Friday, March 23, 2007

Allergies May Run In Families

Allergies are not a laughing matter for anyone. They can make you feel terrible and weak. Scientists have determined that allergies might be genetic. It is not yet proven, but studies are being done to find support for this theory. Scientists believe that ar child may inherit asthma or allergies in their genes.

A thorough examination of the symptoms is needed in order to determine the difference between allergies and asthma attacks. If your problems are asthma-related, you will have difficulty breathing at times and your chest seems to tighten. If you have allergies, you may present with the similar symptoms to asthma, but, additionally, you might develop rashes and have sinus problems. Hay fever is also typically caused by allergy attacks.

If both you and your significant other have asthma, you might want to watch closely your children's symptoms and behavior as they grow up. Asthma develop as early as the toddler stage. You will want to be aware of how they play as well as how easily they seem winded. Typically, a young child should not get winded very quickly (as compared to other similarly-aged children), though they commonly do much faster than older child or teen.

As for allergies, you might have to simply wait to see if your child develops allergies as well. However, if either you or your significant other has any type of food allergy, you may want to have the child tested prior to introducing them to such foods. You should pay careful attention to make sure that they do not display any signs of an allergy upon introduction to new foods. Generally, if milk allergies are present, babies will show indications of lactose intolerant during the first year. It may then be necessary to feed them a soy-based formula.

You may want to speak to your doctor about any concerns that you may have pertaining to your family and allergies. Your doctor should be able to address your concerns, inform you about alternatives and give you testing information. You may also want to ask your pediatrician to look for any signs of asthma while they are having their check-ups. They will also suggest signs that you should look for that might indicate asthma in your child. If you are a parent, it is important to keep yourself informed about both allergies and asthma.

Charles Anderson writes for several web sites, on health and fitness and wellness and health subjects.

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