Finding Out about Food Allergy

Allergy 

Food allergy are perhaps something common among us. Being allergic to certain types of foods can be frustrating because it means you can eat anything just not that. One of the things that doctors recommend to people suffering from food allergies is to change the diet that he/she has. During our younger years, we may already find out to which foods we are allergic with but allergies may develop at any age in our life. If you think that you are allergic to a certain type of food, it would be best to avoid it and have yourself checked with your doctor to conduct tests and see if you really are.

What are Food Allergy?

Food allergy is an abnormal immune response to a food protein. Food allergy are a different case from experience adverse reactions to certain foods. The reason why a person can get allergic to a certain type of food is because of the protein component that it has. Allergic reactions happen once the system attacks that macromolecule thinking that it will hurt the body.

As mentioned earlier, at a young age, food allergy can already be identified. Among the classic symptoms of food allergy, skin rash is one of the signs that an allergic reaction is happening. Although each person has different levels of sensitivity to certain food types, it is still important that we know how to manage it and what to do when allergic attacks happen.

Causes of Food Allergy:

Food allergy are a result of hypersensitivity of the immune system. When a person ingests a substance that the body is not able to identify, it will release an antibody called immunoglobulin E (IgE) to fight off the foreign body. When IgE is found in the body, cells called mast cells and basophils produce a chemical called histamine. Histamine at high levels can cause inflammation in various parts of the body causing the symptoms of allergy such as nasal congestion, skin rashes, throat irritation, asthma and digestive problems.

Signs and Symptoms of a Food Allergy:

Allergy symptoms 

One of the signs that we can tell that we have food allergy is with a skin rash. Skin rashes appear for certain reasons. To find out if you are really allergic to a certain type of food is by taking note of the time that the skin rash appeared and take note of what food you have just ingested. Signs that you are suffering from a food allergy attack is when you note the following:

• Redness of the skin

• Inflammation of the skin

• Itchiness causing skin to thicken after scratching

• Red bumps or welts on different parts of the body

• Swollen tongue, hands and feet

• Puffed eye lids or swelling under the eyes

• Hives

• Rashes around the mouth

Treatment:

Due to the fact that we consume different foods at one meal, it will be hard to tell which ones we’re possibly allergic to. But there are ways on how you can avoid food allergy by doing simple steps.

• Taking note of the foods you eat with a food diary.

• Place in your food diary the symptoms that you experience after eating a meal with those foods.

• Eliminate a certain type of food in your diet for 2 to 3 days and check if the symptoms are still present. If they still do then the food you have just eliminated for the past few days are not the culprit. Keep doing so until you find out what foods you have eliminated left you free of the itchiness and rashes you experience.

• Visit your doctor and take blood tests to find out what food source causes you allergy attacks. Find out ways to manage your allergy, do diet modification and know what medications will help you feel relieved of the symptoms. 

Rare Kinds of Allergy 

Rare kinds of allergy is a very interesting and informative topic. Food, dusts and pollens are often the causes of the allergy that we may have heard of or at times we may be the ones who experience it. But little do we know that there are hundreds of different kinds of allergies out there that we may have not heard of because they are so rare and will surely be surprised to find out that these allergies do exist.

Why do we have Allergy?

allergic

Allergy happen because our immune system is hypersensitive with certain substances that we are exposed to. The list below shows just a few of the many rare allergies out there but the ones below are really interesting and surprising.

Rare Allergy:

• Allergic to Own New Born Child (Pemphigoid gestitionis)

Who would have ever thought that a person could be allergic to her own child after birth? Known as Pemphigoid gestitionis, this allergy is a skin condition where blisters are seen on the abdominal area and on severe cases can be seen on all over the body. Women who are affected with this rare allergy undergo through it during the 2nd or 3rd trimester and at times after the birth of their own child. There are also times when the child is born with the rash too but this is really rare.

• Water Allergy (Aquagenic urticaria)

Being allergic to water is so rare that according to statistics only one person out of 23 million is affected with this kind of Allergies . Cases like this ar terribly rare and other people affected usually keep inside. People who have Aquagenic hypersensitivity reaction ar therefore sensitive to the ions within the water that not distilled. This is why drinking distilled water is the only way to avoid allergies. As for baths, they may take a bath with distilled water only but it will not last that long because it can get really itchy and hives will occur.

• Solar Allergy (Solar urticaria)

People who have this kind of allergy get hives after being exposed to the sun. Antihistamines are used to treat it and the person affected will be advised to avoid getting exposed to the sun to avoid allergies attacks. A person might get hives the minute they're exposed to the sun however it'll eventually disappear once half-hour. There are medications that can cure the after-effects of the allergy (hives, skin rashes, etc.) but there are no known medications that protect the skin or avoid the allergic reaction.

• Allergic to Wood

Being allergic to wood is one troublesome allergic reaction as a result of there ar people that ar allergic to any or all sorts of woods might or not it's in solid or mud type whereas there are those who are allergic to certain kinds of wood or sawdust. This can be really bothersome because we know that many things are made out of wood. Because there ar people that may be sensitive to wood, they can not bit something that's made from wood like pencil and paper. There are reported cases that being allergic to wood will turn the skin looking life as if it was burned after allergy attacks. In many instances, wood allergy cause hives, coughing, sneezing and skin irritation.

The Dangers of Frequent Allergy

Frequent allergies also have its dangerous. Children are the most at risk of developing allergy. How allergies affect a person will depend on various factors such as age, genes, occupation, location, weather and environment. All these can attribute to the reason why a person develops frequent allergy. We may think that allergies are a natural part of our health but the truth is, allergy is a sign of a slight malfunction of the immune system. This means to say, it is an abnormality because it has developed excessively high sensitivity to a substance that is generally harmless and the substance that causes the allergy is called an allergen. When an allergen enters our body, it signals the immune system to react in such a way that a person usually experiences classic symptoms of an allergy which are skin rashes, itchiness in certain parts of the body and even difficulty of breathing at times. But the severity of an allergies is not only when it has become anaphylaxis—a severe form of allergy.  

Rather, there are also imposed dangers to our health when we frequently experience allergy once in a while and if we are always exposed to our allergen. Frequent allergy should not be taken for granted and should be given the right medical attention.

Danger of Frequent Allergy

Allergies 

A lot of people are allergic to foods, pollens and other commonly known allergy. These cases are not as bothersome as we think it is because not only do we see it but we ourselves may also be one of those affected with such allergy. But if we experience frequent allergies, there is that possibility that things may turn dangerous and place you in peril especially when left untreated but even if you manage your allergy with medications, there are still things we need to consider. On most cases, untreated allergy result to infection. With this, there is a need to continually medicate and make necessary changes in one’s lifestyle to prevent it from frequently happening.

• Anaphylaxis

As mentioned earlier, anaphylaxis is a severe kind of allergy. In cases like this, a person may undergo difficulty in breathing and may have to be goes to the hospital immediately. The most common allergy that result in hypersensitivity reaction ar food allergy , allergy to insect venom or bites and penicillin allergy.

• Skin Infection

Most people UN agency have skin allergies aren't able to stand touching substances like essential oils, plants and latex. There was a study that showed that individuals UN agency get skin allergies within the skin and leaves it untreated can eventually diminish however can seem once more once exposed to the matter. When it's left untreated within the long-standing time will cause skin irritation.

More Dangers of Frequent Allergies

• Developing another Allergy

When an individual is often experiencing sensitivity, that person increases the risk of being allergic to another substance apart from the allergen that he/she currently has.

• Asthma

People who has an allergy, in most cases, also has asthma. Asthma is AN hypersensitivity wherever the system mostly affects the airways ANd respiration throughout attacks once in reality with an matter that is round the setting and is often called allergy -induced asthma.

• Lung Infection

When a person is exposed to mold for a long time, it can impose a risk of developing into lung infection called aspergillosis. In cases like this, once an individual inhales mould spores and that they enter the lungs, they keep there and grow. For people who have asthma, they right get allergic reactions once inhaled. Some folks wouldn't even grasp that the molds have stayed in their lungs not till the tissues have already been broken. Symptoms of this ar chills, issue respiration, coughing of blood and fever. A person will need to be prescribed with medications or undergo surgery to remove the molds.

Food allergy 

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