By Rosie Moore

After a few months of sniffling, itching, and sneezing, I finally went to an allergist. What he told me after going through some needle-ing tests, amazed me. I was allergic to weeds, some trees and mold. What! Me! Allergic to Mother Nature, whom I love with all my heart? I have two cats, you know, and I really was afraid I might be allergic to them.

I didn’t  think to ask him why I became allergic, so I looked it up on Google and found around ten pages of explanations looming in front of me. To make a long story short, here is the gist of what I read.

An allergy is a disorder of the immune system. What causes the risk of an allergic reaction is dependent on either host or environmental factors. This is triggered when the person comes in contact with an infectious disease, an airborne allergen, pollution, or if they change their diet.

A person is more likely to suffer  from an allergy if they live in a highly industrialized area. They are more common in the individual who lives in an urban area as opposed to a rural area.

It should be noted that people of any age can become allergic, even small children. When the  elderly get it, it’s likened to this phrase, which I hate, “You’re getting old!”

A lot of people with allergies think that if they just stay indoors when the pollen counts are high, they can keep their symptoms under control. But, indoor allergens, particularly dust, can also  cause allergy symptoms.

Be careful of hugging trees. The ones I shouldn’t be in contact with are elms and birches, which is puzzling to me, because I am not aware of those two types in my surrounding area.

Allergies are a fact of life. The only way to alleviate this pesky , bothersome malfunction of life is take the medicine prescribed for it, stay in the house, don’t hug trees, don’t sniff weeds, dust before you vacuum, and live in a rural area! And, don’t change your diet! Alas!

Thought for the day: When your head is in the clouds, be sure your feet are on the ground.  Anonymous

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