01/04/2017
Understanding allergies.
DR.T. John (MD)
What is allergy? Many patients ask this.
It is a condition whereby a person’s body (milieu interieur- as coined by Claude Bernard)
Overreacts to something in the environment (external), which other people do not react to.
What are the common allergies?
Most of the time a person who is allergic will react to
Viral infections, bacterial infections, fungal infections, drugs (both prescription drugs and over the counter medication or local herbal concoctions), food, water, clothes……….even semen! The list is endless indeed. You just need to do your homework and find what you react too, your doctor may be of great help if you work as a team.
How does this thing really happen?
In our body’s internal environment are “soldiers” who normally protect us. For some reason (could be inherited in our bloodline, viral /fungal/bacterial/prions infections, or idiopathic reasons) , a subgroup called MAST CELLS produces too much histamine and interleukins and cytokines ( you can liken this to tea gas commonly used in Kampala), that is responsible for the clinical presentation/ your suffering.
How do I know I could be having allergy?
When exposed to something that your body overreacts to, you may see or experience these features;
Depends on which part/system of the body is involved. EYES ( Redness, itching, tearing),NOSE( Your nose could become stuffy/blocked, itchy, watery and sneezing) CHEST ( difficulty in breathing, coughing a lot, wheezing),FOOD PROCESSING SYSTEM (Diarrhea, tummy pains etc.) , HEART AND BLOOD VESSELES ( feeling dizzy, awareness of heartbeat, sweating a lot….) SKIN( can itch, swell, become red). YOU COULD EVEN FEEL THAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO DIE, AND IF YOU DON’T DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, YOU COULD DIE.
What should I do to be safe?
Try as much as possible to identify and avoid what the body overreacts to whenever possible. Contact your doctor and work as a team to fight this problem.DO NOT JUST BUY DRUGS, SOME SIDE EFFECTS COULD BE WORSE THAN THE ALLERGY ITSELF.