After washing clothes one day, she noticed her hands had turned red and were itching. This had never happened before. She assumed it was because her hands had become dry due to the detergent she was using.
She applied a moisturiser, but the itching did not stop.
She initially dismissed it as a one-time reaction. But it soon became a pattern. Every time she washed clothes, her hands would turn mildly red and start itching.
She eventually figured out that the problem might be the detergent itself. She switched to a natural, oil-based soap for washing clothes, and the itching stopped simply because she was no longer coming into contact with the allergy-inducing detergent.
With the hand itching resolved, she moved on with her life. But that was not the end of the problem; it was only the beginning.
Sanskriti (name changed to protect identity), now 28, recalls how she suddenly developed allergies in her early 20s against materials she had been using and foods that had been a regular part of her diet throughout childhood and her teenage years and how medication failed to provide lasting relief.
Just a week after the hand-itching episode, she began sneezing continuously throughout the day. At night, she developed nasal congestion and discharge without any apparent reason. She did not have a cold or any other illness.
The symptoms persisted for three to four days. Soon, both she and her parents grew worried, as there was no medical explanation for the constant sneezing and nasal congestion. The symptoms began affecting her sleep, leaving her irritable and exhausted during the day, and impacting her productivity.
“Continuous sneezing during the day and nasal congestion at night completely disturbed my sleep. I was irritated, unable to function or study properly, so I decided to get it checked,” she says.
When she visited a doctor and explained her symptoms, he examined her and asked an unexpected question: whether she had been inserting any sharp object into her mouth. Confused, she wondered how that could possibly be related to her problem.
When she said she hadn’t, the doctor took a photograph of her mouth. To her shock, her soft palate was bruised, with blood smeared across scratch marks.
“I had no idea the upper part of my mouth was so bruised. When I thought about it, I realised that in my sleep, I was scratching my soft palate with my tongue because it was itching. That’s what caused the bruising,” Sanskriti says.
The doctor recommended a comprehensive allergy profile. The results showed she was allergic to a range of foods and environmental factors, including paper dust and house mites.
“I was shocked to see that I was hyperallergenic to foods like ladyfinger and jaggery—things I had been eating all my life,” she says. “How could I suddenly become allergic to them?”
Dr Shailesh Sahay, Senior Director, Internal Medicine at Max Hospital, Gurugram, explains that allergies can develop in a person’s 20s due to multiple factors: new experiences such as travel or job changes, new exposures like different foods or pets, new relationships, and other lifestyle shifts.
“All of these factors create stress on the immune system and can change the way it responds to substances such as foods and detergents that were previously well tolerated,” he says.
Dr Sahay notes that skin allergies, including eczema and hives, are the most common among young adults, though respiratory allergies, such as allergic rhinitis and asthma, are also common.
He adds that many young adults are diagnosed with food allergies, while others react to environmental triggers like dust, pollen, and chemicals. In several cases, patients experience more than one type of allergy, making diagnosis and management more challenging.
Sanskriti’s treatment began soon after. She started taking prescribed medications and visited her doctor regularly for follow-ups. “I was doing everything that is expected of a patient,” she says.
Over time, the number of medicines she took daily, initially six to eight, reduced to two after nearly a year. But despite this, she felt her condition had not improved as much as she had expected. This became clear after a frightening incident.
“I was travelling by train on a five-to-six-hour journey and forgot to pack my medicines,” she recalls. “The journey started around 10 am, and for the first few hours, I felt fine. But after nearly three hours, I began sneezing relentlessly. My face and body turned red, my eyes were watery, and I could barely breathe.”
That moment made her realise something was wrong.
“It dawned on me that the medication had not really improved my condition. In fact, I started wondering whether it had made me dependent on it,” she says.
As soon as she reached her destination, she took a cab to the nearest pharmacy to get her medicines. It took nearly two more hours for the allergic flare-up to subside.
“It was traumatic. In your early 20s, you don’t imagine that missing your medication could turn your life upside down,” she says.
After returning to her city, she visited her doctor again and shared her concerns that her allergies were not improving. Her medication was changed, and a new course was prescribed, which she followed diligently for another year.
More than two years later, her medicines were again reduced to two: an antibiotic and an anti-allergy drug. By then, taking medication had subconsciously become part of her routine.
She had almost forgotten the realisation that her condition hadn’t improved until one night when she forgot to take her medicine and her symptoms flared up while she was asleep.
“It hit me then that my allergies were still persistent,” she says. “I wasn’t eating anything I was allergic to, wasn’t coming into contact with allergens, and yet I was having reactions. I was fed up with taking medicines without seeing real improvement.”
She describes the experience as deeply frustrating. “I was avoiding allergens, maintaining my diet, going for regular check-ups, taking medicines religiously, and still suffering allergic reactions.”
Dr Sahay explains that allopathic treatment for allergies focuses on identifying triggers, managing symptoms, and creating a long-term plan. This includes allergen avoidance, antihistamines, nasal sprays, inhalers, and sometimes immunotherapy.
“Allopathic treatment aims not just to relieve immediate symptoms, but also to minimise flare-ups, improve quality of life, and reduce long-term complications,” he says.
He adds that allergy medications do not directly worsen allergies, but incorrect or prolonged use can cause complications. For instance, long-term use of nasal decongestants can lead to rebound congestion, while steroid medications may have side effects that provide temporary relief but mask deeper issues.
“My allergies took a mental toll on me. I was deeply saddened by the lack of improvement, and eventually, I stopped taking medication,” Sanskriti says.
She began considering other options and recalled a previous experience when homoeopathic treatment had helped cure a skin corn. “I thought I should try homoeopathy once for my allergies since it had worked for me before,” she says.
She visited a homoeopath, explained her condition in detail, and shared her past medical history. After examining her, the doctor prescribed medicines but warned her that her allergies would worsen during the first week. He advised her not to take any other medication during this period.
By then, Sanskriti had started working. “My allergies flared up badly because I wasn’t taking anti-allergy medicines. I was sneezing constantly, my body turned red, my eyes were watery, and I could barely work,” she recalls.
The experience was extremely difficult. “I couldn’t sleep at night because of itching, and during the day I struggled to work due to lack of sleep. But I was determined to stay the course.”
She completed the treatment. Within three months, she noticed improvement. Her homoeopathic medicines were gradually reduced to just one, taken twice a day. Within a year, she no longer needed daily medication.
“In less than a year of trying homoeopathy, I felt normal again,” she says. “I’m still allergic to certain things, but I don’t get unexplained reactions anymore. Earlier, I needed medicines even when I wasn’t exposed to allergens. Now, I don’t live in constant fear of sneezing, itching, or disturbed sleep.”
Once her unexplained allergic reactions subsided, her homoeopath advised her to maintain healthy haemoglobin levels and continue avoiding known allergens.
Evaluating her case, Dr Sahay says that when allergy medications don’t appear to work, it could point to multiple underlying causes.
“It becomes essential to re-evaluate the diagnosis, conduct comprehensive allergy testing, assess other health conditions like asthma or sinusitis, and identify unrecognised triggers,” he says.
He notes that patients who don’t find relief through conventional treatment may feel frustrated and explore alternative therapies. However, perceived benefits are not always directly linked to the alternative treatment itself.
Dr Sahay advises patients to ensure that alternative therapies do not interfere with proven medical treatments, cause harmful interactions, or delay appropriate care. Open communication with healthcare providers is essential, especially for those with chronic or severe allergies.
He also points out that improvement in allergic symptoms may sometimes occur due to factors beyond treatment, such as reduced allergen exposure, better stress management, improved sleep, dietary changes, and a healthier living environment.
“These lifestyle and environmental changes can significantly influence the immune system’s inflammatory response and may shape how patients perceive the effectiveness of any treatment they receive,” he says.
