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Just like any other medical issue, there are plenty of myths, old wives tales and mistaken beliefs about allergies. If you or a household member suffer from allergies, it’s important to learn the facts so that you can take actions that can help reduce your symptoms.

Myth: People are allergic to dog and cat fur.

Fact: Pet hair can be a nuisance but the real allergens are found in flakes of pet skin (dander), saliva and urine. These substances can be released in the air when pets lick themselves for grooming, rub themselves against furniture and carpets or are brushed. Dander, saliva and urine can cling to fur and be released as an animal sheds, however it’s important to remember that even animals that shed minimally will still releases these allergenic substances via other methods.

People will react to different individual animals in different ways but there is no way to breed a truly hypoallergenic animal. You can still have allergic reactions to animals with very short coats or to breeds claim to be less allergenic. Before you make a commitment to adopt an animal, arrange for a trial run to test for allergic reactions.

Myth: Eating local honey can cure allergies.

Fact: Honey has been shown to have mild antibiotic properties and it certainly is delicious but it’s unlikely that eating even a vast quantity of locally produced honey will have any real affect on your allergies. That’s because pollen allergies are generally caused by plants that release their pollen into the air while bees visit plants that have evolved sticky pollen that sticks to the bee’s legs and body. Eating local honey might desensitize you to these pollens but it won’t do much to relieve your symptoms as they are triggered by weed, grass and tree pollen.

One way that honey could help your allergy symptoms is by being stirred into a nice, hot cup of green tea. Not only is the warm tea soothing, it can help clear nasal passages and is being studied because of evidence it contains compounds that fight allergies.

Myth: Mold allergies are only an outdoor problem.

Fact: Mold spores are everywhere! They become dormant in the winter in most climate and most active during the summer months. If you are allergic to mold, take precautions when doing any outdoor activities that might disturb mold spores, for example raking leaves, mowing the lawn and hiking over leaves and logs. An air filtering mask can help you reduce your exposure to mold spores if it’s necessary for you to be outdoors.

Myth: Most children will simply outgrow their allergies.

Fact: While it’s not unusual for children to outgrow certain food allergies, seasonal allergies usually last a lifetime. What’s more, it’s not uncommon for adults to develop allergies at any time even if they’ve never shown symptoms before.

Parents should talk to their pediatrician about their child’s allergies and learn how to distinguish from normal allergy symptoms and those that require medical treatment. While allergies seem like a run of the mill problem, they can sometimes kick off more serious conditions such as asthma and respiratory symptoms.

Myth: Allergies are psychosomatic.

Fact: While sometimes allergy sufferers can produce symptoms if they are tricked into thinking their allergen is present, that doesn’t mean that the allergy isn’t real. Instead, it means that their brain has formed a connection between a certain trigger and an allergic reaction.

Stress, fatigue and emotional upset can make allergy symptoms (as well as symptoms of many other diseases and disorders) worse while learning how to employ relaxation techniques to manage stress can help reduce symptoms.

Jacob Maslow is a Blogger for Allergy Be Gone, a site that specializes in allergy control products including allergy bedding.

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