Thursday, August 27, 2009

It must be Allergy...

At some point I should post an Allergy 101, or point to some good descriptions of what is and what isn't allergy. Many of my patients interpret vague or continuous symptoms that they can't pinpoint as allergy. So the "cold that never goes away" could be an allergy to something that is around in the environment for a long period of time, such as mold or dust mite, but could equally well be a chronic sinus infection, nasal polyps, or the result of a deviated nasal septum (the bone dividing the nostril being crooked) or even the reflux of acid from the stomach up to the upper airway. I'll write more about all of these later. Another common complaint is "I"m tired all the time. I must be allergic to something in the air." That's when I need to be a detective and think about all the causes of fatigue...from thyroid disease to anemia and even depression. Yes, and also allergy, becuse having even just hay fever, or seasonal allergies can wipe you out. Reactions to foods are also commonly blamed on allergy. That's a complicated issue I will tackle separately.

No comments:

Post a Comment