More than 60 million people in the U.S. have a severe allergy, and that number is rising. When you have an allergy, your immune system reacts to a foreign substance by coughing, itchy eyes, runny nose, or even more severe symptoms like breathing trouble, rashes, hives, and low blood pressure.
Some people are allergic to bees, others are allergic to peanuts, and some others…water? Here is a list of weird allergies that will shock you!
1. Water
We all need water to survive, but some people get hives and get really itchy from water.
If someone is allergic to water, his or her skin breaks out in hives whenever it comes in contact with H2O. Those with severe water allergies may only be able to be in the shower for a few moments and may not be able to drink a glass of water.
Luckily, hives typically go away after around 15 to 30 minutes. Antihistamines also help lessen the symptoms of a water allergy. For the rest of us, your body needs water.
2. Exercise
Yes, some people may be allergic to exercise if they experience itchiness, breathing difficulty, debility, or nausea and vomiting after exercising. The attack happens after exercise and the person may need an epinephrine shot.
There have only be 1,000 cases documented, so it’s a fairly rare condition.
3. Semen
This allergy is a hypersensitivity to semen that causes welts, burning sensations, and a rash shortly after contact with male semen. The proteins in semen cause this reaction. This allergy seems to mostly affect women, but it can also affect men.
This allergy affects somewhere between 20,000 to 40,000 people in the U.S. Luckily for these people, this allergy (and some other allergies) can be desensitized with treatments from an allergy specialist like this company.
If a woman has the allergy and wants to get pregnant, the good news is this allergy may not be a lifelong affliction.
4. The Sun
We talked about water allergies, and now let’s look at sun allergies. Yes, nature can be rough on some people and they can break out in hives with exposure to sunlight.
The person with a sun allergy begins feeling burning sensations and starts itching after about 30 minutes of sun exposure. Ultraviolet light appears to be the culprit of this allergy.
Antihistamines can help relieve the symptoms but can’t prevent an outbreak.
5. Nickels
You’ve always heard that money was dirty as a child, but some people actually start itching when their hand touches a nickel. Around 10 to 20 percent of the U.S. population is allergic to the metal nickel. This allergy causes a rash wherever nickel touches the skin.
Nickel is found in other products like zippers, eyeglass frames, cell phones, jewelry, and coins. A person with this allergy should take antihistamines and apply a steroid cream to relieve the rash.
Luckily, using debit and credit cards is a more common form of payment at the coffee shop.
Final Thoughts on Weird Allergies
Most of these weird allergies are rather rare, so don’t think you can use allergies as an excuse to avoid exercising, swimming or going outside. These allergies prove that the human body is interesting.
If you enjoyed reading about these weird allergies, check out our site for other interesting facts like things you never knew about essential oils, which can actually help your allergies.