What Triggers your Allergies?

Allergies are caused by the body’s overzealous reaction to normally harmless substances. Allergies can be triggered by:

Animal products: pet dander, dust mite waste, cockroaches

Drugs: penicillin, sulfa drugs

Foods: wheat, nuts, milk, shellfish, eggs

Insect stings: bees, wasps, mosquitoes

Mold: airborne spores from mold

Plants: pollens from grass, weeds, and trees, as well as resin from plants such as poison ivy and poison oak

Other: latex, metals

Allergies have a genetic component, meaning that they can be passed down from parent to child. However, only a general susceptibility to an allergic reaction is genetic. Specific allergies are not passed down. For instance, if your mother is allergic to shellfish, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be too.  Seasonal allergies, also known as hay fever, are some of the most common allergies. These are caused by pollen released by plants causes itchy eyes, watery eyes, runny nose, and coughing.