Allergy Relief Resource and Guide

Food allergies have gotten a lot of attention in the last 10 to 15 years. The rise in those suffering from food allergies has caused the media to focus more attention on the various kinds of food allergies but it seems most of the coverage is going to the children. Of course this isn’t a bad thing. Who wants a child to die from an anaphylactic reaction to peanut butter. We do need to consider though that many adults also still suffer from some form of food allergy or food intolerance.

My older sister still suffers from her egg allergy and she is in her mid-40s. She has been allergic to eggs since she was a child. Her reactions can range from a rash to itching in her throat. I happened to be present when she actually got exposed to eggs at a Chinese food restaurant. I innocently asked her to try my steak and tomatoes dish and somehow the sauce either had eggs or had somehow been cooked somewhere where another dish that included eggs was cooked. It was a little scary as she started complaining about her itchy throat. Would it escalate to an anaphylactic reaction? Thankfully it didn’t but I did learn my lesson about offering her my food.

Food allergies are among the most dangerous types of allergies because of the extreme allergic reactions that they can cause. From vomiting, to swollen faces and throats the person not only is suffering but can also be in a life threatening situation. It is the result of the immune system not reacting properly to certain foods, or certain ingredients in foods. The most common food allergies are nuts, milk, and eggs. Some people just feel ill when they consume something they are allergic to. Others experience swelling in the face, and swelling in the body, closing air paths. Hives and rashes are also very common.

The danger in having a food allergy lies not only in the food itself but in how prevalent some ingredients can be. Peanut allergies are challenging because peanut oil can be an ingredient in other foods. The same can be said for those her suffer from gluten allergies since gluten can be found in many foods including bread. Adults can also have allergies to things like beer yeast and the tanins in wine(a headache trigger as well).

The advantage of having adult food allergies is that by now most suffers have learned to manage their symptoms or to avoid the foods and ingredients that cause them. Some adults though may have been silent sufferers for many years without identifying that some of their health problems were actually the result of adult food allergies.

The key is to keep a food journal if you suspect you are experiencing some sort of allergic reaction to a food. You are probably better off consulting with your doctor to start. There are differences between food allergies and other intolerances like lactose intolerance which is sometimes confused with a milk allergy. Though there are no current cures for food allergies allergists can help devise a plan to either avoid the foods and ingredients involved or even implement food challenge plans to minimize your reaction to the food if you can’t totally avoid them.

Is frequent urination tied to food allergies?  Though there are a few articles online advancing this theory, the truth is that no connection has been made in the world of medical studies.  This doesn’t necessarily mean that the connection will not someday be established but it is important to look at all the known causes for frequent urination before assuming there is a cause between your frequent urination and food allergies.

It isn’t hard to see how the jump can be made in associating this problem with food allergies since food allergy symptoms do include stomach related upset like diarrhea and abdominal pain.  The theory is that wheat allergy and gluten allergy are specific suspects in the correlation between food allergies and frequent  urination.

Celiac disease sufferers are of specific interest here since their problems with the digestion of gluten products cause a variety of intestinal issues.  Some people with Celiac Disease have reported frequent urination as a symptom so there may end up being a basis in that regard.

Other culprits that have been tagged as suspects are foods high in acid.  This would also include drinks like sodas, tea and cranberry juice.  Interestingly enough foods can affect people in different ways.  I for one know that if I combine orange juice with peanut butter and jelly I am headed to the  bathroom within 15 minutes.  Is this the acid in the orange juice or the wheat and gluten in the wheat bread for my sandwich?  Keep in mind that some soda and coffee drinkers have many of these drinks a day which in and of itself may cause you to go to the bathroom often.

As with food allergies in general, cataloging what you eat and the allergic symptoms they may cause will allow you to make more progress than just guessing.  Frequent urination is a symptom of a variety of possible illnesses like Diabetes so a doctor should rule all of them out before you just assume your frequent urination is associated with your food allergies.  Another area the doctor may look at are the medicines that you are taking.  Many medicines have what may appear to be benign side effects including frequent urination including some allergy medicines.

Frequent urination though may be more than a nuisance if it is affecting your ability to do the things that you need to do and the things that you want to do.  There a plenty of medicines being marketed for over active bladder so that may be an option for you depending on your doctor’s advice.  If you truly suspect that  your frequent urination is associated with a food allergy or a food intolerance make sure you go into the doctor armed with a catalog that can help them pinpoint the problem.

Fruit allergies and OAS go hand in hand.  OAS stands for Oral Allergy Syndrome and refers to allergic reactions to fruit, nuts and vegetables.  This tends to develop in adults with hay fever otherwise known as seasonal allergies.  The correlation doesn’t seem to make sense but fruit grows in and on the earth which is also surrounded by the wonderful pollen that can affect so many allergy sufferers.  The production of antibodies associated with hayfever interact with parts of the fruit to cause the fruit allergy reaction.

Tree pollen seems to be one with a bigger association with fruit allergies but according to Wikipedia grass pollen and ragweed pollen can also be culprits.  Since the reaction is associated with the allergic reaction to the pollen fruit allergies may not be as dramatic outside of the times when we experience seasonal allergies.

Though there are not that many suffer from fruit allergies the impact for those folks can be significant.  Think of all the nutritional advice regarding increasing your consumption of fruits and vegetable for better health.  Those with oral allergy syndrome are limited to the amounts of these nutritious foods they can eat since the symptoms are quite uncomfortable and possible deadly.

Usually you can easily tell whether you are experiencing a fruit allergy because the reaction is fast.  The symptoms can also be quite dramatic with swollen lips and itchy throats.  The more severe fruit allergy reactions can range to anaphylaxis which can cause asphyxiation.  Wherever the fruit comes in contact with your mouth and throat are areas that can react including your tongue.

Though some of the nutrients in fruit and vegetables can be “cooked away” it seems that cooking fruits and vegetables minimizes and even eliminates your fruit allergies.  Processing the food also seems to do the same with canned fruits  and applesauce as examples.

The good news for some fruit allergy sufferers is that just because you are allergic to one type of fruit like oranges does not mean you are allergic to all.  As stated earlier Wikipedia shows a correlation between the type of pollen you are allergic to and the fruits and vegetables that may cause you fruit allergies.  An allergy to ragweed for example may make it more likely that you will react to bananas and different kinds of melon like watermelon.

Fruit allergies are treated like many food allergies with the primary approach being to avoid the food that is causing the problem.  Fresh fruits and vegetables are at least easy to identify unlike some other food allergy triggers that are found in many foods.  Also in this case at least you can have the fruits and vegetables cooked.  Otherwise you may want to consider allergy shots to manage your fruit allergies.  They basically train you until your allergic reactions are tolerable for you.  The nutritional benefits may be worth it to you.

Are you allergic to beer?

Do you think you have a beer allergy?  If you don’t know a lot about how beer is made you may think it doesn’t make sense but beer is full of a bunch of different ingredients that can possibly cause an allergic reaction.  If your symptoms have been relatively mild like congestion and a runny nose odds are if you really like beer you can basically just ignore your beer allergy symptoms.  If your symptoms have been more dramatic then it’s time to investigate your options.

There are many kinds of beer nowadays.  No longer are you stuck with Miller, Michelob and Coors.  Beers have gone upscale in many cases with many folks preferring beers like Amstel Light or Sam Adams just to name a couple.  If you are of Irish descent(or not) you may appreciate a good old Guiness now an then.  This doesn’t even cover the breweries that make their own ales.  This makes the job of identifying what causes your beer allergy that much more difficult.

There are a few allergens that can be causing your beer allergy:

• Hops
• Barley
• Yeast
• Gluten
• Wheat
• Sulphates

Keep in mind that a beer allergies are not that common but if you suspect one you need to look at the above ingredients in your diet for clues.  Beer is flavored with hops and sometimes even fruits so it may not be the obvious brewers yeast that is causing your beer allergy.  Wheat allergies and gluten allergies have also increased of late so those may be culprits as well.  Malted barley is also a big candidate since those with pollen allergies may have barley as a trigger.

The symptoms of a beer allergy can be mild like a congested or runny nose but sometimes the allergic reaction can be more severe like those who suffer from Oral Allergy Syndrome.  In that case the beer allergy symptoms can include a swollen tongue and lips, tingling face and hives. Symptoms can include dizziness, coughing, tightness in the chest and even a white coating on their tongue.  Those with a brewers yeast allergy will exhibit symptoms associated with yeast allergies in general.  These could include a sore throat, nausea, sneezing, diarrhea, heartburn, rashes on the skin and possibly stomach pain.

Treating your beer allergy will depend on how severe it is.  Mild symptoms probably don’t require much since the symptoms usually disappear by themselves.  Those with asthma type symptoms really need to consult with their doctor since using antihistamines and adrenaline injections may make symptoms worse.  These types of symptoms can be life threatening since they can lead to anaphylaxis.

As rare as a beer allergy can be it may even require hospitalization with a host of aggressive treatments that could include intravenous fluids, bronchodilators, steroids and adrenaline.  Hopefully if you do experience beer allergy symptoms they will be mild and manageable with over the counter meds like antihistamines(if asthma isn’t present) or nasal sprays for your congestion.  Sadly the simple and straightforward solution might be to pass on that pint of beer completely.

Recently there has been a lot of news coverage regarding a new treatment for peanut allergies.  A study of children with peanut allergy has been conducted by Dr. Wesley Burks of Duke University Medical Center.  The initial study was small at 33 children with the main approach being oral immunotherapy. The children were challenged  with increasing small amounts of peanuts over an 8-10 month period on a daily basis.  5 basically ended up being totally free of their peanut allergy.  Here is a video which shows one of the successes.

I have seen some other reports that have also discussed how oral immunotherapy can be used in the same way to desensitize those suffering from milk allergy.

Please keep in mind this should not be done at home.  It was done as part of a supervised medical study.  Until bigger studies are done and it is approved for use for your allergist it is still advised to continue to “treat” your allergy by avoiding peanuts.

For more on immunotherapy review our post on Allergy Shots.

This is just a brief post to announce a new service for our website visitors. We have added a directory of allergy related videos. We feel it is a great addition to the information that we provide in our guide. The full directory of allergy related videos is here. Whereas we will provide periodic picks on on our allergy videos page.

We hope that you enjoy the wide range of videos available on this topic. As with any other information please be sure to check with your doctor. The amount of videos really demonstrate to me how big the problem of allergies is. It also helps to know that we are not alone…