Allergies And Fatigue Go Hand In Hand
We normally don't think of allergies and fatigue as having any special relationship. How can pollen, mold, dust or a food we're allergic to, cause us to feel tired or weary? It isn't the pollen, or mold or any other allergen that brings on bouts of fatigue, but rather our body's defense against unwanted intruders that tends to do us in.
An allergen, no matter what it consists of, is something that our immune system looks upon as a foreign substance, and therefore something that doesn't belong in our body, whether it's something we have ingested, inhaled, or touched. One way or another, substances from that allergen, find their way into our bloodstream, and the immune system, sensing there presence, springs into action.
An Insidious Disorder - Fatigue from an allergic reaction isn't something that's easily diagnosed. Unless we come into contact with something we know we are allergic to, an allergic reaction can be triggered in our body and we may not even be aware of it. One of the more common examples of this is what is sometimes known as a sick office, or sick working environment syndrome. Some even suffer from a "sick home" syndrome. The affected individual may feel weak, tired, or generally out of sorts, for no apparent reason. What often happens, is there is something in the air, perhaps being moved around by air conditioning, or there is mold inside the building. Mold is a very common cause of allergic reactions. But, if you don't know it's there, and you aren't coughing, sneezing, or have watery eyes, but just feeling fatigued, you may not have a clue as to what is wrong.
The Role Of Histamine - Whether you directly feel a reaction to the allergen or not, your immune system does, and it's going to work, at times working overtime, to combat the allergen. The immune system, in reacting to the allergen, produces histamine. Although the release of histamine is generally a good thing, the immune system can sometimes resort to overkill, as is occasionally the case when the body rejects an organ transplant. The immune system in effect tries to kill it. In trying to kill off the effects of the allergen, histamine can cause swelling and inflammation of blood vessels, constricting the flow of blood, and also constricting our breathing. The body is trying to fight off the allergen, and at the same time is becoming fatigued in the process, due to the effects of the histamine.
Remove Or Avoid Allergens - It really isn't so much then of allergies and fatigue going hand in hand. There's the third party, our immune system, and its release of histamine, that actually causes the fatigue. As far as treatment is concerned, the best approach is to discover the allergen causing the problem, and avoid it whenever possible. In some cases, such as a particular food allergen this can be done. Or, mold can be located and removed from a home or office, if it is the determining factor. On the other hand, who wants to stay indoors all summer to avoid pollen, which may find its way indoors anyway?
Treatment Is Always Possible - Another way is to treat the condition medicinally, where a medicine can be found that will keep the immune system from overreacting. When successful, both the symptoms of an allergic reaction as well as feelings of fatigue or tiredness may be diminished, or disappear completely. Finally, by following a healthy lifestyle, taking plenty of vitamin C, and getting one's daily requirement of minerals, the relationship between allergies and fatigue can often be dealt with in a positive manner.