Posted on March 12, 2008 in Latest News
Food allergies generally happen when our immunity system commits a mistake. Generally, our immune system defends us from several diseases and germs. The immune system actually does this by producing antibodies that help our bodies to fight with the bacterias, viruses and several other organisms those are potential enough to make us sick.
In case of food allergies, our immune system does the same thing but in a different way. Sometimes the immune system mistakenly attacks some particular substance of the food instead of germs, resulting in a food allergy.
Most Common Foods That Trigger Allergic Reactions
Since there are possibilities that a person can be allergic to any food but even there are eight foods which normally contain 90 % of all allergens:
- Tree nut
- Fish
- Milk
- Egg
- Peanut
- Wheat
- Soy
- Shellfish
Actually, the antibodies produced by the immune system cause the food cells to release chemicals into the bloodstream. Histamine is one of these chemicals. This chemical causes the symptoms which can affect a person’s sensory organs, respiratory system, skin as well as the digestive system.
Most Common Allergic Reactions
Below are some allergic reactions those are more likely to occur incase of food allergies.
- Itching
- Hives
- Swelling of any facial features or throat or sometimes any part of the body
- Sneezing
- Nasal congestion
- trouble breathing
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea
- Nausea or vomiting
- Lightheadedness and dizziness
- Fainting
Tips On How To Determine A Food Allergy
If you suspect that you are suffering from a food allergy then the first thing you are advised to do is consulting a physician.But if you want to diagnose the problem by yourself only then you can be at the risk of removing the food items from your diet can lose important nutrients.
But even then you want to take the risk and perceive it by your own then there are few tips which you need to consider. Below are some questions for which you can search answers and accordingly you can take decisions. These questions are also asked by a physician to determine whether you have a food allergy.
- What are the exact symptoms produced by the suspected food or foods?
- What is the duration between eating the suspected food and the allergic reaction?
- What is the quantity of the food that normally triggers the allergic reaction?
- How many times you have suffered from the allergic reactions after eating the suspected foods?
If you are able to answer all the questions for a particular food, then you can have food allergies for that particular food. So, in that case you can eliminate that particular food from your diet for a week or two and carefully observe whether you are suffering from those identical reactions which you used to get earlier.
If, even then you are failing to find a satisfactory solution for your problems you need see an allergy specialist immediately.
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