enemies (liver fluke, tapeworms, etc.) has led to an idle immune system finding inappropriate work in allergic reactions. There are many antibodies produced in the body to protect it against invasion by harmful organisms. IgE antibodies deal effectively and quickly with the extreme danger of infection by large parasites, such as tapeworms. Parasites’ effect on health can be devastating, so over the years individuals with efficient IgE mechanisms have lived to reproduce and pass on their genes at a greater rate than people with a less efficient IgE mechanism. The IgE antibodies are also involved in allergic and hypersensitivity reactions, so people with these inherited efficient IgE mechanisms are more likely to suffer allergy problems than people who have inherited a less efficient system. This super-charged immune system was a plus for an asthma sufferer’s distant ancestors inhabiting a world with many life-threatening parasites, but now leads to a ‘trigger-happy’ immune system firing off inappropriately.

Other practitioners (notably Hulda Clark in ‘Cure For All Diseases’) take the opposite view, and see many allergy symptoms as being a reaction to an infestation of parasites.

Excessive Cleanliness

The obsession with the danger of ‘germs’ is thought to have led to an increase in allergies. Much of this obsession with cleanliness seems to be driven by the media and advertising. Headlines about ‘killer bugs’, and advertisements that claim a product kills even more germs have led many people to buy more and more products to wipe out these dangerous enemies. A view now gaining ground among many researchers and some doctors is that a certain level of dirt is good for us, particularly during infancy and early childhood when the immune system is maturing.

T-helper cells in the immune system recognize foreign antigens and then secrete substances to activate other cells to fight the invader. In pregnancy the T-helper cells that attack invaders directly without producing antibodies (Th1 cells) are less active, as these could lead the mother’s system to reject the fetus. This means that the T-helper cells that are responsible for antibody reactions (Th2 cells) are more prominent. These are the ones that are involved in allergic reactions. The new baby’s immune system has the same emphasis as the mother’s had during pregnancy. It is believed that the exposure of the very young to some level of ‘dirt’ is beneficial in that it helps to rebalance the immune system to emphasize the T-helper cells that are not involved in the allergy process.

In an excellent article (’New Scientist’ July 18th 1998) Garry Hamilton talks about ‘the gentler side of germs’. If the young are not exposed to ‘dirt’, the immune system does not go through this rebalancing process, and a tendency to allergy can result. Linda Gamblin in ‘The Allergy Bible’ cites several medical research projects, which support the idea of allowing children to be exposed to dirt and minor infections to help protect against allergies.

Vaccination

Our children are now being vaccinated against a bigger and bigger range of diseases. While some of these are serious, many are mild illnesses that were once considered part of a normal childhood. Many alternative practitioners consider that these childhood illnesses help to prime the immune system so that it is better able to cope with a whole range of illnesses later in life. This view is not accepted by most of the medical profession, and indeed it would be difficult to prove. However, there is some evidence that vaccination alters the ratio of T-helper cells and T-suppresser cells. This would be likely to have an effect on the vaccinated child’s susceptibility to allergy reactions. It is also known that most vaccines stimulate the branch of the immune system that is concerned with the more extreme immune reactions to invaders such as parasites (’New Scientist’ July 18th 1998).

Ubiquitous Presence Of Some Foods

Before the advent of freezers and airfreight most people ate local foods in season. Now most fruit and vegetables are available all year round, so that our systems are exposed to the same foods continually without respite.

There has been a dramatic increase in people experiencing soya allergy, since soya has become a common ingredient in many processed foods. In Europe and North America rice allergy is relatively uncommon, whereas in Asia where it is consumed more frequently it is much more common.

Technological Developments

Developments that make modern life more comfortable have also led to an increase in allergies. With the advent of air conditioning, central heating and wall-to-wall carpeting house dust mites and moulds such as alternaria have an ideal environment in which to thrive. Modern offices with sealed windows mean that everyone is exposed to the perfumes worn by other people. The increasing use of plastics, formaldehyde, benzene etc. has led to all of us being exposed to an amazing variety of chemicals.

Contamination by Environmental Pollutants

The chemicals in diesel fumes are known to damage the outer membranes of pollens. This means that when the pollen is breathed in, the pollen proteins are immediately in much closer contact with the delicate membranes in the mouth, nose and lungs than they would be if the pollen had not been damaged in this way.

It has now also been suggested that the immune system is reacting to some harmless substances because they have been contaminated by environmental pollution: the immune system does not recognize the food, for example, if it has molecules from tyre rubber attached to it. These molecules sometimes appear similar to enzymes produced by parasites and so the immune system attacks the ‘parasite’.

Although more and more evidence is accumulating for a role for environmental pollutants, this does not explain why New Zealand, which is relatively unpolluted, has one of the highest incidences of asthma in the world.

Electro-Magnetic Pollution

An increase in electro-magnetic pollution has run parallel with the increase in allergies. The scientific jury is still out on the danger of mobile phones, power lines, etc., but many people are becoming more concerned about our constant exposure. People who are sensitive to computers, etc. often also show many symptoms typical of allergic individuals. In some cases correcting this sensitivity to electro-magnetic sources, results in all or most of the adverse reactions disappearing.

Stress

The pace of life is quickening all the time: modern technology gives us more possibilities and many of us want to experience as many of these as we can. A survey found that half of the 950 young people in their 20’s interviewed said that they would feel a failure if they did not own a home by 26, were not married by 27 and not both rich and parents by 29. Many of the interviewees said they were prepared to sacrifice a healthy diet and way of life to achieve this. These expectations and pressures are not conducive to long-term health and can also lead to stress and allergies. Pre-packaged, processed foods eaten in front of the television, too much alcohol, too little fresh air and exercise all take their toll.

Sometimes particular traumatic events can explain a particular allergy. One of my clients was allergic to wool and tea. She told me that when she was a small child she had pulled a cup of hot tea on to herself. At the time she was wearing a wool sweater, and the tea soaked into the sweater and burnt her very badly.

Diet

It is now well known that bottle-fed babies are more likely to be prone to allergy problems than breast-fed ones. Sudden or early weaning can contribute to the problem too.

Sadly the modern diet may be abundant in calories, but there is more and more evidence that it is low in some important nutrients. People are eating more pre-processed foods, which may be nutritionally compromised.

Soil is becoming depleted of some minerals, because they have long been taken up by plants grown in the soil. If the mineral is not in the soil, it cannot be in the plant, and so it is not available in the foods we eat either.

It is unlikely that there is one simple answer as to why people are allergic, intolerant or sensitive in general or to particular substances. Research is still being carried out in this fascinating area. Fortunately with the tools that are available it is not necessary to know why someone has allergy problems in order to be able to detect and correct them.

 

Common Allergens

Allergies have become common and lot of people live everyday from it, sometimes without even knowing it. The cause for allergy may be anything which range from food to dust. Many of these allergies result from exposure to atmospheric irritants like pollutants being natural or organic. A few of the more prevalent allergens are insects, pollen, plants, flowers, trees and chemicals. Let’s review few common allergens here.

Ragweed: Frequently being under the pollen category, this will cause symptoms such as itchy, watery eyes, runny noses, wheezing, coughing and even asthma or other respiratory disorders.

Cockroaches: There is nothing like cockroaches have to bite you, to lead to an allergic reaction. Rashes and asthma are frequent symptoms of a typical cockroach allergy. Cockroach’s saliva and feces are believed to cause allergic symptoms. According to a survey, about 98 percent of homes in urban areas have cockroaches. People having asthma already, are most likely to respond to cockroach exposure with allergy symptoms.

Dust mites: They are micro organisms surviving in dust. They live in your bed and pillows, in upholstery and also in your carpet. You must vacuum regularly, clean up often and wash your sheets and bedding as frequently as possible to get rid of dust mites. Allergic symptoms are similar to the ones from exposure to pollens, including wheezing or coughing. But it is not so easy to be free from this allergy, because it is not realistic to eliminate dust mites fully.

Honeybees: Honeybees, bees and other insects injecting venom in human body causing just mild irritation. However in some individuals it creates respiratory difficulty and even anaphylactic reactions. Most bees leave a venom filled “sac” in human skin. This is removed scratching the skin with a flat substance like credit card. But you need to be careful in removing the same without breaking the stinger or stem holding the sac to prevent the venom from spreading..

Mold: Mold comprises all parasitic fungi or spores living within warm and moist atmospheres Mildew is an example for mold. Mold is often challenging during hot and humid summer times. If you live in a region having little humidity in the air, you need not bother about mold.

Pollen: This normally causes an allergic response like hay fever or allergic rhinitis and inflammation of the nose, throat and eyes. As the density of pollens is usually higher in spring season, most people experience flares or a aggravation of their symptoms in the spring.

Animal dander: Certain substances or proteins secreted by animals like cats irritate the nasal lining of human beings. Watery, itchy eyes, sneezing, congestion and even increased asthmatic trouble are the symptoms of an animal dander allergy. Allergic reactions vary with every person and a few may not have all the symptoms listed.

Identifying the triggers, is the first task in alleviating them. You can identify the allergy responsible for your symptoms by blood test. Immediate medical treatment to eliminate the allergy is very important to avoid for worsening.

Many experts point out that common allergens are often not noticed by people suffering from them. To make sure this does not happen to you, we highly recommend to check an allergies guide to see if you match given symptoms of allergies or not.

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