Allergies are a pain for almost everyone who has them. People can’t enjoy certain foods, be around certain animals, or even go outside during certain seasons without risking a stuffy nose or allergic reaction. The problem has only been amplified during the pandemic, with some allergy symptoms being very similar to symptoms for COVID-19. Luckily, steps are being taken towards preventing or reducing allergies in people, and scientists are understanding more and more about what causes them.

According to Mayo Clinic, allergies occur when a person’s immune system comes into contact with something that it doesn’t recognize, assuming that the new substance is harmful. In certain people, for certain substances, this produces antibodies, which stay in the body. Once antibodies are produced, they will react whenever they come into contact with the substance again, causing the allergic reactions people normally experience. Once these antibodies build up, the allergies will normally stay around for a person’s entire life, though they can sometimes fade over time, especially with very little contact with the substance that causes the allergies. While it’s still not completely understood why some people’s bodies react this way to substances, allergies do run through families, making it likely for the children of people with allergies to also have them.

There are many over-the-counter medications people with allergies can take. These work best for seasonal allergies, since it is almost impossible to avoid the substances that cause them during certain times of the year. People with more severe allergies usually carry epipens in case of anaphylaxis, which is when allergies cause the throat and airways to tighten and close. The epipen counteracts this, opening the airways back up and often saving the person’s life. More long term solutions to allergies are being used and developed as well, such as immunotherapy drops. According to Healthline, these drops are bits of a serum that people take multiple times a day. Each serum is specially made to contain small amounts of the substances that cause allergic reactions for that person. The hope with the drops is that over time, the body becomes used to the substances, and stops producing antibodies that react to them.

While allergies are a pain for many people, both short and long term treatments exist for them, with even more being developed. Scientists are understanding more about what causes allergic reactions in different people, and are finding more ways to potentially cure them. In the future, it is likely that scientists might be able to cure all allergies, no matter how severe they are.