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Top Allergy Myths You Should Stop Believing

Feb 20, 2020
 

If you or a loved one has ever suffered from the effects of a true allergy, you know just how debilitating they can be. Allergies, whether permanent or seasonal, can wreak havoc on your health, your schedule, your mood, and your sleep, leaving you less than productive unless the causes are mitigated. Staff members at priority medical centers in Suffolk County, NY, see their fair share of allergy sufferers, and as a result, they hear a fair share of misconceptions about allergies, their causes, and their subsequent treatments.

While many myths may represent minor issues for those who believe them, some can dramatically impact quality of life and overall health. The consequences of allergy myths can range from inconvenience or discomfort to far more dire, even life-threatening, effects. That’s one reason that care providers at family medical centers work to dissolve some of the common myths that swirl around the topic of allergies. Keep reading to learn more about the most common myths surrounding allergies and how they can be debunked.

Myth 1: Pet Hair Length Matters

There’s a mistaken belief that people with pet allergies aren’t affected by pets with short hair. While that myth may be widely held, there’s no truth to it at all. That’s because those with pet allergies aren’t really allergic to the hair itself, but the dander. Dander consists of the proteins found in the hair and skin, and it’s present regardless of the hair length of your pet. That dander sheds into your home environment, which is where it wreaks havoc on allergy sufferers.

Myth 2: Plants in Your Yard Are the Culprit

Deciding that a flowering bush in your front yard is the culprit behind your seasonal allergies doesn’t take much of a logical leap, especially if you notice a correlation between the bloom and your flaring allergies. However, in the bigger picture, your landscape flora has little to do with your allergy issues and removing the plant won’t stop your allergies. That’s because pollen is highly mobile by design and can spread for miles on air currents. Though a tree in your yard may contribute to your allergy issues, its counterparts spread throughout your neighborhood are just as culpable.

Myth 3: Cocoa Allergies Are Common

Many people claim they’re allergic to chocolate, especially if they feel strange immediately after consuming it. However, true Peconic Bay Medical Center_Top Allergy Myths You Should Stop Believing_IMAGE2.jpegchocolate allergies are incredibly rare, which means any allergy symptoms experienced after eating chocolate are probably related to other ingredients rather than the cocoa itself. For example, common ingredients used alongside chocolate, such as milk, eggs, and nuts, are far more common causes of allergies, which means they could be at fault.

Myth 4: Allergies Come from Lack of Exposure

There’s another mistaken belief about allergies that could put lives in jeopardy. Specifically, some people think that the body develops allergies because of a lack of exposure to certain allergens. For example, if someone is allergic to peanuts, the reason for the allergy is that they never ate peanuts as a child. Furthermore, that belief feeds into a dangerous myth that allergies can be mitigated by feeding the impacted person small amounts of the food to build tolerance. For those who suffer from true allergies to specific foods, that so-called treatment can be deadly. For a person who is allergic to peanuts, even a small quantity of peanuts can lead to anaphylactic shock that could prove fatal.

Practitioners in medical centers in Suffolk County, NY, are routinely confronted with commonly held misconceptions about allergies, which is an indication of how widespread they truly are. However, with knowledge from health care professionals, many of these myths can be debunked. If you’re suffering from allergies, make an appointment with an allergy specialist at Peconic Bay Medical Center by calling (631) 548-6000.