Allergies are an emotional and psychological condition that can affect an individual’s life in many ways. Often times it is not the actual thing that causes an allergy to cause an allergic reaction, but rather it is an effect that the body has on a particular allergen that is inhaled. In order to understand this better, it is important to understand what the body actually does when an allergic reaction is experienced.
The blood contains antibodies that are specifically designed to attack the proteins in any foreign substance that is being inhaled. If the blood’s ability to detect and differentiate these proteins is compromised, the reaction is experienced. Many people do not know this and assume that if they feel something it is because it is actually their skin or hair reacting to something that is inside them.
The allergy begins by triggering an allergic reaction in the eyes, nose, throat, skin, or respiratory system. Each of these areas has specific organs that react to these proteins when they are inhaled. Once the reaction occurs, then the person becomes more susceptible to the allergen again and has to continually be exposed to this new allergen in order to avoid future reactions.
People who are susceptible to allergies are those who smoke, those who have asthma, are taking medications, those who suffer from a cold, flu, sore throat, eczema, or hay fever, and others. It is important to understand that there are a variety of allergies that can affect different areas in a person’s body. However, by knowing the different types of allergies a person has and understanding how the body reacts to certain allergens, it is possible to prevent the allergy from occurring in the first place.
Some examples of allergies that have been found to affect different parts of the body include asthma, irritant, food, environmental, and chemical allergies. Allergic reactions are often not noticeable until they have been going on for a long period of time. Most allergic reactions may only be felt after the exposure to the allergen has occurred.
When the body is exposed to an allergen, it releases chemicals that are part of the body’s defense system to combat the allergic reaction. When the body fails to properly combat the allergen, the body begins to release chemicals that cause a further reaction. The body responds to each change it perceives as a threat to itself and in this case, the body reacts to an allergen by releasing more chemicals that affect the allergen.
For example, if the epi-pen were used by a person and the needle pierced the skin it would cause the release of more chemicals that would go into the bloodstream and cause more chemical reactions within the body. While these reactions may be small, the body will release even more chemicals to try and protect itself from the new allergen that is entering the system. Eventually, the allergen is met with resistance and the person feels a reaction from the allergen.
This type of allergic reaction can also occur because the body does not recognize a particular allergen and will therefore not be able to properly react to it. When the immune system is not able to identify the allergens the chemicals released to cause more chemical reactions within the body. At this point, the body has created even more chemicals that it will release to attempt to defend itself against the new allergen.
It is important to realize that the body may release chemicals when it senses an allergen but it also may release chemicals simply because the allergen was exposed to and reacted to the chemicals. For example, when the epi-pen is inserted into the skin to the blood vessels surrounding the epi-pen open up to allow the pen to travel through the bloodstream and into the lungs. Once in the lungs, the epi-pen works to trigger a chemical reaction in the blood vessels that will allow it to pass through the bloodstream and enter the bloodstream.
The epi-pen however can make the blood vessels dilate allowing it to become exposed to the new allergen. Therefore, it is important to understand that the blood vessels open to allow the epi-pen to enter the body as it also opens to allow the lung cells to pass through the bloodstream as well. The blood vessels of the lungs will now be exposed to the new allergen, and will thus be the source of the chemicals that create an allergic reaction.
The body will react to any exposure to allergen by creating chemicals to counter the chemicals that were released to create an allergic reaction. These chemicals are responsible for the allergic reaction, and they are released as a defense mechanism to fight off the allergen. You must understand that the body is not one big complex machine and you cannot control every aspect of your own immune system.
