An Introduction to Food Allergies

Food allergies are unfortunately a fact of life for many people. They are highly rife and most of us will know of someone who has a serious allergy to something or even just a minor food sensitivity. In all likelihood there are some foods that don't 'sit well' with you and that cause some kind of allergic reaction.

However despite their relative prevalence, many of us don't really know much about food allergies – precisely what they are, whether they can be cured or what to do if someone has a serious reaction. Here we will look at some of these things and give you a better overview of the food allergy.

It is an understandable mistake that most people make when thinking about food allergies that they consider the allergy food to be somehow harmful to their body. The assumption here is that the food is in some way harmful to their unique biology – that the differences between them and their friends are what make some foods effect some people and not others.

This is actually however and incorrect conclusion and it is slightly more complex than this. You see when you have a food allergy, it is not the food or the ingredient that is harming you, but rather your own body and specifically your own immune system. What will happen is that your body will see the content of the blood has the allergen in it, but it will mistake that food for a toxin and then react to it as though it were – attacking the substance and trying to flush it out the body.

This results in the release of histamine and in large quantities this can cause anaphylactic shock. This is what happens in the most severe of food allergies and it means that your body has essentially shut down which can be fatal. If your allergy is this serious and you should go into anaphylaxis then you will need an injection of adrenaline which can kick start you back to life.

If you suspect you have a food allergy then it is important to get food allergy tests. Testing for food intolerance will involve a blood test where specialists will see how your blood reacts to the allergen and can that way pinpoint exactly what it is setting it off. Tests for food intolerance is particularly important as often we will not know precisely what it is that is setting of the allergy – it may be that your allergy is caused by a substance in the food rather than the food itself which can have implications for other allergy food.

There is also a cure for many food allergies and if you are lucky then your food allergy might be curable. This treatment is called 'immunotherapy' and it involves administering tiny amounts of the substance to the body but gradually increasing this amount. The immune system doesn't react because it's too small an amount at first, and eventually it becomes desensitized.

Understanding your food allergies is crucial to being about to combat them. For testing for food intolerance, follow the hyperlinks.