Suffering From Food Allergies?
Food allergies effect such a large number of people that it seems most people know at least someone with a food allergy. These allergies can be difficult to live with and even worse they send thousands of people to the emergency room each year; they are also the cause of a few deaths each year.
Some people experience food intolerance instead of a food allergy which can cause confusion; they are different conditions that can cause different reactions.
A food intolerance, sometimes called a food sensitivity, results in a delayed reaction to a food or food additive. A food allergy on the other hand can cause a reaction within minutes of consuming the triggering food. An intolerance occurs because the food isn’t being digested properly due to things like a lack of enzymes, but an allergy is an immune response.
A food allergy is called an immune response because the allergy reaction is caused by a response from the immune system. The immune system is constantly working to take care of the body and shield it from harm. It views this allergen as a potentially damaging substance so it starts working to defend the body. To help the body defend itself the system releases specific protective chemicals, one of these being histamine which triggers the allergy symptoms.
Symptoms of an allergy reaction can show within seconds or take up to an hour. These symptoms can include swelling or tingling of the mouth, lips, throat or tongue; wheezing or difficulty breathing; diarrhea, vomiting or abdominal pain; or hives. If the reaction progresses it can result in anaphylactic shock which can involve a drop in blood pressure, loss of consciousness and in some cases death.
The types of foods that cause allergy reactions can be slightly different in different countries, but there are eight foods that seem to be the leading cause of food allergies in most countries. These big eight include peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, eggs, shellfish, seafood, wheat and soy.
Treatment for food allergies, as with most allergies, is to avoid the allergen. While this may seem pretty basic with a food allergy, it may not be as simple as it sounds. Many processed or packaged foods contain hidden allergens. Because of this problem the U.S. now requires companies to list foods that contain any of the main eight allergens.
While this has been quite helpful it doesn’t guarantee the foods are pure and completely safe for allergy sufferers. The other problem is the possibility of cross-contamination. This happens when a machine that processes a food that contains a common allergen is also used for foods that don’t contain an allergen. Even though the machines are cleaned, traces of the allergen can remain.
Those who suffer from food allergies need to fully understand food labels and they need to read them carefully. They will also need to know the other possible names of ingredients that can contain specific allergens. For example those with a milk protein allergy will also need to avoid casein because it is a form of milk protein.
People with allergies will need to be familiar with the signs of a possible allergy reaction. They will also need to know how to treat themselves to prevent or reduce the chances of anaphylactic shock. Treatment usually involves the use of an epinephrine injector, often called an EpiPen.
