Allergies & Asthma

Allergies

An allergy is an overreaction or hypersensitivity of the body's immune system to specific substances or allergens. These substances may include pollens, house dust mites, animal dander and insect bites.

A healthy immune system fights illness by attacking harmful invaders, such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites. But in people with allergies, the immune system mistakes a harmless substance such as pollen or dust for a harmful substance it must destroy.

When a person with allergies is exposed to a specific allergen, the immune system creates antibodies against the invader. The antibodies specifically associated with allergies are called IgE antibodies.

IgE antibodies mediate many kinds of allergic responses, from hives to allergic rhinitis (hay fever), bronchial asthma, or very severe allergic attacks called anaphylaxis.

Symptoms commonly associated with allergies include: sneezing, stuffy or runny nose, coughing, watery or itchy eyes, itchy throat and nose, post-nasal drip, itchy skin or rash and hives.

Asthma

Physicians in ancient Greece used the word "panos," meaning panting, to describe the breathlessness or gasping characteristic of asthma. They believed that asthma was derived from internal imbalances, which could be restored by healthy diet, plant and animal remedies, or lifestyle changes.

Today we know that asthma is an inflammatory disease of the bronchial tubes that causes swelling and narrowing of the airways.
The narrowing that occurs in asthma is caused by three major factors: inflammation, bronchospasm and mucus hyper secretion. The result is difficulty breathing.

The bronchial narrowing could be either be totally reversible, partially reversible, or irreversible to bronchodilators. Asthma is now the most common chronic illness in children, Five percent of adults in North America are also afflicted.