Month: July 2013

Food Allergies

Introduction

No matter if you are American, Canadian, from Europe or Asia; you definitely can’t say that you don’t like eating delicious food. Since nature has inculcated sense of taste in us; we all enjoy eating delicious food. Similarly, not only do we like the food items of our own country but we are always willing to try different cuisines of other countries and cultures as well. Despite our willingness to try and experiment different varieties of food, why do most of us often avoid specific food items? Why don’t we eat things which are perceived by others as tasty? Why are we not able to eat things we like the most? This is because we fear lest we should develop some form of allergy or some odd reaction. According to statistics, around 6-8 % of children under the age of three suffer from food allergies and an estimated about 4 % of adults have food allergies. If we look into the statistics of United States and Canada, we find out that the percentage of individuals affected by food allergies is almost the same.

How do We Define Food Allergy?

Food allergy, like other allergies, is our body’s response to some specific food items. Food items contain proteins that may be deemed by our immune system as harmful and thus an allergic reaction is triggered. It is only after an occurrence of allergic reaction that symptoms are expressed.

What kind of food products cause allergy?

While any food product can cause food allergy, but still there are many food products that are believed to be the most common cause of food allergy. These food items are listed as under:

  • Milk
  • Eggs
  • Fish
  • Soy
  • Wheat
  • Spices
  • Nuts including tree nuts and walnuts

 

Are there different types?

The type of food that causes an allergy determines the associated type of allergy. Allergens are different for different people. For example, most of the children develop food allergies from milk, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts. This is the reason why some children have adverse effects on skin when they eat peanut-chocolates. Adults, on the other hand, may develop food allergies due to eggs and fish. Different kinds of food allergies are listed below:

  • Egg allergy
  • Milk allergy
  • Shellfish allergy
  • Soy allergy
  • Proteins allergy
  • Peanuts allergy

 

How is food allergy identified?

People often confuse food poisoning or food intolerance with food allergy. However, symptoms for food allergy are different from those of the other problems associated with food. Symptoms of food allergy can be observed throughout the body. The most common symptom of food allergies is skin rash or itchy skin. Other possible symptoms include:

 

  • Swelling of the face especially around ears, eyes and lips
  • Itchy sensation inside throat
  • Nausea
  • Abdominal pain
  • Diarrhea
  • Eczema (in severe cases)

 

Furthermore, food allergy is confirmed or diagnosed by different tests such as blood tests and skin prick testing.


How is food allergy treated?

Several medications are available to treat food allergies. Similarly, there are several ointments that can be used treat eczema and other related skin problems that occur due to food allergies.

Medical Professional Conclusion

Although, medicines can play an active role in alleviating the disease, they don’t guarantee a complete or permanent solution. The best strategy to treat food allergies is to identify a particular food allergen and then avoid that food in future.

What to do?

From the standpoint of a medical profession , it sounds like you can’t eat anything. Other than processed foods, of course, which earn billions of dollars from this type of research.

Let’s start separating truth from the false assumptions.

  1. Milk Allergy. Typically , it is a reaction of your body to a homogenized, pasteurized, non-fat milk look-alike product that is not actually milk. Cows do not produce fat-free milk. In fact, for centuries it was well known that once you take fat from the milk (naturally to produce butter and creams), the resulting product is not healthy. Avoid fat free, homogenized milk. We strongly suggest trying organic milk from farm-razed , grass fed , raised without bowine hormone (rBGH).
  2. Peanuts allergy. The absolute majority of the “peanuts allergies” are not to the actual peanuts but to the mold that lives on them. It is due to improper peanuts processing.
  3. Wheat and white flour products – should be avoided.
  4. Any reaction to a specific fruit or vegetable is personal. If you can’t eat one, don’t. Try to get local or organically grown as much as possible.
  5. Avoid Sugar and High fructose corn syrup , including sugary carbonated drinks. Drink water instead. If it isn’t available or isn’t tasty enough , buy a simple water filter and purify it.

We will expand on this in the next article.

Allergies: What, why, when and how?

Introduction

Almost all of us experience and encounter some particular type of allergy at least at some part of our lives.

For example, someone may have an eye-itching problem while others may experience runny-nose problem. Similarly, many people keep complaining about being allergic to dust. However, most of us are not aware of the physiological mechanism behind our allergies.

Statistics

Statistics vary for different types of allergies from one country to another. For instance, in United States alone, an estimated 150 people die annually because of Anaphylaxis (a severe allergic reaction). Similarly, in UK, it caused 48 deaths between 1999 and 2006. According to Allergy-UK, one out of every four people suffers from allergy at some point in his / her life. In short, the fact is that allergies are too common and can affect anyone else at any stage in life.

Statistics, however, are indicative that children and youth are more vulnerable to allergies.

What is allergy?

Definition: In simple words, allergy refers to abnormal reaction or response of our body to some harmless (or at times, harmful) substance such as dust and pollen. Substance that causes allergic reaction is called as ‘allergen’ while the reaction or process itself is called as ‘allergy’. Some food items also bring about allergic reactions in some people as some people are hypersensitive to certain foods. Depending on what causes allergic reactions, we have different types of allergies.

What are the types of allergies?

Allergies are broadly classified into two main types:

1. Seasonal Allergies: As their name suggests, these kinds of allergy occur at specific times or during a specific season (or due to weather) during the year. For instance, many people get affected by hay fever during some particular season of the year. Moreover, tree pollen, grass pollen and fungi can be regarded as the main allergens that may contribute to the cause of seasonal allergies.

2. Perennial Allergies: Unlike seasonal allergies, perennial allergies can occur anytime during any season of the year. Allergens that cause perennial allergies can be many such as house dust, cockroaches and insect stings. This is the reason why most of the women wear masks while they clean their homes so as to make sure that they don’t become allergic to the dust particle. Similarly, for some people cigarette smoke acts as an allergen as they are hypersensitive to it and it may induce an allergic response in some people even if the smoker is at a considerable distance from them. Finally, some people also develop perennial allergies from their pets chiefly because of their hair.

3. Other Types (Miscellaneous Allergies): Allergies can be further classified into different types depending on the nature or type of allergens. For example, food allergy refers to the allergy being caused due to some food item.

Similarly, some people develop drug allergies after taking some medications. Likewise, there are other types of allergy that depend on the nature of allergy. For example, if someone’s skin is affected by allergic reactions, this may be deemed as a type called “skin allergy”. Although allergies may alter the mood of the affected person but they are believed to be potentially harmless. However, there is one type of allergic reaction that is known to have adverse effects and acts as a potential threat for humans. This type of allergy is called as ‘Anaphylaxis’. It is a life-threatening allergic reaction that can affect breathing and blood circulation of the person affected, even leading to death in severe cases.

How are allergies identified?

Symptoms for allergies are very obvious; most common being sneezing. Other symptoms could be:

Other common signs and symptoms may include:

  • Coughing
  • Skin rash
  • Itching
  • Asthma (in severe cases)
  • Watering of eyes
  • Swelling of body parts (usually in Anaphylaxis)

How are allergies diagnosed (confirmed)?

While most allergies can be identified on the basis of a clinical history and physical examination of the patient, your doctor may recommend a particular skin or blood test to find out if the blood levels of “IgE” antibodies are abnormally high in your blood.

How are allergies treated?

The treatment or therapy of allergy can be further subdivided into the following categories:

Medical / clinical treatment: Prescribed or recommended by a doctor, this type of treatment consists of a course of some prescription or OTC (over the counter) medicines, generally known as “Anti-Histamines” (anti-allergic drugs).

Natural or preventive therapy: It is believed that the best way of treating allergy is to prevent it in the first place. Accordingly, allergy can be avoided or prevented by simple knowing or identifying the substance / factor (allergen) you are allergic to.

Conclusion

All in all, allergy or hypersensitivity is one of the commonest conditions or disorders that virtually affects every single person. Fortunately, it can be easily identified and diagnosed. While various treatments are available, the best course of action is to prevent it by simply avoiding the factor responsible for a specific allergy.