Allergies can sometimes make your life unbearable, gives you rashes/eczema, makes your skin red, you have shortness of breathe, a bad cough which is usually dry and persistent, fatigue, runny nose, headache and even sometimes a fever.

Medically, an allergy is an immune response to food, spores, or even dust.

I have a lot of black spots on my face which weren't there till I was 20 years. I used a lot of creams and drugs as I felt it was a systemic issue. Antifungal drugs and creams filled my trolley, after using one for two months or so and see no positive changes, I'd dump it and buy another one. Fluconazole, clotrimazole, and so many others I can't remember.

When this didn't work, I was advised to start using herbal soaps specially made for black spots. As expensive as this was both in time and money, I subscribed to it and used it for almost a year, I noticed a little change and I was happy.

One day, I was sick and visited the hospital where my uncle is the CMD, he asked if I had allergic reactions to any drugs, I told him chloroquine but on further investigations which included him asking how many times I treat cough and sore throat in a year, he told me the black spots were as a result of hypersensitivity.

Wawu! I was allergic to Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole a.k.a. Septrin all along and I didn't know, every little cold or catarhh, I rush to take Septrin. Now I know better.

Still battling with the black spots on my face but now, before taking any drug (which I rarely do), I read about the hypersensitivity reactions, the kinetics, etcetera.

I have another condition (the spots on my legs) which I'll talk about later. It's also an allergy but not to drugs.

Don't just assume you know what's wrong, not every skin condition can be treated using Shea butter or antifungal creams, some are hypersensitivity reactions that can be fixed/corrected through a change of diet or stoppage of certain drugs.

---

I am @bookoons, reminding you today to Make A Difference!