I can’t even count the number of accidents and injuries I’ve had over the years, but I’d always been smugly immune to allergies.
While everyone around me was tracking the pollen count and dousing themselves in Beconase, I was that annoying one, announcing: ‘Oh, I don’t get hay fever…’.
And then I had children.
They tell you about the sleep deprivation and the hair that falls out in clumps, but no one warns you that pregnancy can weaken your immune system and allow allergies to sneak in.
When my eldest was about seven months old, OH and visited a pub garden for lunch; as we walked there, a gust of wind showered us in pollen from an overhanging tree.Within minutes my nose was streaming and my eyes were itching so bad I wanted to pull them out of my head and scratch them. By the time we’d finished lunch, I’d rubbed them red raw.
That marked the start of my horrendous seasonal hay fever.
I was lucky my symptoms never developed into anything dangerous, but I couldn’t go outside in late spring/early summer without sneezing constantly, and my eyes feeling like thousands of tiny bugs were squirming inside them.
No more smugness now.
It took me years to put the puzzle pieces together, but, eventually, by looking at a pollen calendar and thinking about that first ‘ground zero’ experience, I realised I was reacting to tree pollen. Just knowing this was handy, as it helped me to avoid hotspots when the tree pollen count was high, and reminded me to have antihistamines stocked at this time of year.
Often with allergies – especially those that develop in adulthood – it can be a frustrating game of trial and error to figure out what’s sending your immune system into overdrive.
Or, you can skip all the time and frustration and take the Klarify.me home allergy test, which tests your sensitivity to 294 different allergens.
Allergies can develop them at any age (so don’t get smug thinking you don’t have any – tomorrow could be a different story!). The process begins when the body becomes sensitised to a particular irritant. This can be anything from seafood, to mould spores, to dust mites, which is why Klarify tests for 294 different possible triggers.
A simple allergy test you can take at home, the kit guides you through the process of taking a fingertip-prick blood sample, and sending it to Klarify’s partner laboratory for analysis. Within two weeks you’ll receive an in-depth report, which you can then take to your doctor for follow-up action.
The £149 home allergy test works by searching for the presence of Immunoglobulin E (IgE), an antibody produced by the immune system when it detects a possible threat to your body. The presence of IgE means you’re sensitised to an allergen, and the report will identify what particular one (or ones) it is.
If you’re lucky this sensitivity remains mild and you’ll never even know you have it, if you’re not, it can go on to develop into an allergy.
Simply put, an allergic reaction occurs when the immune system overreacts to a harmless substance, such as pollen. If this happens, and you already have the antibodies in your system, they authorise the release of allergen-fighting chemicals. This results in symptoms ranging from annoying (itchy eyes/nausea) to life-threatening (asthma/anaphylactic shock).
Allergies are often dismissed as nothing to worry about, but studies have proven that extreme food allergies in children are on the increase. One shocking study revealed that between 1992 and 2012 the number of people admitted to UK hospitals for anaphylaxis increased by 615%.
Scientists aren’t entirely sure why, but one theory is that modern life doesn’t expose us to the same level of germs, so our immune systems aren’t stimulated as they once were. Knowing what you, or your children, are already sensitised to gives you a heads up, meaning you can choose to avoid those irritants and reduce the risk of them developing into a full-blown allergy.
If you, or they, are already suffering from some kind of allergic reaction – sneezing, swelling, itchiness, nausea, runny nose, etc – the report you can help you pinpoint exactly is setting you off. Not only can this help ease any anxiety you feel around your health, but, armed with this knowledge, you can consult your doctor for further treatment and lessen your exposure to the allergen (avoiding certain foods, staying inside when the pollen count is high, etc).
Knowledge is power – with the Klarify home allergy test it’s the power to identify sensitivities and help manage and avoid allergic reactions, and maybe even save lives.
Photo by Raphiell Alfaridzy on Unsplash
READ MORE: Creating the Girl Bosses of Tomorrow with the Mindscreen self-esteem building programme
