Yes, they are common, but they are not normal of a perfectly healthy body.
An allergic response is when a person's body reacts to certain foods in such a way that the body employs an immune system response. This is because it "believes" the food as harmful. Symptoms may occur in the digestive system, respiratory system, or other areas of the body. Some of the most common allergic responses include a tingling sensation in the mouth, vomiting, difficulty breathing, abdominal cramps and diarrhea, swelling of the tongue and throat and can progress to a drop in blood pressure, loss of consciousness and even death. With symptoms sometimes showing withing minutes of exposure that the food, this can be dangerous, especially for people with special needs.
Severe allergic reactions can result in anaphylaxis, the extreme of an allergic reaction which can be deadly. It can involve any or all of the areas of the body including, the respiratory system, skin, digestive and gastrointestinal system and the cardiovascular system. In such cases, the use of epinephrine is necessary. Epinephrine is also known as adrenaline. It is available through prescription in forms that can be self administered, such as the Twinject and the EpiPen.
Within the medical industry, they say that there currently is no known cure for food allergies. It is simply said that the best way to avoid a reaction is to avoid the foods to which you are allergic. This may seem like a "duh" to many people. But a lot of people outgrow their food allergies as they get older. However, some allergies are considered to be "lifelong" allergies. Examples of these would be peanuts, nuts, fish and shellfish, all of which are delicous foods that are good for the body. Research is currently being conducted, with a hope to one day find a cure for food allergies, so that everyone can enjoy these foods.
Warning: If you just start to remove foods from your diet because you think they may cause allergic reactions, you are likely to wind up with a diet that is not balanced or nutritionally sound. This could result in catastrophic long-term health problems in the long run! You could end up missing out on some very important vitamins and minerals, or other essential nutrients. In fact, it is really recommended that you talk to your doctor and have allergy tests performed, before you start avoiding foods that you only think may cause you to have allergic reactions.
A person could be allergic to any food, such as vegetables, fruits and meats, however, there are eight specific foods that have been found to cause an incredible 90% of all food allergies and food related allergic reactions. These foods are milk, eggs, tree nuts such as cashews and walnuts, peanuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat. Some of these foods are relatively easy to avoid but others require more alertness. If you are mindful, though, you can still enjoy many foods, by simply those that cause you reactions.
Hope for Many: Many people have found that when taking glyconutritionals, allergies diminish and in some cases are completely removed. Glyconutrients were recently featured on the 20/20 Television show! The glyconutrients are a new class of nutrients that have shown to help improve immune system function and cell-to-cell contact. With healthy cells, you have healthy tissue, healthy organs, and a healthy body. The results that people have had with glyconutrients have caught the attention of the media, research facilities, universities, and doctors. To learn more about the research and science behind "glyconutritionals", visit the site below.
Odds are good that you know someone who suffers from food allergies - possibly a mild aversion to nuts, dairy, eggs, fish or some other food. You may even know someone who suffers from extreme allergic reactions such as anaphylaxis, and must carry an epinephrine injector with them at all times in case of such a reaction.
But if you yourself suffer from food allergies, then you know firsthand the challenges of avoiding one or many kinds of foods, particularly in a society of refined food products that may often include all of the items you are allergic to even in a case where this seems unlikely.
This difficulty is compounded by the ambiguous ingredient listings which are often included on foods, with names such as "natural and artificial flavorings". As a way of helping consumers to deal with the sometimes unclear ingredient list on food products, Congress passed the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act, which went into effect on January 1 of 2006.
This law mandates that food manufacturers declare when any one of the eight major allergens (milk, eggs, fish, tree nuts, soy, wheat, peanuts, crustaceans) are present in a food product. As such, if a product that you are examining on the shelf was packaged before January 1, it may not include the full declaration of allergenic substances.
That situation becomes increasingly unlikely as time goes on, however many products now have extremely long shelf lives - there may be product sitting on shelves for some time which was manufactured before the New Year.
When preparing foods if you or someone else in your family (or at an event) suffer from food allergies, be sure to pay close attention to the ingredients in anything that you use, as well as to use clean utensils to prevent the possibility of contamination from a previous usage.
Learn the specific scientific names for allergens, such as casein (allergen in milk)so that you know what to look for when examining labels. Living with food allergies is not easy, but with some effort you can avoid putting yourself or you allergy-suffering loved ones at risk.
Both Spencer Hunt & Harold Miller are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Spencer Hunt has sinced written about articles on various topics from Other Conditions, Green Tea and Alternative Medicine. Spencer Hunt is a who saw the products help his close family and friends improve their health, and then set out on a mission. Spencer Hunt's top article generates over 27100 views. to your Favourites.
Harold Miller has sinced written about articles on various topics from Health, Nutrition and Allergies. Harold Miller is terribly allergic to peanuts. He is also a regular contributing writer for allergyrelief101.com - an informative online guide to the latest allergy related news, with information about. Harold Miller's top article generates over 1000 views. to your Favourites.