Allergies and Asthma

Allergies and Asthma

Allergies and Asthma
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	high interest, readability grades 4 to 5
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	3.3

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		inhaler, medical, asthma, diarrhea, wheeze, pollen, running, coughing, allergy, tests, attack, ache, fell, weatherman, certain, swell
	content words:		But I'm

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Allergies and Asthma
By Patti Hutchison

¹     Your eyes are itching. They begin to water. You can't stop sneezing. Your nose is running. The weatherman says the pollen count is high. Your allergies are kicking in.

²     An allergy is your body's reaction to something in your surroundings. Many people are allergic to something. Some are allergic to flowers and trees. Some are allergic to animals. Many people have food allergies. Some are bothered by certain medicines or insect bites.

³     When you have an allergy, your body's immune system goes into overdrive. Usually, this system protects your body from disease. But when you have an allergy, it acts like your body is under attack.

⁴     Your immune system makes chemicals that act on your body. They cause swelling. There are usually other symptoms of allergies, also.

⁵     If you have a skin allergy, your skin will swell. You might get little bumps called hives. They will itch and get red. Here's what Josh has to say:

⁶     "When I sit in fresh cut grass, I start to break out. My skin gets all red and blotchy. I itch like crazy. But scratching it doesn't help. It just makes it worse."

⁷     If you have a food allergy, you might feel sick to your stomach. You might get diarrhea. You will probably have a stomach ache.

⁸     Suzy is allergic to milk. "If I drink milk or eat cheese or ice cream, I get a terrible stomach ache. Even though I love those things, it's not worth it to eat them. They make me sick."

Paragraphs 9 to 16:
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