Charity Links
Allergy UK - www.allergyuk.org
Allergy UK is the country's leading medical charity dealing with allergy and we are here to help you.
Our dedicated helpline is manned by a team of fully trained allergy advisors. However, it's not just a helpline - in fact, it's a lifeline, providing invaluable support and information for allergy sufferers.
Personal & Parental Experiences
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About Allergies
An allergy is an overreaction of the immune system to a substance that's harmless to most people. But in someone with an allergy, the body's immune system treats the substance (called an allergen) as an invader and reacts inappropriately, resulting in symptoms that can be anywhere from annoying to possibly harmful to the person.
In an attempt to protect the body, the immune system of the allergic person produces antibodies called immunoglobulin E (IgE). Those antibodies then cause mast cells and basophils (allergy cells in the body) to release chemicals, including histamine, into the bloodstream to defend against the allergen "invader."
It's the release of these chemicals that causes allergic reactions, affecting a person's eyes, nose, throat, lungs, skin, or gastrointestinal tract as the body attempts to rid itself of the invading allergen. Future exposure to that same allergen (things like nuts or pollen that you can be allergic to) will trigger this allergic response again. This means every time the person eats that particular food or is exposed to that particular allergen, he or she will have an allergic reaction.
Information from – www.kidshealth.org
