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An allergic reaction to food can occur within seconds of consuming the food or may take an hour to develop. Symptoms include:
In the case of a severe food allergy that induces anaphylactic shock, a person may experience:
Our immune systems are designed to protect us from pathogens and other foreign particles that may do us harm. Upon sensing an intrusion, the body sends specialized cells that can fight and kill the offending particle by inducing the inflammation response. Normally, the immune response is appropriate to the level of threat. The allergic response, however, is an overreaction by the immune system, normally in response to something that is not particularly harmful, such as dust or pollen. People can also develop allergies to particular foods, which can cause a severe allergic reaction upon ingestion.
Dr. Gulati is featured on WCBS-TV Eyes on New York discussing foods, especially allergy-fighting foods, and seasonal allergies.
In order to qualify as a food allergy, the response by the body must be an immune response. Food poisoning, for example, is due to toxins that bacteria in food release into the gut, so would not be considered an allergic reaction. The same goes for MSG-induced migraine headaches, caffeine tremors, and lactose intolerance. While these are physiological responses to specific foods, they are not the result of immune responses by the body.
Food allergies are quite prevalent. Surveys suggest that up to 12 million Americans have some sort of food allergy and the allergic responses from accidental encounter with these foods are responsible for 30,000 emergency room visits and hundreds of deaths each year. In the most severe responses, the patient experiences a violent full body immune response, sending them into respiratory distress, convulsions, and unconsciousness. This potentially fatal condition is called anaphylaxis (it is also said that the patient goes into "anaphylactic shock") and is a very serious health emergency. It is critically important that people be aware of their own food allergies and make others around them aware, as well, in case anaphylactic shock occurs and prevents the sufferer from expressing the problem.
Food allergies in children can impact their growth and development if the sources are not identified and eliminated quickly. Mild food allergies in adults may be reasonably tolerated, the symptoms perhaps confused with food poisoning or illness-related gastrointestinal distress. Clearly, If a person is sensitive enough to the food that anaphylactic shock is a probability, special care must be taken to avoid eating, touching, or smelling the food, as anaphylaxis may be fatal.
Over 90% of the food allergies in the United States are caused by the same eight food types. These include:
Some common food chemicals can also induce allergic responses, such as sulfites, which are commonly used as preservatives in wine, dried fruits, and dried potato products. Food colorings, such as tartrazine (aka Yellow 5), can also aggravate allergies in some people, leading them to avoid food colorings completely. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a food additive used to intensify flavor in a variety of soups and sauces that some people also have reactions to. Salicylates found in instant coffee, beer, soy sauce, tomato paste or sauce, honey, and aspirin may also be food allergens in some people.
It is unclear why some people develop hypersensitivities to foods and food chemicals while other don't, though there does appear to be a genetic basis for allergies in general. Very often, children of parents with allergies go on to develop allergies themselves, though not necessarily to the same things. Instead, there appears to be an inherited propensity for developing allergies, perhaps related to the elements of the immune system that respond in these hypersensitivity reactions.
There is a lot of debate about how a mother's diet during pregnancy may influence her baby's development of allergies. In the late 1990's, the UK government issued an official precautionary notice suggesting that pregnant mothers should avoid eating peanuts or peanut products while pregnant or breastfeeding to reduce the risk of peanut allergies in their children. A study was conducted two years later to test the children for signs of peanut allergy. Of the women surveyed, only 65% said that they followed the advice and did not eat peanuts. Still, out of the 660 children tested, only 13 children showed signs of hypersensitivity. Furthermore, the mothers of 10 of those 13 children had apparently avoided peanuts. 11 of those children did have family histories of allergies, however, so this seems to be a much bigger component of determining food allergies than prenatal diet.
Food allergies are identified much the same way that other allergies are identified. The initial allergic reaction triggered upon ingestion of the food is the most common way that people learn of their food allergies. If a food allergy is suspected, a "challenge" using the food may be performed under supervision of a doctor, who will look for signs of the allergic response upon the patient's ingestion of the food. Skin tests, in which a small amount of the protein related to the food is injected into the skin to look for inflammatory responses, can also help identify food allergies. If a severe allergy is suspected, a blood test, in which the antibodies in the blood themselves are assayed for recognition of the food allergen, may also be used to avoid risk of anaphylaxis.
Once food allergies are identified, patients are recommended to avoid the foods as best they can. In case of accidental ingestion, people with severe food allergies are often provided with epinephrine injectors, so that they can very quickly treat themselves to ward off anaphylactic shock. If epinephrine is necessary, even if it seems to calm the symptoms, medical attention should be sought immediately. Doctors can more adequately monitor symptoms and help provide respiratory help and more potent anti-allergy treatments should the patient's condition suddenly worsen. Anaphylactic shock is extremely dangerous and can prove fatal if it occurs.
The natural solution to avoiding the symptoms of food-related allergies is to eliminate the offending foods from your diet, and as part of our therapy, we can help suggest safer foods that will be good nutritional substitutes.
Our job at Patients Medical is to listen, to connect the dots between a patient's medical history, symptoms, and their underlying causes. Patients Medical is a superb place for women and men to secure integrative and holistic health care from providers who give personalized care, partner with the patient to focus on the root cause of their illness, support their recovery, and help them maintain good health.
To make an appointment with one of our physicians, please call us at 1-212-794-8800. We look forward to hearing from you.
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