Food allergies happen when your immune system messes up. Your immune system is supposed to protect you from disease and germs. If you have a food allergy your immune system makes a mistake and thinks the food is going to harm you.

The response is the same whether it is a food allergy, an allergy to medicine, an allergy to a flower or tree, or an allergy to peanuts. Although the foods themselves are not harmful the reaction the body has can be life threatening.

In recent years we have heard a lot about the peanut food allergy mainly because the reaction is usually very severe leading to anaphylactic shock.

Here’s what can happen if a child or adult for that matter eats a peanut topped brownie which they have a food allergy to – the antibodies in the body over react releasing histamine in the blood.

The histamine released eyes, throat, nose, respiratory, skin, and even the digestive system can be affected by the food allergy. The reaction could be mild or severe and it can happen almost right away or a couple of hours later.

Some of the first signs of a person suffering from a food allergy can be a runny nose, hives, itchy skin, tingling lips or tongue. Other signs can include tightness in the throat, hoarse voice, coughing, wheezing, stomach pain, diarrhea, and nausea or vomiting.

And with a serious food allergy anaphylaxis occurs which is a severe allergic reaction that comes on suddenly and with several serious problems all occurring at once – the heart, digestive system, respiratory all react at the same time and the breathing tube narrows while the tongue swells making breathing difficult if not impossible – this is a medical emergency.

If you have a serious food allergy and not necessarily to peanuts you need to make sure you know exactly what you are eating. If there is any doubt don’t eat it. You might also carry the proper medication with you.

Kids often suffer from milk and eggs but the often will outgrow these. Severe allergies are commonly seen in peanuts, shrimp, and fish and these do not usually disappear with age.

Not sure how to tell if you have a food allergy? Sometimes it’s pretty easy to figure out. Hives may appear or perhaps stomach problems occur. But other times it’s harder to tell. And sometimes even if you know you have a food allergy determining to what can be really difficult.

Many medical professionals believe that allergies are genetic and inherited so if you have a parent that suffers from hay fever you can expect to do so yourself. Food allergies can resolve themselves over time.

It is important that you do not confuse a food allergy with food intolerance such as with lactose intolerance which can cause severe stomach pain and diarrhea. But that doesn’t make it an allergy.

For some food allergies it’s as simple as not eating the food anymore. Other food allergies are harder to diagnose and harder to avoid. You should see a doctor that specializes in allergies. The doctor will ask you a lot of questions to help determine if you have a food allergy.

A liquid extract of the food or foods that are suspect is used to determine the food allergy. A tiny scratch is made on the skin and then a drop of the extract placed on the scratch. The doctor will watch for the development of a red spot which will indicate you have a food allergy to that particular food.

Once a food allergy is determined the doctor will decide on the best course of action and whether treatment is needed. Once you know what your allergy is it becomes much easier to deal with.

General Anxiety Disorder or GAD as it is known is another type of anxiety disorder. It affects roughly 4 to 5 million people of the American population alone. If you suffer from this Disorder symptoms can include but are not limited to those also suffered by panic disorder victims. It has also been found that it affects women proportionally more that it does men.

The symptoms are many and vary from person to person. There are however a few symptoms that are the same across the board for most people and which generally characterize their lives and lifestyles. The sufferer will live in a chronic and exaggerated state of worry and tension most of the time. Extreme emotions may arise even if there is nothing happening to provoke these feelings. Symptoms can also induce the sufferer to be always anticipating disaster.

One such is chronic and incessant worrying. Although worry is a natural emotion and most of us experience it from time to time in our daily lives, for the sufferer their worry is chronic and most times pathological. Most times the chronic worrier will let their worries overtake their world and will sometimes let it go so far as to incapacitate them in their daily lives.

By this, I do not mean that there is no choice over whether or not they worry ceaselessly, on the contrary the person might be aware that they are worrying needlessly but be unable to stop it or help themselves.

By the same token it can bring on insomnia, panic attacks and depression. Intense anxiety and fear are also quite common to these symptoms.

Other more physical, symptoms include headaches, diarrhea and nausea, lightheadedness, trembling or twitching. A palpitating or pounding heart, shortness of breath and trouble concentrating are also effects that can occur.

Irritability and mood swings, constant tension coupled with the inability to relax are all General Anxiety Disorder symptoms, and are all contributing features to other symptoms as well.

This vicious cycle can sometimes take its toll not only on the Disorder sufferer but also on the family of the sufferer. The pressures of living with a person who suffers from GAD, the inability to cope with the persistent and sometimes inconsequential worrying, the constant depression and mood swings can all take their toll. Most families do not survive too well if someone within the family suffers from this disorder.

That is why medical attention should be sought as soon as possible to alleviate your symptoms. General Anxiety Disorder can be cured and you should know this. Treatment methods are readily available to you and it is merely a matter of finding the courage to go out and find it. Rest assured that your doctor or therapist can help you in alleviating your symptoms properly and it will only take a little time and patience and will power on your part to cure yourself.

There are many different types of mental health disorders, any of which could affect any one of us at any time of our lives regardless of our age, gender, background or status. The most common type of mental health disorders are anxiety and depression related disorders.

Certainly, all of us can experience anxiety at times, especially when we have a particularly difficult situation to deal with, like taking a driving test for example, or going for a job interview, but when the anxiety is so severe that it disrupts our daily lives, then it could be that we are suffering from an anxiety- related mental health disorder.

Similarly, each of us know what its like to feel a bit down in the dumps, we may even say we are depressed, but true depression is where the symptoms dont subside after a short period of time, they persist and are severe enough to impair our ability to carry out our normal routines.

The following list represents some of the more commonly known mental health disorders with a brief description of their typical symptoms.

Phobias

A phobia is an anxiety related disorder characterised by extreme fear, perhaps fear of a situation, an object, a place or a creature and this fear is completely out of proportion to the norm. There are literally hundreds of known phobias but common ones include fear of public places, confined spaces, flying, spiders, and fear of heights. A sufferer will try to avoid their fear at all costs, and when faced with it, will experience severe anxiety which can include palpitations, nausea and panic attacks.

Panic attacks

A panic attack can be a terrifying experience. Someone experiencing a panic attack is engulfed by overwhelming fear and panic often without warning. Various physical symptoms can accompany a panic attack, which include difficulty breathing, trembling, palpitations, dizziness, sweating, and nausea and a feeling of impending death.

Post traumatic stress

Post traumatic stress can follow an intensely disturbing experience such as a car crash, violence or rape, being in extreme danger or basically any event that causes severe psychological distress. The symptoms include constantly reliving the event in the mind through flashbacks and nightmares, disturbed sleep, anxiety and depression.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety related disorder manifesting itself in irrational and obsessive thoughts that spark illogical rituals and behaviours or compulsions, for example, constantly thinking (obsessing) that your hands are not clean causing you to repeatedly wash your hands (a compulsion). Other examples include excessive cleaning, checking and rechecking that doors are locked and windows closed etc. Someone with OCD can feel intensely anxious if they dont carry out their rituals so performing them is a way to relieve their feelings of anxiety and distress.

Depression

Depression is more than a period of the blues. Clinical depression can be said to exist when the symptoms of depression persist for longer than a couple of weeks and are severe enough to interfere with normal daily routines. There is also a loss of pleasure in activities that were once enjoyed. There are many symptoms associated with depression including feelings of sadness and despair, lethargy, sleep disturbances, changes in eating patterns, sudden changes in behaviour and mood, anxiety, guilt, and thoughts of death and suicide. We can all experience some of these symptoms at times but when truly depressed these symptoms dont just subside, they persist.

Bipolar disorder (manic depression)

Bipolar disorder is characterised by extreme fluctuations in mood with episodes of euphoria and mania alternating with episodes of depression and despair. During a manic phase the bipolar sufferer may need very little sleep, may think and talk very quickly, can be highly creative, appear completely confident and without inhibition, they could leave their job, go on a spending spree or behave in other potentially destructive ways. During a depressive episode they may experience strong feelings of hopelessness and despair and find themselves unable to muster the energy to do even the simplest of tasks. They may also withdraw from social situations and even contemplate suicide. Bipolar is a lifelong disorder affecting around 1 percent of the population.

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a particularly severe kind of mental health disorder, which is characterised by hallucinations, delusions, and strange behaviour and beliefs.

Conclusion

Mental health disorders are complex so making an accurate diagnosis yourself can be difficult, many people will present with symptoms of more than one type of disorder and many of the symptoms of each disorder overlap with each other. Consequently, it is important to seek the right help. In the first instance you should speak to your doctor who will be able to make full medical assessment and guide you towards an appropriate course of treatment.

Sadly, many people are afraid of seeking help and as such, will suffer in silence which can be an isolating and lonely experience with potentially devastating effects. Fortunately, mental health disorders are treatable and those who do seek help can go on to lead normal lives once again.

The art of healing with the use of essential oil massage is known as Aromatherapy. Aromatherapy is a well known method of natural healing. The oil massage used in aromatherapy is extracted from aromatic plants and herbs and used to treat and balance the body, mind and soul of an individual. The aromatherapy benefits are known since ages; the name ‘aromatherapy’ was first coined in ancient France.

Aromatherapy in Pregnancy

At different stages during pregnancy, the aromatic treatment can prove to be useful and beneficial in a number of ways. Moreover, the application this therapeutic treatment is also very easy and simple.

But there are certain guidelines that need to be followed while applying aromatherapy to pregnant women. They guidelines are as follows:

1. Generally, the aromatic oils are highly concentrated. So before applying oil massage to pregnant ladies, the oils need to be diluted.

2. The use of the following oils should either be extremely limited or better avoided during the first trimesters of pregnancy. The oils are – basil, cedar wood, cinnamon, clove, cypress, fennel, hyssop, jasmine, juniper, lemongrass, sweet marjoram, thyme and parsley.

3. It is best to use the oils that are recommended, to be used for the therapeutic treatment during pregnancy. The oils that are best to be used are: bergamot, chamomile, cypress (after 5 months), eucalyptus, geranium, grapefruit, lavender, lemon, mandarin, rosewood, neroli, sandalwood, tea tree and ylang-ylang.

Method of applying aromatherapy during pregnancy

Aromatherapy massage can be done in a number of ways during pregnancy.

Initially, the essential oils need to be extracted from the herbal and aromatic plants by the process of distillation. As the extracted oils are very much concentrated, they can lead to various skin irritations if used without diluting the same. The oils can be used by the pregnant ladies by adding a few drops in the water at the time of bathing. Otherwise, the essential oils can be well blended with sesame oil to experience a great and effective massage.

It can also be used for touch therapy i.e. gentle massaging of the forehead and the scalp using a few drops of oil.

In most cases, the pregnant mothers lie down sideways and have the massage done.

Benefits of Aromatherapy during pregnancy

Using aromatic treatment for the well being of the mother and the child during pregnancy and also after birth is an age old process. The benefits of aromatherapy during pregnancy can be listed as follows:

1. Bergamot – it is helpful fro cystitis at times of pregnancy.

2. Cypress (after 5 months) – it is helpful for swollen ankles and veins.

3. Eucalyptus – it is helpful for respiratory congestion.

4. Chamomile – it is helpful in giving relief from pains, headaches and indigestion.

5. Geranium – it is soothes out aching legs and enhances circulation.

6. Grapefruit – helpful in water retention.

7. Lemon – helpful inhalant.

8. Mandarin – eases out fluid retention in joints and ankles.

9. Rosewood – good antiseptic.

10. Tea tree – useful to treat thrush during pregnancy.

11. Ylang-Ylang – relieves tension and stress.

The economic resurgence of all the countries is rising day by day just like the meters of a taxi. The only difference is that the later makes people frown at the taxi driver, while the former brings smiles to our faces.

John, a well established software engineer in the IT sector; after working with IT giants there is no dearth of fame, prosperity and economy in his life. But the factor which is affecting him the most is, after a day of hectic work he hardly gets the time and scope to pamper himself. Gone are the days of 9-5 work. These days people spend 10-12 hours in their office. This 24*7 work culture is leading to more and more of stress and strains thus affecting the physical health as well.

The aromatherapy specialists feel that it is more important to ward off the stress and tensions related to work and this could help people lead a better life. Emotionally drained and fully exhausted at the end of the day, a bit of rejuvenating aromatic relaxation and stress relief helps a lot.

Stress Management – Adults

1. Take a refreshing bath – Drain out the stress of the day by adding 5 drops of Chamomile and Lavender, 3 drops of Geranium and 2 drops of Lemon into warm water and take a refreshing bath.

2. Body cologne – Blend 3 drops of Chamomile and Lavender, 2 drops of Geranium and Lemon in a cup of water. Put the mixture into a sprayer; use it as natural cologne throughout the day. It helps you remain clam and controlled.

3. Relief from Headache – Want to get rid of nagging headaches? Make a blend using 1 drop of Chamomile, Geranium and Lemon, 2 drops of Lavender into 2 ounces of a body lotion that you use. Take a small amount and massage your forehead, neck, eyes and the back of years. It acts as a wonderful stress relief in case of headaches.

4. Massage – Rejuvenate yourself with the help of relaxing massage with a blend of 2 drops of Cedar, Ylang-Ylang, Clary Sage, and Lavender into 2 ounces of your body lotion.

Stress Management – Children

These days even the little ones are not being spared from being stressed up. It is very important to free them from all kinds of stress, strains and tensions. The stress busters for the children are as follows:

1. Body lotion – To minimize the level of anxiety within the little ones, give them a massage using 6 drops of Chamomile and Lavender and 4 drops of Geranium into 2 ounces of their body lotion. It will also keep the child’s skin toned and supple.

2. Room spray – Room sprayer is very important and the perfect freshener contains 10 drops Orange and Lavender and 6 drops Nutmeg mixed into 1 cup of water. This gives the child a sense of comfort and clarity.

One of the primary purposes of writing this article is to open up the world of aroma to all the individuals, to expose each and every single male as well as female to a heightened awareness of the subtle conditions existing around them that may have a significant effect upon their well-being.