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View Full Version : Can an allergic reaction cause your heart to race?


trinity
02-21-2007, 06:52 PM
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Giggles
02-21-2007, 07:43 PM
An allergic reaction can cause your heart to race, however you would have to come into direct contact with the allergen, (althought it only need to be a microscopic amount), to have an allergic reaction. Contrary to popular belief, smell alone cannot trigger an allergic reaction.

trinity
02-21-2007, 08:23 PM
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Giggles
02-21-2007, 08:27 PM
I have anaphylatic children, and both of our allergists assure us that there is no way you can have an allergic reaction from just smelling something. They have a combined experience of over 35years and they have both said that they have never encountered a case of an allergic reaction from smelling the allergen. An allergic person may not like the snell, but it will not trigger a reaction. You must have direct contact with the allergen.

kimbey76
02-21-2007, 08:43 PM
some people are allergic to perfumes and they are smells, smelling something is actually small microscopic particles of whatever you are smelling... maybe you could have an allergic reaction to something if the smell is strong enough, i know a woman who is allergic to the smell of vanilla of all things and one day i had vanilla body spray on and she got really hot, her face turned red and her heart was pounding, she got a headache too, i think some allergies are different than others, i have heard about nut allergies not being triggered by smell but there are certainly people who are allergic to perfumes and cleaners and air fresheners, it is usually a different type of allergic too though, more an asthmatic type

Giggles
02-21-2007, 09:09 PM
That is not an allergy, but a chemical sensitivity. Often confused but not the same thing. There are allergies to airborn particles, such as ragweed, because the pollen is in the air, and you breath it in, but food allergies require direct contact. There are no protein particles just floating around, and these are what causes an allergic reaction. As I said before, people with severe allergies often have a strong aversion to the food they are allergic to, but that is not an allergic reaction.

Auntie22
02-21-2007, 09:14 PM
Acutally you can have an allergic reaction by smell. My brother works with someone who is allergic to Popcorn. They are not allowed to pop it at work as the smell will cause her a really bad reaction. He was rushed to the hospital becasue of it - just the smell - he never touched it or was even near it.

I also worked at a daycare with a child who had nut allergies. The smell alone gave her hives all over her body and would require her needle - It happened once when one of the other kids were sent to daycare with peanutbutter cookie. Before anyone realized she was having an allergice reaction. I think that most schools now have a nut free policy..

irighti
02-21-2007, 09:30 PM
Don't know if this will help to answer you or not....



The Classic Food Allergy Let's look first at "true" (or "classic") food allergies and how to prevent and treat them. Classic food allergies include allergies to milk, soy, egg whites, shellfish and peanuts. Peanut allergy is a good example to examine, since it is one of the most widely known food allergies and is becoming more and more common. (It is also the food allergy most likely to be fatal). With classic food allergies, your body forms antibodies against the offending food. Even the smell of the food can cause a reaction in a highly allergic person. That's why peanut allergic persons do not like to fly in planes where nuts are served. I recently treated two different people who had severe reactions to peanuts while on a plane. Neither one of them had eaten peanuts and, in one case, the passengers within three rows of this person had offered to voluntarily abstain from eating any nuts. I suspect that either the smell permeated the cabin or some old peanut "dust" was present on the plane's tray table, which then may have rubbed off onto the allergic individual.

It looks like smell can trigger some allergies....

Giggles
02-21-2007, 10:44 PM
Of course!!! You are all sooo right! How stupid of me to think that all my years of education, and personal experience with severe allergies would mean that I know anything??? What an idiot I am to think that hours and hours of research and cousulting with allery experts from all over North America would qualify me to answer any questions on the subject. What an idiot I am!!! You people have all the answers, and don't need any real information. Pardon me for wanting to educate on the subject. You all obviously know more than me...

By the way, peanuts are not nuts, but legumes, and most of our schools do NOT have nut free policies. Also, a peanut residue on the plane's tray table would qualify as a microscopic amount of the allergen and if touched by an allergic individual , would be enough to cause a reaction. But really, what do I know....

trinity
02-22-2007, 05:06 AM
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Giggles
02-22-2007, 07:04 AM
Let me explain this again, in really simple language. The smell cannot give you an allergic reaction. People with severe food allergies usually have a strong aversion to the allergen, and if they smell it, it will NOT give them an allergic reaction, however, because they have a strong aversion to the allergen, it can make tham anxious, which would cause the heart to race, and could also cause nausea. This is not an allergic reaction. There are food smells that people without allergies can't stand and might give them a nauseous feeling, but that is not an allergy, so if you know of an allergy, the smell might make you feel anxious or sick. Feeling nauseous is not an allergic reaction hovever, vomiting is. Some one with a severe allergy doesn't have reactions in varying degrees - it's all or nothing.

An allergy severe enough to cause death is called anaphlaxis. Repeated exposure is not necessary for an anaphlactic reaction to occur. The medication for that type of allergy is epinephrine or Epi pen. It is an auto-injector (needle) given in the thigh, and requires calling 911. You cannot just take your Epi pen , and then go home. Medical attention is required after administrating the epinephrine. Someone who has anaphlaxis must carry an Epi pen.

I hope my years of expensive education can be of some help to you. If you think you have a food allergy, you should be tested, and you allergist can explain it all to you, and perhaps you will believe him/her.

ilvrotties
02-22-2007, 07:43 AM
I have to agree with giggles on this one. I think you didn't like the smell and you worked yourself up to a level of angzity(spelled wrong but who cares) that made your heart race. When you relaxed and the smell was gone your hear rate went down.

trinity
02-22-2007, 07:48 AM
No, I didn't work myself up into any state of anxiety. However, since this thread has gotten so nasty, I'm out.

puppyluv
02-22-2007, 08:49 AM
Of course!!! You are all sooo right! How stupid of me to think that all my years of education, and personal experience with severe allergies would mean that I know anything??? What an idiot I am to think that hours and hours of research and cousulting with allery experts from all over North America would qualify me to answer any questions on the subject. What an idiot I am!!! You people have all the answers, and don't need any real information. Pardon me for wanting to educate on the subject. You all obviously know more than me...

By the way, peanuts are not nuts, but legumes, and most of our schools do NOT have nut free policies. Also, a peanut residue on the plane's tray table would qualify as a microscopic amount of the allergen and if touched by an allergic individual , would be enough to cause a reaction. But really, what do I know....

There is no need for hatefulness.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion whether they belive they are educated or not. It is their choice as to whether or not they wish to accept someone else's opinion.
Please refrain from this again.