Substances that trigger allergic reactions are called allergens. An allergic reaction is your body's response to substances that some people can tolerate without any difficulty. People have different degrees of sensitivity to allergens. Allergy sufferers who are highly sensitive will have symptoms every time they are exposed to an allergen. People who are only slightly allergic require a higher concentration of allergens before symptoms are triggered.
"Allergic threshold" is the formal term used to describe a level of sensitivity. If you are extremely sensitive to an allergen and just a small exposure will exceed your tolerance and cause symptoms, your allergic threshold is low. On the other hand, if you have a high tolerance (a low level of sensitivity) to an allergen, your allergic threshold is high. In some case, a single exposure to an allergen does not trigger an allergic response. In these cases, it is the accumulation of exposure to allergens that finally exceed your tolerance level.
The "allergen load" is the total exposure, at one time, to the allergens to which you are sensitive. Small amounts of a variety of allergens can overload your threshold as well as a large amount of a single allergen. It is the total accumulation of allergen exposure which will determine if your tolerance is exceeded.
A Simple Way to Understand Allergic Threshold
A simple analogy: Your allergic threshold can be compared to a bucket which will overflow if filled with too much water. A small bucket (low threshold) will easily be filled and overflow while a larger bucket (high threshold) can tolerate a greater amount of water. If too much water is accumulated and overflows the bucket, your tolerance has been exceeded and symptoms will occur. Reducing the number of water and the amount of each liquid can stop the overflow and help to prevent the symptoms.
The analogy of the bucket is to show that you do not need to totally eliminate exposure to allergens all of the time. In order to obtain relief, you only need to prevent an "overflow" condition. It is important to know the particular allergens to which you are sensitive. You can then concentrate on those steps which are most practical and effective at reducing your exposure. Allergies are not an all-or-nothing phenomenon. Approach your allergen avoidance program by setting priorities and making informed choices which will prevent overflow.
