Allergy Types

Allergy Types.

There are lots of different Allergy Types and for simplicity we will divide them into two board groups, food and environment.

Food Allergy.

In principle any food is capable of causing an allergic reaction nevertheless there is a minor number of foods that constitute the greater bulk of all Food Allergy problems. They include

- Peanuts
- Tree nuts
- Seafood and mollusc (shellfish)
- Grains - Wheat Rye Barley and Soy
- Eggs and Dairy products (cheese etc)

The amount of people who suffer from food Allergies is in reality comparatively low compared to the number of folks who suffer from food intolerance.

A food allergy is a chemical reaction by the body’s immune system towards a foreign substance. Your body produces hystamines to attack the food item. On the other hand food intolerance is a reaction from the body’s digestive system. Your body simply cannot effectively digest what you have eaten.

Immune system reactions typically incline to be more immediate and more potent (choking, vomiting, swollen throat) whilst Digestive system reactions are usually a lot less serious (belly ache, gas).

Environment Allergy.

The second group of Allergy Types is the environmental group. This is a rather wide collection covering both manmade and natural substances.

The two main culprits in the manmade (manufactured) group are cigarette smoke and latex-rubber. You will find that cigarette smoke contains a great mixture of toxic chemicals while latex (rubber) is made of some strange proteins that react with your skin.

The natural substances group can be further separated into “animal” and “plant” sub-groups.

Animal sub-group

In the “animal” sub-group you will find dust mites, household pets and cockroaches, in that order of relevance. With dust mites and cockroaches it is not the animal itself that is the main culprit in causing your Allergy, but rather it is their droppings (poop). Besause the animals are so small and mobile their droppings can be laid anywhere and also allows them to be blown around.

When dealing with pets some people wrongly believe that it's the pet fur that is the cause of the problem. This is not so. In relaion to dogs they have Allergens in their saliva (spit - drool) that is the culprit. All breeds of dogs can cause your Allergy. In relation to cats they have Allergen that are made by the sebaceous glands in their skin. Because a cat always lick it's fur this spreads the allergen over it's body. The cat rubs itself up against people and all sorts of objects around the house thus transfering the Allegens.

Plant sub-group

In the “plant” sub-group we find trees and grasses and weeds. It is the pollen producing plants, usually non-flowering, that are the main culprits. Instead of flowers these plants produce tiny airborne pollens which are blown everywhere in great numbers. The pollen is the main substances that will trigger your Allergy.

Trees that you should avoid being near include
- Alder
- Ash
- Birch
- Elm
- Hickory
- Maple
- Oak
- Sycamore

Some grasses that are known to cause allergic responses include
- Bermuda
- Johnson
- Kentucky Bluegrass
- Orchard
- Timothy.

Some weeds that are known to cause Allergies are Ragweed and Dock Weed. 

As you can see, there are plenty of different Allergy Types. If you think you have an Allergy, best slip off and see your doctor or physician and get them to check out what could be Allergy Symptoms, run a few tests and get you some treatment. Have a look at our Allergy Symptoms page to see if you have any of the common Allergy Symptoms.