Food Allergy Treatment
By Allen Matthews
This article has been written for those readers who have already been diagnosed with a food allergy. If you are worried that you may suffer from a food allergy, then your best course of action, is to contact your Doctor or GP and have them help determine whether or not you have a food allergy. They will do this by taking a series of tests to help gauge your reaction. Remember to bring a detailed case history of your previous reactions with you, so that the doctor has a better idea of your condition.
An allergy to food is when you have an adverse physical reaction to a food item after eating it. The most common food allergy is a Peanut Allergy, which affects from 1% - 1.5% of the population. It is also possible to outgrow a food allergy over time, however with a peanut allergy, this is rather unlikely.
Treatments For Food Allergies
As of today, the only treatment available for someone with a food allergy is prevention. That simply means they must carefully watch what they eat, to make sure that they avoid the food that causes their allergic reaction. Your GP or a professional dietician can sit with you and list what types of food you may need to remove from your diet (moreover, they can show you what kinds of food alternatives you can replace them with).
Sometimes however, being careful, may turn out to not be enough. Especially in the case of a peanut allergy, an unwanted food item (or even food trace) can slip into your meals by mistake (in one well documented case, a peanut allergic school girl had an adverse reaction to peanuts after her chicken sandwich was mistakenly made using a knife that had previously been used to make a peanut butter sandwich). Adverse reactions, such as swelling around the mouth or a severe rash, must be immediately treated with emergency antihistamines.
When it comes to food allergies, the best treatment is to always be cautious, carry a card or a bracelet that details your allergy, and always carry emergency antihistamines.
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Tuesday, July 10, 2007
A Quick Guide To Food Allergy Treatment
A Guide To Allergies
About Allergy
By Ken Marlborough
Allergy is a condition in which the body tends to react due to hypersensitivity to some substance such as food, drugs, drinks, pollution, flowers, and others. An allergen could be anything under the sun that might cause a reaction in one’s body if the body disagrees with that substance. Even a common thing such as sunlight and air might cause sever reactions in some if the skin is susceptible to allergies due to the same.
People suffering from food allergies are many. Although most of these individuals do not have very severe reactions, some might find instant severe reaction to some foods. Some of the allergic reactions are caused due to seafood, regular food such as rice, soy, wheat, nuts, flowers, sunlight, metals and many such items.
Certain allergic reactions that are caused can be given temporary treatment to sooth the itchiness and provide some relief to the patient. However, most allergies have no permanent cure and the individuals suffering from these will need to avoid coming in contact with certain items that might cause reactions.
Itchiness and irritation along with blotches are caused in most reactions. Body lotions can sometimes soothe these although severe ones need to be treated with immediate effect. Drug reactions must be immediately taken care of as they can turn out to be quite severe with delay and might even result in death of the patient if an alternative to stop the reaction is not immediately administered to the patient.
People suffering from respiratory problems such as asthma, sinusitis can use inhalers for temporary relief. Such individuals need to have the medicine on hand at all times in anticipation of an attack due to some reason or other. Other preventive medicines must be taken without fail for avoiding the attacks at inappropriate moments. Antihistamines and decongestants also help with respiratory problems.
Allergies tests must be taken to fist diagnose the problem. Although most of them do not have a temporary cure, allergy shots, supplements and other medication would help in stopping the attacks when least expected. Most allergy medication causes drowsiness and can impair driving. It is usually suggested to rest when on medication because of this. Allergy shots also help a great deal in the long run as they can reduce the chances of attacks drastically if proper care is taken.
Seasonal allergies are most common in children and even in a few percentages of adults. Taking a few precautions at the initial time of seasonal change can help a great deal in avoiding such allergies. Although spring is the most beautiful season, all that pollen in the air might result in respiratory and skin allergies. Children’s immunity system must be strong to be able to encounter these changes in the weather. Vitamins, particular the vitamin C can help a lot avoid respiratory allergies.
One important thing to consider before getting a prescription filled is to find weather the patient can take that medication without further allergy because of that medication, as many are allergic to sulfur and other ingredient in the medication composition.
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3 Steps To Managing Skin Allergies
skin allergies
By: David Kane
An effective approach to managing skin allergies has three components. Firstly you must understand the condition, then you must discover if anything is triggering your skin reaction, and thirdly you must look after your skin.
Many people think that allergies only affect the respiratory or digestive systems, but they can also affect your largest organ- your skin. As with other allergies the immune system overreacts to the presence of certain substances and releases inflammation-producing chemicals. Do some research and talk to your doctor. You can be confident of controlling your skin condition better if you are sure you understand what causes it.
The second component in managing a skin allergy is identifying then eliminating the allergens and irritants that start the itching/scratching cycle. There are over three thousand known triggers for skin allergies. Many are natural, but there are plenty of man-made ones too.
A common man-made trigger is latex, which comes from the sap of the Brazilian rubber tree. The natural proteins and those added in the manufacturing process can trigger an allergic reaction. Most people are aware that this can lead to reactions if you wear latex gloves. However latex is also present in baby pacifiers, balloons, pencil erasers and elastic bands in undergarments. There can also be problems when latex particles become airborne and are inhaled. If you have a latex allergy try to avoid the material and use vinyl or plastic where possible.
Nickel is another trigger. In addition to the obvious nickel-containing metallic objects like coins and jewelry, nickel is also present in everyday objects like scissors, bathroom and kitchen cabinet handles, and zippers. Mascara, eye shadow and eye pencils also contain nickel. Experts estimate that the number of people suffering from a nickel allergy has risen about 40% in the last decade. Much of this is believed to be due to the popularity of body piercing. Some foods also have natural nickel content and people who suffer severe symptoms may need to restrict their diet under medical supervision. At present there is no way to desensitize a person with a nickel allergy. Avoidance is the best strategy.
The third component of effective management is looking after your skin. The easiest thing to do is to keep your fingernails short to reduce the damage caused by scratching.
Managing your skin's condition means firstly moisturizing and softening the skin to ensure it does not dry out. Your doctor may recommend you use topical corticosteroid preparations to control the inflammation.
When you take a bath soak in lukewarm water for 20 to 30 minutes. Do not have hot baths or showers, as the heat will increase skin dryness and itching. You can add oatmeal or baking soda to the bath for a soothing effect, though it does not help moisturize the skin.
Use a mild soap or a non-soap cleanser with neutral pH (pH7). If you wish to add bath oils do so after you have been in the water so that it can seal in the moisture. Do not use bubble baths as they can form a barrier that stops the bathwater moisturizing your skin.
After the bath dry yourself by patting your skin with a soft towel. This helps retain moisture. Immediately after drying your skin apply a lotion or emollient cream to help your skin retain the moisture.
To look after your skin you will also need to avoid situations where you will experience extreme physical contact, heavy perspiration, or heavy clothing. This may mean avoiding some sports. Swimming is permissible if you rinse the chlorine from your skin as soon as you leave the pool, and use a moisturizer after drying yourself.
Follow these three steps and you will be able to control your skin allergy and minimize its impact on your everyday life.
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