Dust

When it comes to allergies, dust really means house dust. House dust consists of the shed skin of humans (i.e. tiny bits of skin that fell off off the body of you, your firends and your family), yeast, dust mites, dust mite droppings, hair, and other little bits and pieces that most people would rather not think of.

OK, don't think of it. But do get rid of it!

Dust is a major allergen, and is generally unhealthy when inhaled.

Protein

Proteins are large molecules made up of amino acids, and arranged in a very specific way. This specific size, shape and "texture" makes each protein unique and highly recognizable.

Many proteins are specific to a single species or small group of species.

Anaphylactic Shock

symptoms of anaphylactic shock tend to develop rapidly although may be delayed and/or deceptively mild.

Anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis is a set of serious symptoms triggered by a severe hypersensitivity Type I $allergic-reaction$.

Anaphylaxis is triggered by even tiny amounts of an allergen in some people who are suseptable to it.

Anaphylaxis involved multiple systems in the body, including respiratory (upper and lower), gastro-intestinal, skin and cardiovascular.

Anaphylaxis is usually diagnosed in childhood. It can also begin later in life for some people.

Allergic Reaction

An allergic reaction is what the body does when exposed to an allergen. From the outside, this is seen as the allergy symptoms. Internally, this involves the body's immune response the the allergen which triggers the symptoms.

Strictly speaking, allergies are a type I hypersensitivity, involving an immediate onset allergic reaction (atopic, or anaphylactic). The broader definition used on this site includes all five classifications of hypersensitivity.

Latex is a class of polymer which can be either natural or synthetic.
Natural latex can cause allergies for a rather high proportion of the population, especially medical workers (see latex allergy article).

Natural latex is derived from the sap of the rubber tree, a tropical plant originating in the Amazon (and now grown widely in tropical climates including Malaysia, Indonesia and India).

Latex is used to manufacture rubber, including gloves, condoms, car parts, elastic bands etc.

Ochratoxin

Ochratoxins and Mold

Ochratoxins are a class of mycotoxin produced by some types of mold, including some species of aspergillus and penicillium. Ochratoxins are carcinogenic. Molds that produce ochratoxins are therefore particularly dangerous toxic molds.

Elimination Diet

An elimination diet is used to determine what food of foods are causing allergy symptoms or other undesirable effects.

The basics behind an elimination diet is that you remove any suspect food from your diet for a period of time - long enough for the food protein to clear from your bloodstream. Then reintroduce foods one by one, with a delay between each food of several days. This allows you to correlate a specific food with specific sets of symptoms.

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Environmental Health

Broadly, environmental health describes how your immediate environment affects your health. For those concerned with public health issues, this includes such divers subjects as food, water and air pollution.

For the individual, it has more to do with the air you breath and the level of stress caused by noise or other environmental-based effects. Food and water are important too, but as an individual you have more control over what you eat and drink, so these types of issues are dealt with separately on this site.