Monday, October 25, 2010

Symptoms of Food Allergy

Food Allergy
A food allergy is an adverse immune response to a food protein. They are different from other undesirable responses to food, such as food intolerance, pharmacological reactions, and toxin-mediated reactions.
 The most common allergic component of the food is a protein. These kinds of allergies occur when the body's immune system mistakenly identifies a protein as harmful. Some proteins are resistant to digestion and some are not. Those which are not broken down in the digestive process are tagged by the immunoglobulin E (IgE). These tags trick the immune system into thinking that the protein is harmful for the body. Thus the allergic reactions occur. These reactions can vary from mild to severe. Foods that cause allergies include peanuts, tree nuts (Brazils, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts and pecans), fish and shellfish, cows' milk, eggs, soya and wheat etc. Non-food protein allergies include latex sensitivity.

Symptoms of Food Allergy
Some common symptoms of food allergy are as follows:-
·         Itchy or swollen lips, mouth, tongue and throat
·         Skin reactions (e.g. swelling and itching, a rash around your mouth, eczema and flushing)
·         Wheezing or shortness of breath
·         Diarrhea, feeling sick, vomiting and bloating
·         coughing and running nose
·         Sore, red and itchy eyes
It depends upon the individuals about the reactions of the allergies.

Causes of Food Allergy
·         In some people food allergy sensitivity may develop since their birth.
·         If you have allergies or conditions like eczema or asthma, you are more likely to catch food allergy.
·         If someone else in your family has these conditions, this can also increase your risk of having an allergy, although it may not be the same allergy.
·         Peanut or peanut oil has resulted allergy sensitivity in most of the people.

Diagnosis of Food Allergy
There are three common types of allergy testing:
·         Skin prick test
·         Blood test
·         Food challenges
An allergist can perform these tests, and they further testing is required if there is some problem with the above three test’s.

Treatment of Food Allergy
There is not any specific cure of food allergy so you should avoid eating the thing which causes food allergies. If you have a mild food allergy, it may be possible to treat this with antihistamines. However it is advisable to take medicines by consulting doctor.

Prevention of Food Allergy
If you feel that cow’s milk causes allergy so avoid taking cow’s milk. The best solution to prevent allergy is to avoid the food which is causing food allergy. Some medications may prevent, minimize or treat protein allergy reactions.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Study found that No Allergy Spike from Katrina Mold


A recent study has found that the mold that infused New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hadn’t increased overall allergies to mold. Researchers of Tulane University studied 529 patients who got a skin test for mold sensitivity at Ochsner Health System between December 2005 and December 2008. Get mold allergy symptoms (ppt) PowerPoint Presentation by clicking here.
In a random order one in every 10 people is tested for mold sensitivity and is allergic to mold. Whether they are living in a damp or moldy house said epidemiologist Felicia Rabito of the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. mold allergy testing ppt will show more results on mold allergy click to see.
She said that the same rate was found nationwide and the average age in the study conducted was 41.
Katrina had hit on Aug. 29, 2005 and after four months after the last floodwaters was pumped out of New Orleans on Oct. 12, 2005. Doctors and the residents are worried about the widespread mold allergies in the area affected.
The chief of pulmonary medicine Dr. Judd Shellito at LSU's medical school said that the result of study is the dame to what he examined in his practice.  
Mold allergy treatment (ppt) PowerPoint Presentation will give you more results on this problem. Click here to see the PowerPoint presentation on mold allergy.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Causes and symptoms of Allergy

What is allergy?
An allergy refers to an overstated reaction by our immune system in response to bodily contact with certain foreign substances.  These foreign substances are usually considered by the body as harmless.  Allergy-producing substances in the body are called "allergens". Pollens, dust mite, molds, danders, and foods are some of the examples of allergens. These substances are foreign to the body and thus cause allergy. It depends upon individual to individual. Basically, the foreign substance is not acceptable by the body and the immune system reacts by itself to defend. Hence, the allergy reaction is seen in the body.

Causes of allergy
There are two major causes of allergy. One is the host and the other is environmental conditions or factors.
Host- heredity, gender, race, and age are the prime factors under the host category. Heredity being is the most important and major factor behind the allergy.
Environmental conditions- Variations in exposure to infectious diseases during early childhood, environmental pollution, allergen levels, and dietary changes are some of the major factors connected with the cause of allergy.

There are different allergens of food which causes allergy. For example egg allergy, wheat allergy, peanut allergy, allergy by cow’s milk, goat’s milk or sheep etc. Some people are allergic to dairy products and thus can’t even drink milk. Click here for food allergy (ppt) presentation Some allergic reactions are also caused by medicines like aspirin and antibiotics. Share more information on allergy through Allergy PPT or making informative presentation slides. 

Signs and symptoms of allergy
Allergens such as dust or pollen are airborne particles. There symptoms arise in areas in contact with air, such as eyes, nose and lungs.
Allergic rhinitis, also known as hay fever, causes irritation of the nose, sneezing, and itching and redness of the eyes.
Inhaled allergens can also lead to asthmatic symptoms, caused by narrowing of the airways (bronchoconstriction) and increased production of mucus in the lungs, shortness of breath (dyspnea), coughing and wheezing.
There are many types of allergies and with different signs and symptoms in different people. 

The symptoms differ because the immune system differs from individual to individual. 
Preventive measures in allergy
Those who know that they are sensitive and their body catches allergies very soon should avoid contact with the person suffering from allergy. It can also be done in some cases like cold, sneezing etc. but the allergies which occur by food in that case the food is to be avoided and one should monitor what he/she eats.