Unusual Allergies

It appears that more people every day are finding that they have reactions to some very unusal allergies and that these reactions are causing symptoms similar to that of anaphylactic shock. While often not dangerous to health, such as having a blocked or runny nose and watery eyes, some allergic reactions are severe enough to cause people to use an epi-pen on themselves, or even mean an emergency room visit.

If you're having the symptoms of an allergic reaction, such as blurred vision, hives, itchy red welts, sneezing, bloating, stomach cramps, shortness of breath etc. you may consider some of the things that other people have been shown to be allergic to.  Here are some of the more unusual allergies.

Citric Acid Allergy

This one is of course the one that I suffer from and is particularly difficult to diagnose, mainly because citric acid is found in so many things naturally, such as citric fruits, like lemons and limes.  What is less known is that citric acid is also found in high levels in tomatoes, berries, vegetables, corn and many other things.

What is even less known is that citric acid is added to many processed foods, either as a preservative or as a flavoring.  Another consideration is this; many fresh foods that don't have citric acid in them naturally, such as lettuce, but many foods are cleaned in a citric acid solution to slow down oxidization. This makes citric acid allergy (or citric acid intolerance as it is sometimes known) very difficult to pinpoint.

Water Allergy

This is another rare one, but this time much easier to diagnose, usually because the symptoms show themselves immediately after a bath or shower.  Some people think that this is due to additives in the water, such as chlorine or fluoride, but others think it is pure water that is causing the problem.  These people have also reported that drinking water causes no ill effects whatsoever, but only when it is applied to their skin.

Temperature

Some people react to hot things applied to their skin, or even cold things.  While this would be normal for extreme heat or cold, these people report that just slight changes in temperature affect them.

Hair Coloring

Some people react very severely to hair coloring, with reactions such as plasma-filled blisters forming on their scalps, shortness of breath and dizziness.  People with this allergy appear to be reacting to the
p-phenylenediamine   otherwise known as PPD

Chocolate

This is a particularly unpleasant one, when you consider that most people really enjoy chocolate, but it appears to cause allergic reactions in more people every year.  This may be due to the fact that more people are eating chocolate than ever before of course. 

Whatever you allergy is, a certified allergy specialist is your first port of call.  They will be able to do a basic allergy test on you, and more often than not, will be able to determine what is causing your allergic reactions.  For the most part, simply avoiding that thing that causes the problem is the solution, but this, as they say, is sometimes easier said than done.