For lactose intolerance, for instance, over-the-counter medications may help you enjoy dairy foods like milk, cheese and ice cream, he says. Antihistamines like eye drops, nasal sprays and pills can help stop the sneezing, itchy eyes and runny nose that environmental allergies may cause.
But if you know you have an allergy to a specific food or to insect venom, carry an epinephrine auto-injector such as AUVI-Q or EpiPen with you at all times, Dr. Discuss any drug allergies with your doctor.
A food or drug intolerance can be a nuisance, but an allergy may be life-threatening. Find out how to tell the difference and manage your reactions.
Learn more about vaccine availability. Advertising Policy. You have successfully subscribed to our newsletter. Related Articles. Trending Topics. What Parents Need to Know. Share this article via email with one or more people using the form below. Send me expert insights each week in Health Essentials News. It occurs when you are unable to properly breakdown the food. This could be due to enzyme deficiencies, sensitivity to food additives or reactions to naturally occurring chemicals in foods.
Often, people can eat small amounts of the food without causing problems. A food allergic reaction involves the immune system. Your immune system controls how your body defends itself. Your immune system overreacts by producing antibodies called Immunoglobulin E IgE. These antibodies travel to cells that release chemicals, causing an allergic reaction.
But the symptoms of intolerance are all digestive-related. These can include:. You have a food allergy when your immune system identifies a protein in what you eat as an invader, and reacts by producing antibodies to fight it. Farzan explains that a food allergy is an immune-mediated reaction to the food. The most common is an immunoglobulin E IgE -mediated reaction. IgEs are allergic antibodies. They cause an immediate reaction when chemicals, like histamine from mast cells, are released.
Food allergies can be fatal, unlike a food intolerance or sensitivity. In extreme cases, ingesting or even touching a small amount of the allergen can cause a severe reaction.
Eight foods account for 90 percent of allergic reactions: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, and soybeans. There are also non-IGE mediated food allergies. These reactions occur when other parts of the immune system are activated apart from IGE antibodies. The symptoms of non-IGE reactions are typically delayed, and occur primarily in the gastrointestinal tract. They include vomiting, diarrhea, or bloating.
Less is known about this particular type of reaction, and in general this type of response is not life-threatening. People who have food allergies must avoid these foods. Also, the parents and caretakers of a child with food allergies must be trained to treat accidental ingestions, says Farzan.
Self-injectable epinephrine must always be available, and parents and caretakers should know how to administer the injectable, she explains. The potential effects of an allergic reaction are severe. But efforts are made to accommodate people with food allergies.
School lunchrooms may be peanut-free to cater to children with peanut allergies.
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