Beware of Allergies

Yesterday I woke up with swollen eyes and a face like a balloon. The skin was itchy and irritated. I knew it was allergies. I'd experienced minor allergic reactions in the past month and had seen doctors already but the allergies didn't go away.

Do you know what allergies are?

Allergies are abnormal immune system reactions to things that are harmless to most people. When you're allergic to something, your immune system mistakenly believes that this substance is harmful to your body. Substances that cause allergic reactions may be certain foods, dust, plant pollen, medicine or animals' hair and fur.

To protect the body, the immune system produces antibodies to fight the substance. Those antibodies then cause certain cells in the body to release chemicals into the bloodstream, one of which is histamine (pronounced: his-tuh-meen).

The histamine then acts on the eyes, nose, throat, lungs or skin and causes the symptoms of the allergic reaction. Allergic reactions can be mild, like a runny nose, or they can be severe, like difficulty in breathing.

My doctor has given me some medicine called antihistamine (pronounced: an-ti-his-tuh-meen) which will help fight the allergies. He believes my allergies are caused by external environmental factors. For example, the humid weather, dust or mould. I will have to be careful with what I eat, just incase there is a particular food that I've become allergic to.

It is now hot and wet in Hong Kong, the best weather for mould and bacteria to breed. We need to take extra care with our hygiene. Wash your hands, keep your rooms clean and tidy and eat more healthy food!