Basic First Aid

You may be hearing more and more about food allergies in recent years. That’s no surprise considering an estimated 12 million Americans suffer from these types of allergies, and the number seems to be rising. Because of the prevalence and possible severity of this condition luckily awareness has increased as well.

Because so many people have food sensitivities sometimes people think they have a food allergy when they really have a food intolerance. The two conditions are distinctly different.

People who have a food intolerance will have a delayed reaction to the trigger food, but if there is a true food allergy the reaction to the trigger will usually be seen within minutes. Also an allergy is an immune response while an intolerance is generally caused by a lack of necessary enzymes to properly digest the food.

A food allergy is the body’s reaction to a substance that it views as possibly harmful. The immune system works to constantly protect our bodies from these things it deems harmful. The allergen is seen by the body as one of these substances so the immune system goes to work trying to protect the body by releasing protective chemicals. One of the chemicals released is histamine, which can affect the nose, eyes, throat, skin or GI tract.

How do you know if you’re having an allergic reaction? Some of the signs are a tingly feeling in or around the mouth, swelling of the tongue, throat or lips, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hives or shortness of breath. In more serious cases the reaction can lead to anaphylactic shock which involves several systems in the body and can even lead to 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.

The best treatment for allergies is to avoid the allergen. This may sound simple enough with a food allergy (vs and airborne allergy), but unfortunately it isn’t always that easy. Often times these allergens may be hidden in processed foods. To help with this the U.S. requires that food labels list the eight common 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.

Luckily most labels now have an allergy section where they list what other types of foods are processed in the same facility, but there are other things food allergy sufferers will need to look for as well. Ingredients that contain allergens can be listed under different names, for example casein and whey are forms of milk protein. Those with a dairy allergy will need to avoid these ingredients.

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.

Filed under: Allergies