Food Allergy

Some folk harp on about Food Allergies being the most dangerous type of Allergy you can have. Well, they're right.

Did you know that over nine million people in North America alone are believed to have a Food Allergy. Did you also know that the number of people in North America admitted to hospital in the past ten years for dangerous allergic reactions has doubled. Not to mention that thousands of people die in North America every year as a consequence of their Allergies.

And it is not just confined to North America. Australia, Britian and Europe all have their share of problems with Food Allergies.

In Australia they have seen a five fold increase in hospital admissions in the past decade for severe allergic reactions in children. Food for thought?

So what is the cause? What is the cure?

Well, despite everything that is known about Allergies, I am sure you are aware, there are no real answer yet. No real cause and no cure. What can we do?

At present all we can do is use the knowledge we have to make the best of the situation. We know generally what can cause a Food Allergy and we know mostly how to minimize the symptoms.

We know that a Food Allergy is a response by your body to an ordinary item of food. The most common items are milk, dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts and seafood.

Now Food Allergy should not be confused with Food Intolerance. With a Food Allergy your body fights against the food totally, usually with immediate and sometimes violent responses. With a Food Intolerance, your stomach and intestines don't object to the food, they just have trouble processing it.

Food Allergy symptoms can be immediate and severe. They can include swelling around the neck and mouth, vomiting, hives, stomach pains or cramps and diarrhea. In some cases a severe Food Allergy reactions can occur; this is usually (but not always) to peanuts, shellfish and tree nuts. These severe reactions are called Anaphylaxis and involve a disruption to normal breathing and blood supply.

Anaphylaxis can be fatal if not treated immediately. Symptoms can include gagging, difficulty breathing, choking, hoarse voice, swollen throat, dizziness, blackout or going into shock. The last caused by a decrease in your blood pressure.

If you think that you might have a Food Allergy go and see your doctor or medical advisor immediately. Normally doctors use skin or blood tests to test people for ordinary Allergies. With Food Allergies the process tends to be a little different. It is far more common for the doctor to use what they call special "elimination challenge diets". They're more exact and target the particular food/foods that are inducing the Allergy.

Elimination diets work by putting you on a strict diet, say for a week, to rid you body of anything it is allergic to. Then piece by piece you start adding new food items to the diet until a reaction happens. This can go on for a number of weeks depending on how you respond. This type of diet should only be done under medical supervision. You should not attempt to do this by yourself.

If your doctor discovers that you do have a Food Allergy then the doctor will proscribe a suitable treatment to reduce the Allergy symptoms. Your treatment can consist of medications along with practical things you can do to avoid further episodes.

Generally it means avoiding all forms of the food to which you are allergic and carrying some form of medication with you. This could be a simple Epipen, which you carry in you pocket, bag or purse.

Don't be afraid to let others know you are allergic to a certain food. It is a good idea to let them know what to do to help you if you happen to have a severe episode.