What causes allergies and how do they manifest in the body?

Allergies happen when your body thinks something harmless is actually dangerous, and it goes on a wild chase to protect you.

Imagine you're playing in the park, and suddenly someone throws confetti everywhere. You don’t know what it is, but you think it’s something really annoying, like invisible glitter. Your body gets all excited and starts shouting, “Watch out!” This is kind of like how allergies work.

Your immune system, which is like a tiny superhero team inside your body, sometimes makes a mistake. It sees something like pollen or pet dander, things that are usually harmless, and thinks it’s an enemy. So the superhero team goes into action.

When this happens, your body sends out special soldiers called histamines. These soldiers cause your eyes to water, your nose to run, and maybe even make you sneeze like a volcano. It's like when you eat too much candy, your body gets all wiggly and excited.

Sometimes the reaction is stronger. You might get hives that look like little bumpy clouds on your skin or feel like your throat is closing up, it’s like someone tied a rubber band around it!

So, allergies are your immune system having a funny, over-the-top party when it thinks something bad is happening.