Suffering From A Tea Allergy
When searching the internet for information about a tea allergy, you are not very likely to find much information. Instead, you are bombarded with information about tea for allergy relief and how green tea can help soothe seasonal allergies. If you are one of the few that suffer from this, that information is most unhelpful. This article will help to find out what exactly a tea allergy is, what the common symptoms are, and what causes people to have this allergy.
What is a Tea Allergy?
It is nothing more than a type of food allergy (a bad reaction from your body’s immune system). This is most likely caused by hypersensitivity or intolerance to caffeine or tannin (which are common ingredients in most teas). The two most common types of teas to cause allergic reactions are chamomile and linden tea. In most cases, symptoms caused by tea allergies will clear up within a few days. In the most extreme cases (which are extremely rare), people can go into anaphylactic shock. When this occurs, a person’s throat will swell, blocking all airways causing suffocation. If this does happen, rush to the hospital immediately!
The Most Common Tea Allergy Symptoms
There are dozens of possible symptoms. Listed below are the most commonly occurring:
• Eye Irritation
• Runny Nose
• Swelling
• Sneezing
• Skin Irritation
• Headache
• Eye Irritation
Duration of each Symptom is as follows:
Eye Irritation
In most cases, your eyes will be the first to show symptoms. This allergy cause red, itchy and irritated eyes or cause your eyes to water. This can be very minor (lasting only a couple of minutes) or can last a couple of days.
Runny Nose
A runny nose is generally very minor. It normally lasts for a couple of days.
Swelling
If you ingest tea and have a tea allergy, you may experience bodily swelling. This is typically facial, tongue, and lip swelling. If you begin to feel your throat swelling or have trouble breathing or swallowing, contact a doctor right away.
Sneezing
Sneezing generally lasts for a couple of hours. However, you may sneeze quite frequently.
Skin Irritation
Skin irritation includes itchiness, hives (bumps that are raised), and types of eczema (dry skin). All of these conditions should only last a couple of days. If they do not go away within the first couple of days, you may want to consult a doctor.
Headache
If you have seasonal allergies, you are probably familiar with a sinus headache. This is very similar, causing pain in the front or back of your head. These headaches can last just a few hours or a few days.
Sometimes strange allergy symptoms will occur. You may experience nausea or vomiting, constipation or diarrhea, or light headedness and trouble sleeping. Most symptoms should only last up to a couple of days.
Relief:
You can typically soothe many symptoms caused by allergies. Many have natural remedies that you can try at home. The best way to manage this allergy is to keep away from tea. All tea may not bother you. If you are only allergic to certain types of tea, you should still take the proper precautions when ingesting any form of tea. Be sure to read the nutritional labels for the listed ingredients before drinking tea. Consult your doctor for further instructions on how to treat the tea allergy symptoms should you accidently ingest tea in error.
