Food Allergies and Pollen Allergies

7/26/2019 Food Allergies and Pollen Allergies

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Food Allergies

occurs when the bodys immune system sees a certain food as harmful and reacts by

causing symptoms. This is an allergic reaction. Foods that cause allergic reactions

are allergens.

Food allergies are estimated to affect 4 to 6 percent of children and 4 percent of adults,

according to the Centers for Disease Control and Preention.

Food allergy symptoms are most common in babies and children, but they can appear

at any age. !ou can een deelop an allergy to foods you hae eaten for years with no

problems.

Common food allergies

Tree "ut

#il$

%gg

&heat

'oy

Fish

'hellfish

Signs and symptoms
http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/page/top-food-allergens.aspxhttp://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/page/tree-nut-allergy.aspxhttp://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/page/milk-allergy.aspxhttp://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/page/egg-allergy.aspxhttp://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/page/wheat-allergy.aspxhttp://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/page/soy-allergy.aspxhttp://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/page/tree-nut-allergy.aspxhttp://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/page/milk-allergy.aspxhttp://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/page/egg-allergy.aspxhttp://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/page/wheat-allergy.aspxhttp://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/page/soy-allergy.aspxhttp://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/page/top-food-allergens.aspx


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(omiting and)or stomach cramps

*ies

'hortness of breath

&hee+ing

epetitie cough

'hoc$ or circulatory collapse

Tight, hoarse throat- trouble swallowing

'welling of the tongue, affecting the ability to tal$ or breathe

&ea$ pulse

Pale or blue coloring of s$in

Di++iness or feeling faint

naphyla/is, a potentially life0threatening reaction that can impair breathing and

send the body into shoc$- reactions may simultaneously affect different parts of

the body 1for e/ample, a stomachache accompanied by a rash2

Triggers

3nce a food allergy is diagnosed, the most effectie treatment is to aoid the food. The

foods most associated with food allergy in children are

#il$
http://acaai.org/allergies/types/skin-allergies/hives-urticariahttp://acaai.org/allergies/anaphylaxishttp://acaai.org/allergies/types/food-allergies/diagnosishttp://acaai.org/allergies/types/skin-allergies/hives-urticariahttp://acaai.org/allergies/anaphylaxishttp://acaai.org/allergies/types/food-allergies/diagnosis


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%ggs

Peanuts

Children may outgrow their allergic reactions to mil$ and to eggs. Peanut and tree nut

allergies are li$ely to persist.

The most common food allergens in adults are

Fruit and egetable pollen 1oral allergy syndrome2

Peanuts and tree nuts

Fish and shellfish

How to prevent Food Allergies

The primary way to manage a food allergy is to aoid consuming the food that causes

you problems. Carefully chec$ ingredient labels of food products, and learn whether

what you need to aoid is $nown by other names.

The FD food allergen label law re5uires foods to state if they contain a top food

allergen 1mil$, egg, peanut, tree nut, wheat, soy, fish, crustacean shellfish2. Foods that

contain these allergens must say so in plain %nglish. 7ut, there are many foods and

products that are not coered by the law, so it is still important to $now how to read a

label for allergens. 8tems that may use 9hidden9 names

Foods that are not regulated by the FD

Cosmetics and personal care products

Prescription and oer0the0counter medications


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Pet food, toys and crafts

'ince there is not yet a medication that can preent food allergies, strict aoidance of

the allergy0causing food is the only way to preent a reaction.

8f a reaction does occur, medications are administered to control symptoms. 8f your

doctor has prescribed medication such as epinephrine 1ui0:;, %piPen< or

drenaclic$r, Twin=ect, or napen.

Pollen Allergies

$nown as ?hay feer@ or ?allergic rhinitis@. *ay feer is an immune reaction to pollen that

typically manifests as cold0li$e symptoms such as congestion, snee+ing, and runny

nose. 'ome people suffer from hay feer year0around, while for others, symptoms get


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worse at certain times of the year. For e/ample, someone with sensitiities to birch

pollen will usually hae increased symptoms during the spring when trees are in bloom.

Ai$ewise, those with grass allergies will hae a tougher time during the summer, while

autumn will hit ragweed allergy sufferers the hardest.

For those with milder symptoms, hay feer may be no more than an annoyance.

*oweer, for others, allergies to pollen can erode a personBs 5uality of life, affecting

eerything from their ability to participate in outdoor actiities to their performance at

wor$ and school. *ay feer symptoms typically begin in childhood and diminish slowly

oer a personBs lifetime.

Symptoms

*ay feer symptoms usually begin immediately following an allergy suffererBs e/posure

to the offending pollen and most often include

congestion

sinus pressure 1which may cause facial pain2

runny or itchy nose

watery, itchy eyes

scratchy throat

cough

swollen, bluish0colored s$in beneath the eyes

decreased sense of taste or smell

Treatment

s with other allergies, the best treatment is to aoid the allergen. *oweer, in the case

of pollen allergies, this tactic often fails miserably as its nearly impossible to aoid in the

enironment. There are a few things hay feer sufferers can do to their minimi+e

e/posure, including


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staying indoors on dry, windy days

haing others ta$e care of any yard wor$ and gardening chores during pea$

seasons

remoing and wash any clothing that has been worn outside showering when coming in from outside

wearing a dust mas$ when pollen counts are high 1chec$ local reports on the T(,

radio, newspaper or 8nternet2

closing doors and windows when pollen counts are high

ta$ing allergy medications before symptoms start if high pollen counts are in the

forecast

8f preention doesnBt reliee all of the symptoms of a pollen allergy, there are seeral

oer0the0counter medications that may help, including

antihistamines 1such as yrtec or 7enadryl2

decongestants 1such as 'udafed or frin2

combination medications 1antihistamine and decongestant2 such as ctifed or

Claritin0D

Home Remedies

8n addition to medications, a number of home remedies may help to reliee hay feer

symptoms. These include

nasal irrigation using a s5uee+e bottle or neti pot can flush pollen from the nose

e/tracts such as butterbur or spirulina

Certain e/tracts react with medications. !ou should consult your doctor before ta$ing

any alternatie therapies. n allergist should be consulted if symptoms are seere or

medications are causing unwanted side0effects. People with year0around hay feer may

want to consider immunotherapy 1allergy shots2 to control their symptoms.


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asal !rrigation pro"ed#re$

'tep 'tart with one to two cups of warm water. dd )4 to )E teaspoon of non0

iodi+ed salt and a pinch of ba$ing soda to soften the effect of the salt. se distilled,

sterile, or preiously boiled and cooled water to ma$e the solution to help preent

infection.

'tep E Get in position.

8f you are using a s5uee+e bottle, neti pot, or syringe, lean forward oer the sin$, at

about a 4H0degree angle. Tilt your head so that one nostril is pointed down toward the

sin$. DonBt tilt your head bac$.

'tep I Pour in the 'aline 'olution

Place the spout of a neti pot or the tip of a syringe or s5uee+e bottle =ust inside your

nose. The tip should go in no further than a fingerBs width. Jeeping your mouth open,

s5uee+e the bulb syringe or bottle, or tilt the pot to pour the water into your nostril.

emember to breathe through your mouth, not your nose.

'tep 4 Aet it drain

The salt water will run through your nasal passages and drain out of your other nostril

and maybe your mouth. !ou should spit it out and not swallow it. 7ut if some does go

down your throat it wonBt hurt you.

'tep H Clear your nose and epeat

Gently blow your nose to clear out the remaining solution. epeat the procedure with

your other nostril. &hen youBre done, throw away any leftoer solution and thoroughly

clean the items you used. Aet them air dry. 'tore them in a clean, dry place.


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How fast does asal %ash wor&'

!ou may see results after =ust one or two times. The benefits grow as you continue to doit. 3ne study showed that long0term nasal irrigation helped people feel in control of their

sinus symptoms and really improed their 5uality of life.

Documents

Food Allergies and Pollen Allergies