It seems like everyone has a food allergy. From gluten to peanuts, there’s always some food or substance a friend or family member can’t be within a mile of without risking a severe reaction. Sometimes, these allergies seem minor compared to rarer, more unheard of reactions. Every once in a while, you find someone with an allergy so bizarre and impossible to live with that it will take you a moment to digest how truly weird it is.
1. Kissing
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The act of kissing causes no allergic reactions. However, certain individuals allergic to medications, foods, and/or cosmetics may be uncomfortable or sick if their partners interacted with their reactive substance.
2. Food
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This is a rare medical condition, so rare that there isn’t a name for it. Some people can be allergic to all foods. Kaleb Bussenschutt, an Australian boy, has this particular allergy. His diet consists of water, ice, and one specific brand of lemonade, and he must receive the proper nutrients necessary to live through a tube that feeds into his stomach. Eating anything else results in agonizing stomach pain and cramps.
3. Money
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Some people can be allergic to the nickel used in making coinage and money. I wish I knew these people so they could just give me their money.
4. Chocolate
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Cocoa, the main ingredient in chocolate, can cause allergic reactions in some people. So, no trick or treating for you!
5. Vibration
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Little does that guy know he’s about to have a reaction to that buzzing. Like common allergies, this is caused by the body mistaking harmless contact as an attack. The immune system responds accordingly. Welts, rashes, and other forms of skin irritation usually set in within 5 minutes and persist for hours or even days.
6. Wood
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Wood allergies can definitely be troublesome. While people are allergic to certain types of wood or sawdust, there are cases when people are allergic to any type of wood, whether it is dust or solid. Along with wood allergies comes the fact that you can’t touch paper, use a pencil, or be a lumberjack.
7. Exercise
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This is a great excuse to never exercise, but some people develop a condition known as cholinergic urticaria when they get too hot and sweaty.
8. Semen
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You know what’s harder than having an allergy to semen? Finding a picture that perfectly encapsulates this allergy without getting fired from my job. This allergy can cause areas affected to itch, get rashy, and become inflamed.
9. Underwear
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This troublesome allergy develops rashes around the underwear area. The main factor responsible for causing this type of allergy in both men and women could be the different types of fabrics used in making underwear. These include polyester, cotton, and latex. The best solution for avoiding this type of allergy is to use high quality, skin friendly, and bacterial resistant underpants.
10. Beer
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Hops and barley can cause an allergic reaction marked by a rash, shortness of breath, or stomach upset. If you’re affected, your best bet is to find a new drink or quit drinking altogether.
11. Sunlight
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Solar urticaria causes painful hives, rashes, and other skin inflammations after exposure to sunlight. Symptoms usually begin fading within the span of a day, but prove a major annoyance and inconvenience for those saddled with them.
12. Water
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Yes, some people are allergic to the essence of life. Contact with the most abundant substance on the planet results in painful hives, welts, lesions, and rashes on the body that crop up within 5 to 10 minutes. Symptoms persist for anywhere from 15 minutes to several hours and are treated using capsaicin creams instead of the usual antihistamines. The condition is not caused by histamines like most others.
Now I want to go to an allergist. I could be allergic to WATER OR ALL FOODS. All of a sudden ridding myself of gluten doesn’t sound so bad.
