Your Health
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A pain reaction
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| MEASURI NG UP: Specialist allergy nurse Alice Chiwoko measures the reactive areas on Joanna Codd's arm |
I HAVE never thought of myself as an allergic sort of person. But as I answered the questions posed by nurse Alice Chiwoko at the Nuffield Hospital in Bournemouth, I realised I may have been deluding myself all these years.
Nickel jewellery brings me out in a rash; caffeine gives me headaches and spots; and most years I spend spring and early summer putting antihistamines down my throat and up my nose in a seemingly futile attempt to stop hay fever.
There was also a contact lens solution that my optician had never known cause a reaction in users until me. It took days of pain and streaming eyes for both of us to twig that my symptoms were not down to a particularly high pollen count.
And as for allergies in the family, they include a brother who has wheat and dairy intolerances and a daughter whose eyes become swollen and red if she goes near cats or horses.
Allergies are on the increase, but despite the rising demand for medical help, there are only about half a dozen NHS specialist centres in the whole country. One of those is at Southampton Hospital, which also provides an outpatient clinic at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital.
"The trouble is there's such a huge waiting list for all of them and a lot of people can't get their GPs to take it seriously," explained Maureen Jenkins of Allergy UK. "We hear some horrendous stories: people with life-threatening conditions unable to get treatment."
The charity is now working with Nuffield Health in setting up allergy testing services, including one in Bournemouth. The £140 fee includes consultation, skin prick testing and individualised follow-up advice from Allergy UK.
An allergy is a sensitivity to a substance - or allergen - that does not normally cause discomfort or harm to other people. Symptoms can include asthma, rashes and eczema, and are caused by the body's immune system over-reacting.
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| EXPERT: Alice Chiwoko |
Airborne allergens, such as grass or tree pollen, tend to affect the eyes, nose and air passages. Food allergies tend to affect lips and stomach, while food intolerances tend to give people an upset stomach and/or headaches, and sometimes a rash.
The most extreme, but thankfully rare, reaction to an allergen is anaphylaxis, when the patient's air passages start to close up and the blood pressure plummets. Left untreated, it can kill.
| "Within minutes, three reddened spots had appeared and my arm was itching in reaction to grass pollen, dust mites and storage mites." | | Joanna Codd |
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After taking a brief history, Alice drew a grid on my arm and put a droplet of a potential allergen in each little square before pricking my skin through each drop.
Within minutes, three reddened spots had appeared and my arm was itching in reaction to grass pollen, dust mites and storage mites.
The good news was that I was not remotely allergic to wheat, tree pollen, weed pollens, or three different types of mould spores. The bad news was that my reaction to dust mites was the worst of the three, which means I might have to think about junking the carpets at home and taking up a regime of frequent wet dusting.
But I am far from alone. One in three people in this country suffer from allergy and we have the highest level of asthma in the developed world.
Maureen believes the reason is down to changes in lifestyle over the last 30 years.
"There's a lot of science now showing that the immune system and protective mechanisms which protect against problems like viruses and bacteria are altered by what babies eat and what they are exposed to," she explained.
"If there aren't enough bacteria, the immune system tends to be very lazy and to react to things it would normally tolerate.
"People need to get outside more, open windows and doors, use a lot fewer chemicals and purer foods."
She added: "There's no evidence that taking food supplements makes any difference at all, but there is evidence that a healthy diet makes a difference, and certainly that obesity affects asthma.
"Most food intolerances develop as you get older. You can often trace back when it starts to something that happens in life. You may have been ill and had a lot of medication."
The only sure way to find out if you have an allergy is to have a skin prick test or blood test.
Skin prick testing can be helpful in diagnosing a food allergy, but an elimination diet under medical supervision can also be used.
The allergy clinic at the Nuffield Hospital is open on Mondays and Tuesdays. For an appointment ring 0845 602 6442.
7:00pm Tuesday 5th August 2008
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CommentPosted by: Jason McBay, Chicago, IL on 1:57pm Fri 15 Aug 08
This website states that dust mites can only be killed by use of special powders or sprays. http://www.dust-mite
.net/dust-mite-contr
ol/
Is this true? Please advise.
-JMB
This website states that dust mites can only be killed by use of special powders or sprays. http://www.dust-mite
.net/dust-mite-contr
ol/
Is this true? Please advise.
-JMB
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