There are specific allergies that most people are familiar with; pollen, nuts, eggs, dairy, cat hair, dog hair, etc. The odds are you’ve probably met someone in your life who has at least one of those we mentioned. You might even have one of them yourself. You might have just worked it out over the years, or you could have used a food allergy testing kit. But some allergies are so incredibly rare that there aren’t even tests for them.
Join us as we take a look at the weird and wonderful world of strange allergies.
Water
Our bodies are made up of as much as 60% water. We’re always being told that we should be drinking more water to lose weight, sleep better, be able to fly…ok that the last one is an exaggeration, but the point stands; water is good for us. Well…most of us.
The reason we say this is because, for sufferers of aquagenic urticaria, contact with water can cause itching and hives. With no treatment available, sufferers have to severely restrict their bathing (for some only once a week) and have to stick to drinking diet soft drinks to avoid potentially lethal swelling of the throat.
It is believed there have been fewer than 100 cases of an allergy to water in medical literature.
Money
By the time bills have been paid, you probably start to wonder whether you have an allergy to money. Well, if handling the stuff brings you out in skin lesions and rashes, you might well be onto something!
Some unfortunate souls are literally allergic to handling cash and coins.
Likely the most common allergic reaction to handling money is nickel. Nickel is a compound that is found in all kinds of coins across the world, including the Jefferson Nickel. Topical steroids and contact avoidance are the only treatments available for nickel allergies.
Other people have more significant money problems in that they’re allergic to CASH. Or, more specifically, the ink used to prink banknotes. For anti-counterfeiting purposes, the US mint won’t reveal the chemicals used within the ink, but it could be anything from synthetic chemicals to plant gums. Again, medication and avoidance of handling notes are the best treatment.
Human Touch
While there are probably people you know who make your skin crawl, we’re talking more literally here. Sufferers of dermographism will notice reddening of the skin wherever contact is made with other skin.
The 5% of people suffering from this condition will tell you that they can write on their skin using only their fingers. The redness lingers and is precisely where contact is made so they can literally write on their skin.
There are over-the-counter medications that are often recommended to help deal with the symptoms of this condition.
Food allergy testing kits
While these rarer allergies are difficult to test for, you can find out whether you have a more common allergy with a food allergy testing kit. We have a range of tests that can help you identify your allergies and intolerances today.
