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Allergy Awareness week - 10-17 May

Some stats on allergies: Allergies affect almost 50 per cent of New Zealanders, Over 40% of the UK population, approximately 50 million Americans. Food allergies in Australia have doubled in the last five years and allergies are predicted to grow.

What is an allergy? Allergy occurs when a person's immune system reacts to substances in the environment that do not bother most people, irritating or harmful responses can occur. These substances people react to are known as allergens. The most common ones are house dust mites, cats, pollens, moulds and some foods.

Who gets allergies? Allergies can develop at any age, and affect any of us. However researchers do know heredity factors do play a role in who will develop allergies. Atopy is the genetic tendency to develop allergic responses. People with atopy are said to be atopic. When atopic people are exposed to allergens they can develop an immune reaction that leads to allergic inflammation (redness and swelling). Anaphylaxis is the most severe form of allergic reaction and potentially life threatening.

Which areas of the body may be affected?
Depending on the allergen and where it enters your body, you may experience different symptoms.e.g the nose, eyes, sinuses, throat, lungs, chest, stomach or bowels.

The good news is that for most allergies, effective prevention and treatment options are available. See your G.P. Join your local Allergy Society: for more information visit:

New Zealand www.allergy.org.nz, U.K www.allergyfoundation.com
USA www.aaaai.org Australia www.allergy.org.au

Breathing & allergies It is well documented that breathing pattern disordersespecially over-breathing increases circulating histamine. So if your breathing patterns are out of whack this can predispose you to a higher incidence of allergies and worse signs and symptoms.As patients become aware of their breathing patterns and improve the waythey breathe, they often report they can tolerate the food substance or allergen with reduced symptoms. So keep in mind good breathing habits - and read Breathing Works for Asthma (Random Press NZ) So lets all spare a thought for the millions of people with allergies out there, Remember allergies can be exhausting, even crippling and make people feel miserable at times. So next time you have a dinner or child's birthday party think of your guests with allergies.

Cio for now --Tania & Dinah the B R E A T H I N G WORKS team