[vivek_lm]

A topic very close to my heart, maybe more so since I've been an asthmatic right from babyhood.

I've been on maintenance inhaler medication since the past 18 years. I had the allergy test detailed by BHIPian TGO earlier in this thread done while i was in upper primary school.

Disclaimer: I'm NOT a doctor. I'm penning down my experience here- it might classify as being in the realm of speculation since this is only empirical and strictly based on my experience alone.

1. Ever since I started using inhalers, I've noticed the following:
i). new food allergy- started becoming allergic to shell-fish (which I've been eating almost on a daily basis right from childhood, having grown up on the coast)
ii). growth stunted
iii). started becoming prone to migraines (I still don't know the cause of this, but it's been with me ever since- propping up it's ugly head every now and then)
iv). more sensitive to allergens in general (cigarette smoke, smoke from burning of waste, wood, etc., dust, vehicular pollution, insect repellents, scent of perfumes, incense sticks and so on and so forth!). This might also be due to what's mentioned in point (2) below.

2. The more I kept avoiding allergens, the more sensitive I became to them over a period of time. Cases in point:
i). constant use of four-wheeler with AC on here in Bangalore over few years meant I'm now unable to travel in non-AC buses or walk much on Bangalore roads (vehicular and dust pollution along with construction debris proves too much for my lungs now).
ii). when I used to stay with my friends, I had only a minor allergic problem with respect to passive smoking. However, now that I settled down a few years back, I can no longer stand even the faintest cigarette smoke.
iii). again, when I used to stay as a bachelor, I didn't have much of a problem with dust (you know how dusty bachelor's houses can get ). Now that I'm in squeky clean environment, I'm unable to stand the kind of environment I used to live in just a few years back.
The point (2) above is probably a corollary of the concept behind immunotherapy treatment which was detailed earlier in the thread- if controlled exposure to allergens reduces your body's sensitivity to those, then reduced or non-exposure to the same allergens may have the opposite effect.

Regarding cetirizine, allegra, etc.- they all belong to a class of drugs called anti-histamines. They provide you temporary relief, meaning to say the conditions can come back if you are still exposed to the allergen(s) even after the effect of these medicines has weaned away (~24 hours).

Last, but not the least, I feel much better when I'm in my home-town (coast) as opposed to being here in Bangalore- I guess this is a no-brainer for any asthmatic!

[vijayshouree]

Originally Posted by ObsessedByFIAT

Allergies!! Tell me about it!! I am too suffering from an unknown allergy and all I can do is wait for the it to subside!

I get rashes on random places with severe itching out of the blue. If you know the rash caused due to high acidity? It is similar to that, but not due to acidity.

On somedays, if I have brinjal/eggplant, I get the rashes. On other days, as soon as I wake up I get rashes, on some other day, at some random time of the day it just happens. Takes around a couple of hours and it goes back to normal as if nothing had happened.

I have consulted multiple doctors to no avail. No medication has had any positive result so far.

Don't worry my friend. I faced a similar issue a couple of years back and finally figured out that I am allergic to Nuts and Chicken (partially).

I visited a countless number of dermatologists and all they did was prescribed Antihistamines which are so drowsy and interfere with my daily activities. There were days where I felt drowsy and fatigue until noon. Since a couple of years, I got used to the condition, avoiding the foods that I am allergic to and managing with Ebasil 10mg once in a while. I am also planning to shift to homeopathy.

It is an exhaustive process to identify problematic foods/places. First of all list down all the things that you do daily and keep a close watch on them, once identified, you can move ahead with any good dermatologist with your findings or you will be in a position to manage the condition like me.

PS: Always take any suggestion related to health from a person who is not qualified (like me) with a pinch of salt .

[car love]

I am a life long sufferer of allergies. I have done every possible test and explored almost all available remedies. My two cents..
I am allergic to dust pollen. Internal household dust, not external dust (Yes, they are different). From my vast studies it can be safely concluded that most allergies are genetic. My mother is allergic and so am i. My dad was not and my sister went after him (lucky for her). People who are originally from the coastal areas are prone to dust allergies when they migrate to the dry, dusty parts of India because their systems are not designed for the same over centuries of evolution. On the coast, the air is humid and there is hardly any dust flying around. Also the grain structure of the soil is different. In the coastal areas, generally the soil is wetter, bigger crystal size which doesn't fly around like in the dusty parts of India. This is partly the reason why places like Goa, Kerala are much cleaner on average because of lack of flying dust particles.
People often think allergies are a simple thing and not to be too bothered about it. I can safely say that it has had a negative impact on my entire life. I have tried everything under the sun and only recently i feel i am getting a grip on it.
My allergies start with sneezing and then develops into a full blown cold with nose block, throat infection, headache etc. It puts me out of work for many days and the recurrence rate is very high so a good portion of the year goes by when i am not fully functional at work or otherwise. Like i said before i have tried almost everything with limited success. Some of the observations are
1) Some of the first generation anti histamines like Cetzine are more effective for me than later, more advanced ones like Allegra.
2) I have tried immuno therapy. It works briefly but best avoided. It causes some side effects like rashes etc. After sometime it is back to normal (i.e full blown allergies)
3) At the first sign of sneezing or after the first sneeze, wash nostrils thoroughly with water so it doesn't "latch on".
Latest self discovery:
I dont know how much scientific truth there is to this but it has been super effective on me for the past one year i.e building up internal defenses.
I did a blood test and found deficiency in Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D. Apparently nowadays due to environmental pollution and low quality food, our bodies are unable to absorb vitamins and minerals from the food directly hence the shortfall. What i now do is that i take a combination of Vitamins based on doctors advice and check the same at regular intervals. My allergies have reduced 90%. I hope this helps others too who are suffering from this really irritating medical condition. Also consult an immunologist. A defective immune system is prime host for allergies. Hope this helps.

[car love]

Originally Posted by distiller

I am also suffering from sinusitis and have 3-4 bouts each year. I am in regular consultation with ENT. Whenever the situation is aggravated they keep me on antibiotic for 7-12 days. And I regularly use antihistamine Bilastine 20 mg and Flomist nasal spray. Yet on occasions I am perfectly fine and on some I can't bear the pain.
The doctor says this happens because of allergy and till date haven't recommended allergy test for me.
In fact I also feel that I need to do something (like exercising) to improve my immunity. As I am a lazy couch and the only part of my body that gets some exercise is my brain I was also considering doing nasal flush using neti pot, that will be a new learning exercise.

Nasal flush, neti is very good. My friend got a lot of relief from it. Also swimming. Many i know say it is the best exercise for dust allergy.

Originally Posted by Mortis

Ive been suffering from nasal allergies since I was a kid. Starts with a stuffy or runny nose in the morning. Im allergic to dust, strong smells and changes in the weather so nothing much I can do to avoid it. Been taking at least half a Levocet M on a daily basis.
Off late there are occasionally terrible days where my nose is perpetually runny no matter what I do and I end up using a full roll of tissue paper a day blowing it. By the second day it's sore and bleeding. Any tips ?

Also developed dry itchy eyes since the last few years after I got conjunctivitis twice in a 3 month span.

One more thing, not an allergy per se but since I turned 30 a few years ago my stomach has become quite weak. It started with my favourite alcohols one by one where even a single drink would give me a bad stomach within half an hour and occasionally even hangover type symptoms and restless sleep. Only Gin seems to be okish so I rarely drink. Now spicy, heavy food also has similar effects on the stomach.

Oh and the wife has also become selectively lactose intolerant since the last few years. Mostly with buffalo milk and fresh cream. She can still have cow's milk, butter, ghee and hard cheeses.

Quite similar to my sympotms at one stage. Go to an immunologist and also check your various Vitamin levels.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

I have the issue very often. Off late I find it is reduced.

I wake up with a blocked nose then continuous sneezing till I take a hot water bath. As soon as I come out of the bath all symptoms vanish like they were never there. The sooner I take a shower with hot water the sooner the sneezing stops.

However it has reduced after I stopped sleeping with the fan on especially during summers and monsoons. I have to check in winter.

Instead of fan I set the AC to 25/26C and sleep. It is not at all cold at this temp and more like comfortable.

I'm attributing it to the fan blowing air straight at my face whole night vs AC which isn't direct and not as strong as fan at speed 2. Speed 1 is too slow for the fan and useless.

This is exactly my mothers condition. Yes the fan is the culprit as it stirs up dust from the room and keeps rotating the dust in the room for 7-8 hours during your sleep and inserts that dust into all the sensitive parts of your body. Also dust your pillow properly, the pillow is hugely responsible for dust allergies because your face is on it for 8 hours pulling in all the dust inside it. Maybe better to go for a high quality one

[SolidSnake]

Allergies can manifest in a variety of forms. Can you please elabarote the symptoms your friend is experiencing ?
There are about a million antigens ( substances) which can trigger an allergy. You can't be patch testing yourself for all the allergens. That's why most allergen tests contain the common antigens which would trigger an allergy in about 90 percent individuals. These would be the avoidable allergens.
I would say like for the remaining 10 percent of the allergens(unavoidable) , whatever it is , the treatment is anti-histaminics mostly.
So , instead of spending thousands on finding the particular cause , it's easier to treat it . That's why most of them prescribed the antihistaminics.
I could point out a few allergens if you can elaborate the symptoms.

[AZT]

Originally Posted by aashishnb

Not sure how relevant, but still for the benefit of everyone.

There is a Parsi women at Kemps corner in Mumbai who does some experiment with an egg or something and is able to identify allergies. There is no consumption of the egg and a lot of vegetarians have also used her help.

Quite effective I'm told, but have no first hand experience. My erstwhile boss had told me about her.

This sounds interesting. Can you share the contact either here or on DM.

[Dieselritzer]

hi,
I am 32 and for around 10 yrs i faced the issue where every morning I would sneeze and have a blocked nostril. Around 3 yrs back I started doing Yoga every morning and ever since my problem has vanished.

My suggestion for anyone having similar issue, please try and start doing pranayams. It is super effective. it not just help me get rid of the problems, but also helped me control my temper, I now breath slowly and every breath is longer, and i can really focus well in work. Infact, earlier if something disturbed me, my entire day would be spoiled. Now, if i get temper, I quickly do pranayam or some simple yoga postures and it helps me relax immediately.

[aashishnb]

Originally Posted by AZT

This sounds interesting. Can you share the contact either here or on DM.

Sent you a PM. Not sure allowed to share here.

[HKap]

Originally Posted by GTO

I'm terribly allergic to dust; an expert told me it could also be "dust mite". The house, office & cars are kept super clean. But if I walk into an affected place (typically a holiday home not used for long), it triggers badly.

Solution = avoid ill-maintained houses.

I tested positive for dust mites and milk (not all dairy) as well. I never had this problem for the first 20 years of my life. It was only when I went to the US as a student that I developed this problem.

I would develop rashes and itching all over my body in the sun and I would also get these attacks if I was stressed out (sudden oh crap stress moments). I returned to India in 2007 and this allergy gradually disappeared only to return randomly a few years later. It's persisted since and I still get those attacks. Unfortunately I can't indulge in sports/gym etc coz my body temperature goes up and triggers the rashes and itching. It's like a million pins pricking me at once all over my body. It's nasty.

I avoid taking anti-histamines as much as possible. I used to take Allegra and Cetzine once I returned to India, and after a year and a half of consistent use, the allergies stopped.

[parambyte]

I have someone very close to me who has allergies and no doctor has been able to help. But our own research has shown things that work and I am surprised doctors haven’t ever explained this to us. Note: this is for allergic rhynitis kind of allergy whee it is also difficult to find exactly what you are allergic to.

There ar many kinds of allergies. (I am typing on my iPad so difficult to do a search and post links here at the moment, but the information is available online please search of this helps you). Allergies happen when your body doesn’t like a foreign substance and in the stimulation an excess of histamines are produced. Or, the body is unable to breakdown the histamines. (Please do your own research on histamines).

So the body always produces histamines and to has a counter check to it called Diamine Oxydase (DAO). A normally functioning body produces enough DAO to counter histamines. In people with severe unknown allergies like my friend, it probably doesn’t.

So think of your quota of acceptable histamine as a bucket. Every time the bucket overloads, you get an allergic attack.
If you want to save yourself from allergies prevent your bucket from overloading. It works a lot for my fried. Maybe someday I will write a post on how we discovered all this without (shockingly) any doctor telling us. All docs we met just asked us to do various tests and eat anti histamine tablets. Tests revealed she is allergic to dust, amongst other things. But there is dust everywhere how do you avoid it. Funny thing is we noticed often she wouldn’t get attacks in dusty jungle safaris. Often would in a dusty city. So apart from pollution there is something else at play here. It’s a histamine bucket. Do not let your histamine bucket overload.

How do you keep your histamines in check? Observe your body. Make notes on when you get attacks and what you are etc. For women, histamine levels may be very high around the menstrual cycles too. Observe all these things.

Then start avoiding or eliminating foods that cause histamine rush. Fermented and processed foods are high on this list. My friend discovered she is extremely allergic to wine. Many kinds of cheese. Tomatoes, spinach are histamine bombs. Funnily enough most Indian food has tomatoes. She has a severe attack within moments of eating certain foods, let’s say chicken curry, then removed tomato from the recipe and then no attack. Brinjals are high on histamine. Fresh curd is fine.

So keep a list of foods very low on histamines and keep away from those high. When you are going through a long time of no allergy, maybe, just maybe, you can try a small piece of high histamine food, because your bucket can accommodate it. That you will know through keeping observations and notes.

Next we come to DAO. Funnily enough I never heard of DAO from a doc in India. Found it from my own research. As I mentioned DAO synthesises and keeps histamines in check. Most of us produce sufficient DAO to keep histamines low. But some don’t. Apparently there are DAO enzyme tests. Never heard of them in India. The body cannot store DAO. You get DAO pills in the US. Read more about this before you try it and definitely speak to your doctor.

You can search for foods high in DAO so you can help balance your histamines. Olive oil is one. It’s very good for DAO.

Another thing that’s very good for controlling histamines is adrenaline. My friend’s allergies are better when she runs, plays badminton etc. some people say yoga helped them, perhaps it’s the adrenaline rush of a yoga excercise. So if you enjoy doing a heavy physical activity, please indulge and keep notes and observations.

My iPad UI is only allowing me a window of some 2 cm for my text so cannot scroll up and down to see what I have type. But. Hope this helps you guys. It has helped my friend. When she does have an attack we realise “Oh you ate pumpkin today. We knew it was High histamines”.

[Turbo Head]

Can't believe I could find this thread on Team-BHP, I am done searching for my allergies all over the google and couldn't find appropriate answers. Thanks for initiating the same.

My mother had certain food allergies when she delivered my sister in 1984 and despite of decades of treatment, she still suffers with the same, though incidences have reduced to once in several months.

Fast forward in 2014 (I was 36 yrs old then) I shifted to Gurgaon and suddenly started complaining that this place as too many mosquitos compared to our house in Delhi, however no one else seemed to agree with me. Later on I realised that it was certainly not the case, however I was having symptoms of mosquito bites (itching, rashes, swelling etc.) later on my wife made me realised that I develop the same when I am usually suffering with cold.

Thanks to some allergic reaction on my daughter and we all realised that we all are allergic to certain antibiotics, ones which end with -mycin (Azithromycin, Allithromycin etc.). So, I started avoiding the same. However soon after, I started developing similar (rather intense) reactions with certain food items (Beer/Red Wine, almost all Non-Veg foods, Eggs etc.) naturally I started avoiding the same and started feeling better. However that was not the end of it, infact the allergic reaction kept on popping and soon I understood same were happening due to dairy products as well.

It's 2020 currently I am allergic to I guess almost everything I eat, Wheat, Gluten, Veggies, Fruits (specially citrus), Dairy products, Alcohol, Non-Veg etc. Despite of all search I couldn't find any definite treatment for the same, So I started taking LCZ (Levocetirizine) and it's been over 5 years now since I am latched to it.

Previously the dosage was only limited to once or twice in a month, which has gone up by once a day.

I have to keep the tabs handy wherever I go as if the allergic reaction starts, its absolutely unforgiving, I get extreme rashes, itching and burning sensation which is killing and I have to pop up the pill before it happens, as it takes atleast an hour to work now.

Spoke to several friends, doctors, googled, however couldn't find any proper treatment for the same. Few suggested going for detailed food tests, which is again extremely long, expensive, pain staking and hit and trial method. Infact most of the doctor I searched and met are dedicated to other types of allergies (Dust, Asthma, Medicines etc.). Next option I am contemplating is Homeopathic/Ayurvedic treatments, which takes their extremely long course of time to show it's effectiveness.

So any suggestions/help/pointers will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

[IntoTheStorm]

I have been struggling with acidity and related headaches since I was 16. But since 2018 I started to have this allergic reaction due to acidity. It all starts with usual acidity sting on my stomach, followed by sneezing, runny nose ( not prolonged). I might sneeze a couple of times and even get a blocked nose. Sometimes I get some itchy sensation on lips/ roof of my mouths - which will last for 5-10 mins. But the real problem sometimes comes in the form of headache. It starts mildly during daytime and gets worse as day progresses!. After a lot of trial and error I have realized that drinking plenty of water at the onset of stomach pain actually helps. Even if the headache starts drinking a lot of water and pushing the acid actually helps to stop allergy symptoms /headache related to that. Drink plenty of water at regular intervals ( I usually empty 1 litre bottle in 15 mins when things get worse). Hope this one helps!

[parambyte]

Originally Posted by Turbo Head

Can't believe I could find this thread on Team-BHP, I am done searching for my allergies all over the google and couldn't find appropriate answers. Thanks for initiating the same.s

Try avoiding high histamine foods. Search and maintain a list. High on histamine are :
Tomatoes (found in almost all Indian food, just avoid, start cooking without it), brinjals, spinach, wine, processed foods, fermented foods, (fresh curd is fine, but slightly over fermented is no no), regular eggs (try organic eggs, they have lower levels of growth hormones injected into chicken) etc. Find your own list. Alcohols are all high on histamine. So are processed meats.

We realised the allergies weren't in chicken, or rajma, It was in the tomato used in the recipe. Tomato is a histamine bomb. Avoided tomato in cooking and now can safely eat chicken. Gluten does aggravate allergies. Try low/non-gluten flours like Jowar, Bajra, ragi. Besan is high high histamine.

Maintain a visual Histamine bucket and preventing it from overloading. Has helped a looooooot.

[Turbo Head]

Originally Posted by parambyte

Try avoiding high histamine foods. Search and maintain a list. High on histamine are :
Tomatoes (found in almost all Indian food, just avoid, start cooking without it), brinjals, spinach, wine, processed foods, fermented foods, (fresh curd is fine, but slightly over fermented is no no), regular eggs (try organic eggs, they have lower levels of growth hormones injected into chicken) etc. Find your own list. Alcohols are all high on histamine. So are processed meats.

We realised the allergies weren't in chicken, or rajma, It was in the tomato used in the recipe. Tomato is a histamine bomb. Avoided tomato in cooking and now can safely eat chicken. Gluten does aggravate allergies. Try low/non-gluten flours like Jowar, Bajra, ragi. Besan is high high histamine.

Maintain a visual Histamine bucket and preventing it from overloading. Has helped a looooooot.

Thanks a ton for your advice, however the list with histamine is way too long and extremely difficult to avoid for lifetime, yet I will definitely chart it down and try to avoid it as much as possible.

Quick question does LCZ have any side-effects if taken for such long duration ?

[KPR]

For the past few weeks I've started to get itchy back thighs and calf muscles of both legs. 3 months of lock down i was sitting at home wearing comfortable shorts in AC rooms even during day. Now once I've started attending work place with pants on I'm getting itch especially in the evening and night times. Before lock down this wasn't the case. Not sure if sweat/heat is causing this or any other reason. This is completely new issue for me and I'm afraid if it prolongs. I'm absolutely fine in the mornings. Any cure for this? Can I try candid powder for relief? Or any other solution?