At a minimum, allergies will only cause itching, rashes, sneezing, wheezing, pain, and congestion. But in the worst cases, they can lead to anaphylaxis, a fatal systemic overreaction to allergens. The causes of an allergy vary, including certain plants, pets, dust mites, mold, foods, or chemicals. Therefore, it is helpful to know if you are allergic to each type of allergen in order to recognize which substances to avoid or to find the correct treatment for your allergy problem.
To find out if you’re allergic to something, you need to check how your body responds to each of these categories of allergens:
1. Food. According to the FDA, the most common causes of food allergies are fish, milk, peanuts, wheat, crabs, shrimp, soy, chocolate, and tree nuts. A milk allergy can cause your body to react with vomiting, hives, or swelling when you eat milk. Some of the food allergies cause anaphylactic shock along with other symptoms ranging from skin irritations to digestive difficulties.
2. Animals. Cats and dogs can become a source of animal allergies because their fur can contain pollen and their saliva can trigger allergic responses. If you experience congestion, itching, swelling, bumps, sneezing, coughing, or a runny nose every time you’re around your pets, you’re likely allergic to them.
3. Pollen. Pollen in the air can be a source of allergies, and these things tend to reach their highest levels in early summer, early fall, and spring. If you experience sneezing, a stuffy or runny nose, watery eyes, itchy throat, extreme fatigue, postnasal drip, a chronic cough, or a persistent cold when around airborne pollens, then you likely have pollen allergies.
4. Chemicals. Soap and dyes can cause skin allergies in some people. Any skin irritation, redness, itching and rash that develops after using certain products may indicate that you are allergic to certain chemicals contained in the products.
5. Smoke. Major allergies are due to a reaction to a particular protein or chemical. However, allergies to smoke are also often found. You may experience a smoke allergy if you experience a stinging sensation followed by watery eyes when exposed to smoke. Smoke can irritate nasal passages causing excessive sneezing, while airborne tobacco can irritate sensitive eyes. Smoke allergy shows severity if you experience chronic cough or chronic headache. Beware of shortness of breath caused by smoke as it could be fatal.
Allergy testing with an at-home test kit is helpful in finding out if you are allergic to something. However, these tests are not always straightforward. Some of the allergy tests are very sensitive, which means that false positive results are quite common. Also, the interpretation of the tests may be difficult to determine the root cause of your food allergy. For that reason, it’s important to undergo blood tests for specific allergy-causing antibodies under a doctor’s supervision to accurately diagnose your allergies and find the best way to treat them.
