Food allergies are the most common types of allergies that many people around the world are suffering from. It is estimated that over 12 million Americans are affected by food allergies and the trend is keep rising. Food allergy or generally referred to as food intolerance is an adverse immune response to food protein when a person eat certain type of food and experience undesirable side effects or even serious repercussions. The food protein that can trigger allergic response to someone is termed a food allergen, and the food allergen differs for each individual.

The common causes of food allergies

There is a possibility that a person could be allergic to any food. However there are a few categories of food which are particular common causes for food allergies and widely recognized as the potential food allergens. This includes wheat, gluten, soy, peanuts, tree nut, milk, dairy, eggs, seafood such as fish and shrimp. Most of the people are diagnosed with food allergies during early stage of their childhood when it is first noticed, but there have also a large percentage of people who only realize that they have food allergies until in their adulthood.

The occurrence of food allergies

People are wondering the reason of the occurrence of allergies especially when the condition is food related. Food allergies happen when the immune system in our body tries to protect us from foreign substance that may be harmful to the body. The result of this reaction is the production of certain IgE antibodies to the particular food that we ate. One of the chemicals that are produced is the histamine, which is one form of antibodies that has the most effect on our body. As a result of it, the hypersensitivity reaction or symptoms commonly occur are watery eye, nasal irritation like sneezing and wheezing, or dry and parched throat.

The food allergies treatment

At the moment, there is no cure for food allergies yet. The mainstay of treatment or perhaps the most effective method for food allergy is to avoid the foods that have been identified as the allergens. However, the total avoidance of food allergens is not always possible, and people may allergic to numerous types of food that they may not realize yet.

For such cases, medical treatment can be implemented to provide quick relief of the allergy symptoms experienced. One thing to keep in mind is that the medication is not able to cure the underlying food allergy, so for the people who are food allergies, most likely it will be with that person for the rest of their life.

It is very important to work closely with a doctor or an allergist to deal with food allergies, especially for those are suffering with severe conditions. Doctor or the allergist will help to review the patient’s history and assess the symptoms or conditions to give a proper advice to deal with food allergies.

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