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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Food Allergies

/ On : 12:45 AM

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By Charlie Monaghan Carter

Food allergies are quite common in children and in some cases adults too. An allergy is a negative reaction to any particular substance and food allergy refers to the adverse response that the body might have to a particular food. The most common food allergies in children are that of milk, peanuts and eggs and in adults it is fish, eggs, peanuts, shellfish and fish.

People can have all kinds of reactions to foods that they are allergic to, ranging from nausea and sickness to swelling throats and rashes and everything in between. However, there are some cases where if left untreated for too long, nothing can be done, and the allergy results in death.

The most common food allergies that we hear about are that of dairy products, eggs, peanuts, tree nut, seafood, shellfish, wheat and soy. In the world of allergy study these are known as the "big eight" as they are the most common. However, the allergens in these foods (as with any food) differ from country to country because of the different conditions in which they are nurtured.

The most common method of testing whether or not a person has an allergy to a given foodstuff is a skin prick test. Another common test to determine this is a full blood test.

When someone is having a serious allergic reaction the best drug to use is usually epinephrine applied using an auto-injector, this helps them to overcome the systemic reaction. However, as far as a permanent cure to allergies goes, there is no long term solution, the only way to avoid the reaction is to avoid the food that causes it. It is unfortunate, but that's just the way it is. People who already suffer from a disease of some kind have been found to be more prone to developing these allergies. - 24553

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