MANILA, Philippines – Allergies exist in different forms. Sometimes, you just know you have it and it gets you frustrated because you do not even know what’s causing them. Allergy attacks might vary, but one thing’s for sure: it impairs your senses and hinders you from living your life to the fullest.
Claritin, an anti-allergy medicine that has been around for 25 years, continues its plight in fighting common allergies so that you can enjoy life’s adventures both indoors and outdoors. On July 13, the brand had a media event where they invited Dr. Lyra Yamat, Medical Adviser of Bayer Consumer Health to give us information about allergies. Surprisingly, she said in the Philippines, you do not even have to be outside to catch allergies because the most common allergens can be found inside your house.
So, if you ever found yourself suddenly sneezing uncontrollably, or experiencing a runny nose paired with watery eyes, you may have been exposed to triggers of allergy. So how do you pinpoint the culprit?
To help you understand what’s behind your allergy symptoms, Dr. Yamat shared the most common triggers of allergen in the Philippines, one of which is the most hated house pest, the cockroach.
Cockroaches are actually well-established allergy trigger. American College of Asthma and Immunology said saliva, feces and shedding body parts of cockroaches can trigger allergies, especially when they are kicked up in the air. They are mostly found in dark parts of the house, inside crevices or cracks.
To keep them away, you must always have a clean space, keep garbage and containers sealed and avoid piling papers or anything if can be avoided.
In addition to cockroaches, other triggers include:
- household dust
- dust mite debris
- smoke and odor
- mold spores
- pollution
- pet dander
As explained by Dr. Yamat, allergies are hereditary.
“For example, if you have a parent with one allergy, there is a 30 percent chance that you will get the same allergy. Whereas, if you have two parents who have allergies, you risk up to 70 percent chance of having them too,” she said.
However, even if you do not have parents with allergies, you can still get them but with minimal chances, like about five to 15 percent.
For starters, you have to remember that allergies start with exposure to the allergens, so you should be wary of your surroundings at all times. You cannot develop an allergy unless you are exposed with a certain allergen.
“When you get exposed to an allergen, you develop antibodies specific for that allergen. And when you develop these antibodies, they connect and you develop the symptoms of allergy,” Dr. Yamat said.
So if symptoms – drippy nose with watery, clear secretions and itchy eyes – have already present for few days, turn to your anti-allergy medications. There are many anti-allergy brands that are present in the market right now, one of which is Claritin. Each tablet is in orally-disintegrating format which means you do not need to chew or swallow it and relief can be felt in just a matter of few seconds.