The Midlife Woman » allergies

Allergy or Zombie Virus?

guest post — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 06:30:33 +0000

Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether you have plain old allergies or something more sinister like, say, a zombie virus. We’re here to help! It’s important to know if you’re in danger of spreading an apocalyptic virus to your loved ones, coworkers or laundry guy, so here’s how you can tell the difference between allergy symptoms (even severe ones) and a full-fledged zombie virus.

A rash can accompany both an allergic reaction and a zombie virus. Mild allergy rashes may itch. Zombie rashes are not so much raised and itchy as they are cavernous oozing wounds that seep gore. If you ask your spouse to look at your rash and he or she gasps in horror and slowly backs away, chances are that you have a zombie virus. If your spouse has this reaction to a regular allergy rash, tell them cowboy up, get the cortizone and call the advice nurse. Honestly, this is marriage. They’ll see worse.

You may think that your itchy, watery eyes are just high mold counts in the air driving your allergies bonkers, but if your eyes also have large, sunken red or black rings around them that make you look like you’re going to call back auditions for a “Thriller” video remake, don’t think allergy, think zombie (if you can think of anything other than brains).

Congestion is another shared symptom of allergies and pending undead activity. If your congestion is beyond anything you’ve ever experienced in life, you might be nearly dead or undead. If you don’t feel in any way compelled to control the variety of fluids your body is emitting, you’re a zombie. Put away the decongestant and embrace your new life style (or is it death style? whatever).

With allergies, you may experience a degree of swelling that can make it hard to breath or swallow. These should be watched closely and treated by a professional as needed. When you are a zombie, breathing is optional and swallowing is a courtesy you indulge when you want your victims to feel that their arm isn’t going to waste. Just because there’s an apocalypse on, it doesn’t mean you completely disregard basic manners.

More severe symptoms of allergies often include abdominal pain, cramps, vomiting, diarrhea and confusion or dizziness. These are also zombie virus symptoms in the final stages of transformation, so it’s really hard to tell the difference. But as you start to crave human brains, a zombie virus will reveal itself. If you don’t find yourself craving brains, human flesh, or having lost basic speech, you should seek medical attention for these more severe symptoms.

So, as you can see, telling the difference between a zombie virus and garden variety allergies takes attention to important details and self-awareness about cravings. If you are experiencing allergy symptoms, our treatments can help. If you’re a zombie, please contact local law enforcement (if you still have the dexterity to dial a phone) and turn yourself in to the authorities.

Jacob Maslow is a blogger for a company that sells allergy control products such as allergy bedding and air purifiers.

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Articles submitted by guest authors from around the world.

Suddenly Allergic: What Causes Allergies Later in Life?

guest post — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 06:00:12 +0000

Some people develop allergies in childhood, some are born with allergies to medications and certain foods and some people suddenly find themselves experiencing allergy symptoms to things that never bothered them before. Why do we suddenly develop reactions to products and surroundings we have enjoyed in the past?

Women report their favorite cosmetics suddenly cause rashes. Men and women both claim a sudden onset of coughing and sneezing around the ten-year old family pet. Others complain they ache and feel overly tired after a brief time in a large department store. If any of these reports sound familiar, you may be experiencing chemical overload.

Protecting your liver is vital to living a healthy life. The liver affects every other organ in the body and works with the systems that control metabolism and digestion. The liver works continuously to cleanse the body of toxins and impurities. This major organ stores some vitamins and enzymes for months or even years in order to be ready to perform these tasks.

courtesy shutterstock

Your lifestyle can have potentially negative effects on the liver if you ingest chemicals and additives on a daily basis. As chemicals in toothpaste, foods and beverages are consumed, the liver detoxifies what comes into the body and changes it into a substance that can be flushed out through urine or bile. If the liver becomes overloaded, it cannot function properly and will reach toxification.

Some homeopathic practitioners believe this toxification stage brings on the sudden allergy symptoms that many adults experience later in life. They claim this is the liver’s way of telling you it just cannot handle anymore. Simply stated, once the saturation level is reached, there is no place for the liver to store the chemical or food component, and it cannot keep up with the detoxification process efficiently anymore.

What can you do to help your liver regain vitality and a healthy status? Modify your diet, eliminating as many chemical additives as you can from your daily menu. Keep chemicals stored in a place away from daily exposure, and be sure that there are no leaks in any of the containers. Consider using cosmetics, household cleansers and hygiene products that have no chemicals or fewer chemicals whenever possible.

Adopting a healthier lifestyle will support your liver. If you are experiencing pain and inflammation of the joints and muscles, or if you have lethargy, sleep problems and other allergy symptoms, you might consider a liver and kidney cleanse regimen to clean the liver and give it a “kick-start” in the right direction. There are many detoxification products on the market today. Choose a product by talking to your doctor or homeopathic provider. You should notice improvement in your overall health after completing a liver and kidney cleanse. If you do not notice any improvement, you may want to consider scheduling a general physical to check for undiagnosed medical conditions.

By Jacob Maslow, Blogger for Allergy Be Gone, a company that specializes in allergy control products such as allergy bedding, air purifiers and HEPA Vacuums.

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Articles submitted by guest authors from around the world.

What Triggers Asthma in children

Kathleen — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:42:02 +0000

Numerous household effects make asthma worse or can cause attacks. These are known as triggers. The most common asthma triggers are allergens, infections, environmental irritants, stress, and exercise. Often times with asthma have allergies, major cause of asthma symptoms. House dust mites, animal dander, cockroaches, mold, and pollen top this list of common allergens.
Infections of the airways including viral infections of the nose and throat, pneumonia or sinus infections also trigger attacks.
Environment irritants such as cigarette and other smoke, air pollution, fragrances, and cleaning products contribute to triggering asthma attacks. Be sure to check all of the child’s surroundings including classrooms at school, day care centers, and relatives’ homes for exposure to these triggers.

Help Your Child Avoid Triggers
There are numerous, simple things you can do to reduce your child’s exposure to triggers. While it is impossible to remove every trigger, the following information may help.
Do not smoke or let anyone else smoke in your home or car.
The most essential and effective things to reduce exposure to dust mites are to cover your child’s mattress and pillows with special allergy-proof encasings; wash their bedding in hot water every 1 to 2 weeks. Never use second hand mattress, always buy mattresses that are new, remove stuffed toys from the bedroom, and vacuum and dust regularly. Other more difficult or expensive measures include reducing the humidity in the house with a dehumidifier or removing carpeting in the bedroom. Basement bedrooms should not be carpeted.
If allergic to furry pets, the only truly effective means of reducing exposure to pet allergens is to remove them from the home. If this is not possible, keep them out of your child’s bedroom and consider putting a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter in their bedroom, removing carpeting, covering mattress, and pillows with mite-proof encasings, and washing the animals regularly.
Pollen exposure can be reduced by closing air conditioner vents in the bedroom, leaving doors and windows closed during high pollen times. Reduce indoor irritants by using unscented cleaning products and avoiding mothballs, room deodorizers, or scented candles.

Kathleen

Hey, there I'm Kathleen. My friends call me Kathy; to my kids I'm Momia. Life has afforded me many hats: Mom, wife, sister, friend, business owner... and most recently a midlife blogger. From college to marriage and babies, in the midst of business and wealthy boomers, midlife retrospection validates this extraordinary journey called life.

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