Larry’s View

Larry’s view on any and everything.

Food allergies test

How does a person know that they have a food allergy? The simple answer is that as a child they ate something their body had a reaction to and their parents realized that there was some type of food allergy to be wary of. The other way to determine if a person has a food allergy is by the food allergies test. The food allergies test has been designed by scientist to test the individual with small amounts of food to see if they will get a reaction. The food allergies test is an internal test as well as an external test. What this means is that some individuals can have a food allergies reaction just by touching the food they are allergic to, while others will have a reaction based on the digestion on the food. The food allergies test usually takes a few hours to perform. This is because the food allergies reactions can take up to three hours before a person will start to experience symptoms.

For mild food allergies the food allergies test may not work as well as one would hope. You see with a mild food allergy the body may not react to the same degree. This means that when you are taking part in the food allergies test you are not given a heavy dose of the food because the doctors obviously don’t want to have a serious reaction on their hands. In a small dose a person with a mild food allergy may not have any reaction at all. This can make it difficult for those individuals to be diagnosed.

Generally with allergies that are tested externally even food allergies tests that are done externally an area of the skin are going to be scrapped with the offending food item. The skin is then either going to have hives appear or it is not. This will tell the doctor if you are allergic to the external stimuli. You will also note that the test is going to be done on various parts of the body. If you think you have a food allergy it is best to seek a medical opinion and have the food allergies test completed. The doctor can help you determine what course of action may be needed if you do indeed have the food allergy. In most cases it will be a rotation diet as well as cutting out the ingredient you are allergic too.

April 3, 2008 Posted by | Blogroll, Food allergy | Leave a comment

Developing food allergies late in life

The question is it possible to develop food allergies late in life is very important. Many individuals do not realize that they can develop food allergies as they become older. This typically means that a person will eat a food and have an allergic reaction they are unprepared for. This article is going to look at developing food allergies late in life and some of the things you can do to prevent this from happening.

First it should be noted that food allergies have a relationship with your immune system. You immune system sees antibodies that it takes offence to. This means that the immune system will attack the antibodies and you will all the sudden have an allergic reaction to something you ate. You will begin to see hives, possibly have swelling, and you could even develop anaphylactic shock from the severity of the reaction. Most individuals tend to find out if they have an allergy to a food as a child, but what should be mentioned is that some children can outgrow their allergies. This is because the immune system finally stops fighting the antibodies or proteins. The antibodies are proteins in food that the body just can’t break down without causing a reaction.

As you age your body is going to change. This is why developing food allergies late in life is possible. It could be that you have a food allergy because you have a specific disorder in your body. Thyroid disorders usually result in intolerance of foods or a distinct food allergy in the sufferer because of the hormonal imbalance. This means that there are other disorders or diseases that could be the actual cause of the immune system developing an allergen to foods. You will also find that your immune system can develop food allergies late in life because of what you have eaten for the last thirty years. Did you know that eating the same foods over and over again can produce antibodies in the body that the immune system will have trouble breaking down. The issue here is that you have too many antibodies that have built up and as your metabolism slows your body is unable to get rid of food as fast as in your younger days. This means developing food allergies late in life is not only possible, but extremely prevalent. You will also find that a simply change in diet to where you back off from having certain foods every other day will prevent this.

April 3, 2008 Posted by | Blogroll, Food allergy | Leave a comment

What is the most common food allergies in adults

The most common food allergies in adults are going to be nuts. There are two kinds of allergies relating to nuts. You will find when asking the question, what is the most common food allergies in adults that peanuts are the upper most on the list. Other allergies that are very common in adults include other nuts or tree nuts, fish, and shellfish. Wheat is another prominent allergy in most adults. You will find that when specifically referring to peanuts there are about 1% of the population who are affected by a peanut allergy and about a .5% allergy to tree nuts.

The most common food allergies in adults are going to offer a variety of degrees in severity as well as the symptoms the adult can suffer. You will find that any person who is allergic to a food can have the severest of reactions, meaning death. Although there are certainly preventative measures, death can be the result if a person doesn’t seek medical attention at the first sign of the issue. For those who have lived with an allergy, even the most common food allergies such as peanuts, they will have an Epi- Pen. The Epi- Pen is filled with epinephrine, which is a common drug used to treat almost any allergy. When the pen is injected into the skin the medication is released immediately into the bloodstream and the individual usually recovers without medical attention. In some cases it will provide enough time to get the person to the emergency room in order to avoid the threat of death.

Basically when discussing what is the most common food allergies in adults, you are going to find that with peanuts the person can have a small reaction like hives, or they can have swelling in the throat, mouth, and stomach pain. Each person is going to be different regarding their reaction to peanuts or other food allergies. Some individuals don’t even realize that they have food allergies until they reach late adulthood when the symptoms become more pronounced. In other cases the adult could have the allergy their entire life, in a severe enough case that they have a special diet, and must avoid most restaurants. You will find that restaurants have taken to warning individuals about peanut products in their menu items to help avoid any issues. The reason of course is that this is the most common food allergy.

April 3, 2008 Posted by | Blogroll, Food allergy | Leave a comment

Causes of food allergies

The exact cause to food allergies is unknown. Medically there has not been a reason found why a child or an adult may develop a certain food allergy. What is known about the causes of food allergies is that the immune system will attack certain properties in food. Most often what is attacked is the proteins found in certain foods like shellfish, seafood, and peanuts. The immune system is unable to break down the food that has been ingested, therefore it tries to get rid of the problem by creating allergens or an allergic reaction.

Causes of food allergies are related to the antibodies found in foods. The immune system doesn’t recognize these antibodies and therefore the immune system tries to defend the body. Think of the causes of food allergies like the causes of the flu or a cold. You have bacteria that invades the body. The body knows this is wrong so it will try to create some form block against the antibodies or bacteria. As soon as the reaction is in place you experience an allergic reaction or allergy symptoms.

The allergy symptoms are a byproduct of the immune system trying to fight the foreign matter. In other words it is a secondary cause to food allergies. The first reaction is the immune system releasing certain chemicals to help break down the food and flush the antibodies from the system. The result of this is usually swelling, hives, diarrhea or constipation, and anaphylactic shock in patients that have severe cases of food allergies.

Overall it is the food that causes the allergic reaction. When you cut the food from your diet you are saving your body from having to fight the foreign matter. However, you can still develop other food allergies when you eat too much of one thing. For instance if you ate rice every day for five years, and you were prone to food allergies you could develop a food allergy to rice. The immune system has just decided that you have too much protein or antibodies from the food and therefore it must fight it.

While the exact cause of food allergies is unknown, there have been significant studies to help individuals with food allergies handle the issues. You will find that there is no cure for food allergies, just preventative methods. It is important to understand how the immune system works to avoid further issue with any food allergy.

April 3, 2008 Posted by | Blogroll, Food allergy | Leave a comment

Food allergies snacks

There are a variety of things to be concerned about if you have food allergies. One of those is snacks that can cause food allergies. You will find that if you have just been diagnosed with food allergies there are certain food allergies snacks that you can carry around with you in order to help you prevent an allergic reaction. For an example if you are allergic to peanuts or tree nuts you may want to carry around food allergies snacks in case you are on a long trip or out longer than you thought you would be. This will prevent yourself from going hungry as often the first thing we look for is something quick to grab and eat. Most of the snack food items in the stores will be candy bars, chips, and other items that contain peanuts or were made with peanut oil.

You will find there are food allergies snacks on the shelves in supermarkets as well as natural food stores. These food allergies snacks are not going to be made with certain items. There are about eight common food allergies including dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish and seafood. When you are purchasing food allergies snacks you are going to find items that have been made without certain ingredients. You will even find that some of the food allergies snacks are going to be devoid of the most popular food allergies in one little snack. This is because a person with multiple food allergies still needs food allergies snacks that they can have. This means that the some snacks will not have dairy, nuts, or eggs all rolled into one snack.

One place that you are able to find food allergies snacks is Divvies on the internet. They specialize in food allergies snacks for anyone who may have multiple food allergies or just any food allergy. You will find there are cookies, popcorn, candy, cupcakes, gourmet food, party foods, and other items on their online store. The idea behind this store and other food allergies snacks is to offer something for everyone. It is no fun to be excluded from having a treat just because you have an allergy. Food allergies snacks are very important for children. Since children have a harder time with food allergies because they see their friends having snacks it is important to provide things for them as well. Jelly beans and other food allergies snacks can be provided to help with the issues that can arise.

April 3, 2008 Posted by | Blogroll, Food allergy | Leave a comment

Symptoms of food allergies

The symptoms of food allergies are going to vary from person to person. You will find that some individuals suffer from food allergies in a mild case, this means that they will have less symptoms and often the symptoms of food allergies are not going to remain for a long duration. To start off in this article we are going to list the symptoms of food allergies, and then discuss in more detail the actual reactions a person can have.

There are several symptoms of food allergies. The most prevalent symptom is hives. We are all pretty familiar with what hives are, but for your benefit hives are a red rash that causes the skin to itch. Most often hives are going to offer you raised bumps or welts that will spread from one area of the body to another. In some cases the hives are going to be localized to a specific area, but most often if left untreated they will continue to spread. It should be mentioned that hives can spread due to stress. This means that if you are having an allergic reaction and you begin to stress out the hives can spread at a quicker pace.

The next in symptoms of food allergies is the swelling. Most often because the food is ingested the swelling of the mouth and lips will be the first sign. If you have a severe allergy your neck and the rest of your body could begin to swell.

You will experience stomach cramps as a result of the allergy in most cases, and nausea or vomiting will soon follow. Lastly most individuals with food allergies experience diarrhea. There are other symptoms of food allergies that are less common like itching or watering of the eyes, runny or stuffy nose, shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, dizziness, an irregular heartbeat, and of course anaphylactic shock.

You will find that with symptoms of food allergies the last items mentioned in the above paragraph of less common than the first symptoms mentioned. The anaphylactic shock, breathing issues, and dizziness is often going to result from eating a lot of the food you are allergic too or if you have an extreme case of the food allergy. Most individuals have a mild allergy to one or two foods, which means hives and swelling that will decrease after a few hours. The onset of the symptoms of food allergies can be two minutes or take two hours depending on the person.

February 25, 2008 Posted by | Blogroll, Food allergy | Leave a comment