What is Food allergies ? Food allergies signs and symptoms – food intolerance-Food allergy treatment-Tests

Understanding the severity of food allergies

A food allergy occurs when our immune system considers a protein in the food a threat to our body.  It then over reads and develops an allergic reaction.  A food allergy may develop even at the tiniest exposure to the food,hence early diagnosis and further care becomes extremely crucial

The occurrence of food – Indian Scenario

Food allergies have been prevailing in the west for quite same time now.  However, there are a growing number of Asians,including Indians,who are falling prey to different types of food allergies.  It has also been observed that children seem to be more prone to food allergies than adults, may be because of improper breast feeding practices,no exposure to different foods, poor immunity etc.  In India,approximately 25 % of individuals are said to have at least one allergy and westernization is sure to be the major cause.  Indian Scenario – Though India most of the allergies from US and UK,being a culturally diverse nation,allergies from what,cucumber,lady’s fingers and eggplant have also been commonly reported.  It is alarming to find that  nearly 3 million people in India suffer from peanut allergy,alone.  And food allergies,if neglected ,can be as damaging as death

Food allergy symptoms – Food allergy and food intolerance

These range from mild to severe,with the most severe being life-threatening anaphylaxis which involves the entire body,with a fatal drop in blood pressure,abnormal heart rate and breathing pattern.  Other symptoms may include blue skin,hives,dizziness,breathlessness,wheezing,repeated cough,inflamed throat and tongue,circulatory collapse etc.  These symptoms generally arise post two hours of food ingestion but may also occur within 20 minutes of consumption

Food Allergy Diagnosis and Testing

It is best to observe the type and quantity of food consumed that stimulated an allergic response,type of symptoms experienced after consumption of that food item,after how long did the symptoms begin appearing and for how long did these last

• A blood test
• Skin pick test
• Oral food challenger test
• Trial elimination diet

A skin prick test – Food allergy test

is a more accurate test,where in,a liquid is applied on the arm or back an with the help of a sterile probe,a prick is made for the liquid to seep in.  The results are reported within 20  minutes of the test

An oral food challenger test

An oral food challenger test done under strict medical,supervision is the most accurate, where the food allergen in miniscule amounts is injected to check for an allergic reaction.  There is further gradual increase in the dose of allergens to check for specific allergic reactions

Food allergy – precautions – treatment-Diagnosis food allergy-talk your doctor – how allergic reactions should be treated

The first line of the treatment would involve complete avoidance of the food

Consult a nutritionist to check for other options of the food which you are allergic to,so that you can consume that food to prevent deficiencies

For severe symptoms,medical practitioners give epinephrine injections to prevent the body from going in to state of shock

Adopting healthy dietary practices ti build a stronger immune system is one the keys to preventing food allergies