Are you allergic to your mother in law or wife?

Are you allergic to your mother in law or wife?

Are you allergic to your mother in law or wife?

Remember how your mother and later wife (if you are lucky!) always used to tell you to take warm water and not cold! How she used to tell you to take bath with warm water only (again if you are lucky to get warm water and a wife who tells you the same!).

How when you catch a cold or infection; you used to get hot stew or soup or Rasam depending on which part of the country or the world you are! How keeping your warm was the center point of her focus and for that matter even your father (lets have gender equality!).
Then when you are pregnant (or your wife as the case may be!); she will make sure that you are properly covered and do not eat anything cold or avoid certain 'cold' foods! Or how it was always advised to cover your ears when you go out! How you are told to wear socks and keep as cozy and warm as possible in spite of you feeling like sitting on a hot stove!

Even children are always told to cover their ears and head especially when they go out or sleep. How the heater in a cold place is pointed to the legs and they are kept warm no matter what!

Of course all these help and these are the first instruction any allergy specialist or physician would give to you or anyone especially if he or she suffers from any allergy like of the nose or skin. When you sneeze in the morning or when you develop rashes in the skin in the cold! You are told to keep warm or stay warm like your mother (or wife as the case may be!).

But the real fact of the matter is that you are actually not allergic to water or cold or cold climate! Even if the cold water gives you a sneeze or the cold floor gives you the rash! In that case when someone has allergy even the smell of a perfume or even the smoke or smell coming while cooking can trigger a sneeze!

Yes, you guessed it! These are called triggers! They trigger an episode of allergy! Of course there can be some who have genuine allergy like to milk or some food stuff in which case they are both allergens and triggers!

The temperature of water is important since cold water is a strong trigger of allergy! In fact cold water is a very strong agent even in our medical practice! A cold water spray can make you giddy or even stop your heart! Now that is cold hearted in the literal sense!

So if you do have early morning symptoms triggered by cold water then it is imperative that you get tested for allergy. Of course determining your allergy is only the first step; the next step is to control and treat! The only two effective treatment of allergy is one to avoid the allergen and second is to go for immunotherapy which is the sequential use of diluted form of allergen to get toleration level! It may be similar to how you start tolerating your better half's true colors when you get exposed to it gradually over a period of time like in love marriage rather than suddenly in arranged one!

Now till then you can continue listening to your mother or wife (or husband!) as the case may be and avoid the triggers!

So I had a patient who told me that he was literally allergic to his mother in law! Apparently he used to sneeze uncontrollably when she used to come near him!
 

Of course by investigating further we found out that he was allergic to the sandalwood soap which she used to use which used to trigger his allergy! The stopping of the soap literally saved the marriage I could say (at least till he gets 'allergic' to her hair oil!)!
Next time if you feel you are allergic to someone or something; avoid the trigger and if you cannot avoid the allergen then meet your allergologist before you seek marriage counselling! He or she may cure your allergy and maybe save your marriage!

Now if your father in law is bald like Anupam Kher then you should not worry about allergy to hair oil!

Dr. Sriram Nathan