Ninety Percent of All Acknowledged Food Allergic Reactions Originate From These Foods

A food allergy can range from uncomfortable to dangerous. It is caused when a normally harmless substance causes our immune system to react in an inflammatory response usually on the skin or respiratory system, and when the airways constrict due to swelling, known as laryngeal edema, the condition may be life-threatening. Allergies can be caused by airborne substances like pollen and bee stings and bites of other insects, but for this piece we will confine our discussion to common food allergies.

Food allergies should not be confused with food intolerance. The symptoms may be similar, but food allergies, though usually easier to diagnose, are often more critical. A true food allergy requires the presence of Immunoglobulin E, a class of antibody found only in mammals. These antibodies react against the problematic food, and food intolerance does not exhibit the same reaction.

It can be said that about 90% of all food allergies are caused by eight different foods. These foods are as follows:

1. Peanuts. These are really legumes, as they are grown underground. Peanuts are one of the allergies most common, and they have been known to cause severe reactions. They are also a problem because they contain a number of allergens that cannot be destroyed by cooking, and trace amounts can cause severe reactions in sensitive people.

2. Soya. An allergy similar to milk allergy, this is typically found with young children who typically outgrow it by the age of two. It is usually not considered dangerous but it has been known to cause anaphylaxis.

3. Cow's milk. The most common allergy to young children (about five percent of those under one year) who usually outgrow the condition by three. The symptoms usually are quite mild, but in rare cases can cause anaphylaxis.

4. Nuts. We refer only to those grown on trees (not peanuts) such as pecans, Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, almonds and pine nuts. People allergic to these nuts usually have a lifelong condition, and for people who are sensitive can cause anaphylaxis.

5. Eggs. Similar to milk, egg allergies usually afflict young children who grow out of it by the age of three; however it is more apt to cause anaphylaxis than milk.

6. Fish. Similar to shellfish, this is more likely to afflict adults rather than children and can cause very severe reactions, including anaphylaxis. Cooking does not destroy these allergens.

7. Shellfish. This is more common in adults and can be quite severe, even to the point of reacting to vapors of cooking shellfish. Examples are prawns, crab, lobster, crayfish, scallops, oysters, clams and mussels.

8. Wheat. This allergy is quite common with babies, and may be circumvented with a gluten-free diet.

These are only eight common food allergies, however there are many more. But these cover just about all that are afflicted by food allergies, and as in many young children they simply outgrow the condition. But it is definitely something that shouldn't be taken lightly, as if a person consumes a food that their system cannot handle there could be dire consequences. There are no perfectly accurate statistics on the number of people who die from allergic reaction, but a Harvard study estimated the average deaths in the United States annually to be 150 people. It may not seem like many unless it is someone close to you.

Our article on Signs of Food Allergy goes into further depth on food allergies, and you may find The Eat Clean Diet helpful when choosing foods to safely consume.

Rich Carroll is a health enthusiast and writer living in London.

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Celiac Disease and Willpower - What Do These Have To Do With Each Other?

Many people get so frustrated with themselves they just give up. Human nature though is a born and bred personality trait inherent in every living breathing being whether they are human or animal. Beating yourself up therefore, whether mentally or even physically, is not going to change that fact. All it does accomplish, it just makes you feel miserable.

Day Of Diagnosis

For many people, the day of diagnosis means a reprieve. They have been sick for so long and every doctor has always said the same thing. "All the tests are negative". There's just nothing wrong with you."

A few of those practitioners even had the nerve to suggest it's probably just an age-related thing, you're thinking yourself sick or the best one of all-time is "we need to start you on anti-depressants."

And then on the other side of the spectrum, some patients feel like they've just been handed a death sentence. When it is mentioned they need to avoid wheat/gluten, dairy, eggs, nuts or any combination of allergens which they commonly use every day, their initial impression is always "what am I going to eat?"

Finding Your Way Through The Transition

At first it can be overwhelming trying to learn all the new rules and regulations. What items you have to avoid, what other names can mean your allergen(s) was used, cross-contamination issues and why this is so important. But after a few months of strictly adhering to your diet, you begin to notice how much better you feel. Slowly the day comes when you don't really remember any more just how miserable you actually always did feel before.

You have now just entered the danger zone.

Most people can remember the endless aches and pains, indigestion, diarrhea and/or constipation, the vomiting plus the collection of approximately 200 other possible symptoms common to celiac disease. They also can re-count their endless frustration, anger and grief from the countless doctor visits all which yielded no definitive results.

But the passage of time is a great healer. The flashbacks become fewer, farther in-between. The healing process, from strict adherence to their diet, has worked wonders for their health and vitality. Now is the time when the rationale sneaks in that one little bite of a former favorite isn't going to create any major obstacles.

But we all know, one bite leads to more. Soon it becomes one serving. And then in a few weeks, after minimal reaction the last time, another occasion presents itself and the "cheat" is once again on the mind. Eventually the servings become larger and closer together.

The problem here which has arose though is celiac disease is potentially an invisible disease. Few and scattered symptoms may only be felt during the "cheat" but your internal organs are suffering tremendously. But out of sight is also out of mind.

Enter A New Form Of Education

Your doctor and dietitian both explained the term celiac disease to you and what was happening inside your digestive system. But that was a long time ago. All of the signs and symptoms of those days are gone. You've even convinced yourself you have mastered the art of the "cheat". You can now do it and have almost no outward signs of any adverse reactions.

Education though should not just be about the current signs and symptoms at diagnosis. It should be mandatory that it is explained non-compliance can also mean an entire host of possible future difficulties. But we all want a pill to pop, a vial of liquid to swallow. But as soon as those complications go away, life is supposed to go back to normal.

But if it was explained, you would have been informed how dangerous those occasional little "cheats" are to your future health. Common complications may include:
infertility (or the inability of ever being able to bring a child into this world)aggressive osteoporosisincreased risk of cancer as you ageblood poisoning (from the slow leakage of toxins through your intestinal walls because of punctures in the lining from gluten poisoning)

But if every celiac was warned that an occasional "cheat" could build up to any of the above future complications, maybe many of these same people would realize that one moment of pleasure may not be worth the possibility of greater complications down the road in their future.

Currently, education centers around the elimination of the cause in the present day. But no time is given to be sure that individual who was diagnosed a celiac, they must realize that a lifetime of abstinence is for their own safety and protection.

About The Author: Kathi Robinson
So little education is given at a conventional medical doctor's visit that many people do not even realize the importance of their new diet being a lifetime proposition, not just a temporary dalliance until they feel better again. Start at http://www.allergyfreeandsugarfreesnacks.com/ for much of the information you need to know to live out the rest of your life safely free of the condition.

Original article