A food allergy occurs when someone’s immune system reacts adversely to a particular type of food. When this happens it causes inflammation in certain bodily tissues and can even be life threatening. A food allergy should not be confused with food intolerance because, although in both situations the body can react to even a very small amount of food, food intolerance is not caused by an individual’s immune system; rather, it’s the digestive system.

Although actual food allergies are very rare and tend to run in the family, some people avoid consuming specific foods because they are under the mistaken assumption that they’re allergic to them. On average, only one in hundred adults and three in a hundred infants have food allergies. An individual would be more at risk if they or their family suffer from any allergic conditions such as asthma, eczema or hay fever. Only a medical professional will be able to diagnose somebody as having a food allergy.

Food Allergies

In principle, people could be allergic to any type of food, but the most common ones appear to be the following: milk, fish, shellfish, eggs, wheat, soya beans, peanuts and certain fruit and veg.

Food allergies are usually diagnosed by blood or skin tests, or a going through a food elimination program.

Hay fever can be described as an allergy caused by pollen. Pollen is the very fine powdery substance created by plants for the use in pollination, or fertilization. In its most common guise, hay fever is the allergy caused by grass or hay pollens and usually occurs from late spring until early summer.

Usual symptoms of the condition include a runny nose, sneezing, and streaming, itchy eyes. The symptoms are caused due to the body’s immune system reacting to the pollen. Cells which line the nose and eyes tend to release chemicals such as histamines when they come into contact with the pollen, and this causes the inflammation in the eyes and nose which produce the symptoms.

Hay Fever

Hay fever is a very common allergy and affects almost two in every ten people in western society. It usually develops in children of school age and teenage years and the symptoms reappear year after year. Eventually, the symptoms start to decrease over the course of many years, until the condition either disappears totally, or improves vastly. The condition usually runs in families and an individual is more likely to develop asthma or eczema if they already suffer from hay fever.

Although it’s impossible to avoid pollen totally, symptoms are less severe if exposure is reduced. Nowadays pollen counts are freely available for all regions via TV, radio and the internet. Sufferers of the condition are normally treated with antihistamine tablets, antihistamine nose sprays, steroidal nose sprays and eye drops.

A condom is classed as a barrier contraceptive and its job is to block any sperm from fertilizing a female egg. Condoms can be made from latex, lambskin or polyurethane and are known to be approximately 98% effective at preventing pregnancy if used in the correct manner. It has to be pointed out that lambskin condoms have been around for a very, very long time but are still available; they are more expensive than conventionally made condoms and are not as good at preventing STD’s.

For efficient use of condoms, the penis must not touch the vagina before the condom has been applied. The reason for this is because a man does not necessarily need to ejaculate for any sperm to come from his penis; it can happen before as well. The best way to use a condom is to hold the bulb part between the figure and the thumb, ensuring it is the right way round. Make sure there isn’t any air trapped inside and then, while still holding the bulb, place the condom over the erect penis. Then it should be gently rolled down the shaft of the penis (if it doesn’t roll then it has been placed upside down). The condom should be disposed off immediately after ejaculation but before the penis becomes flaccid.

How to Use a Condom

The benefits of condom use include the fact that they are a reliable method to prevent pregnancy, there are very rarely any side effects from wearing one, a lowered chance of an STD transmission, they are easily available and they come in all shapes and sizes (and flavors nowadays).

Disadvantages of condom use include the fact that it can break during sex, they can tear while being taken out of the package and are not compatible with some lubricants.