Millions of people all over the world are affected by allergies. Tiny particles of dust in the air, a friend’s cat or even freshly cut flowers can lead to sneezing, itching and runny noses in some people. Though we are quite aware of external agents that cause allergies, we do not suspect the seemingly innocent glass of milk or bowl of fresh peanuts. After all, what can they do to us? Unfortunately, people who are allergic to these foods have to be very careful around such foodstuffs.

An allergy is a severe reaction of the body’s immune system. The immune system goes into overdrive when there is a perceived threat to the body. In this case, the body perceives an ingredient in the food, like protein, as potentially harmful and goes all out to attack this ingredient and you, in the process. This is what causes itching, rashes, hives or other reactions in the body. In mild cases, the reactions are also mild. However, some reactions are very uncomfortable and may even be fatal. Examples include vomiting, diarrhea, asthma, wheezing and anaphylaxis.

Food allergies may be caused by almost any ingredient in the food. Even so, specialists have identified eight common allergens that affect the most number of people. These are: wheat, egg, milk, soy, fish, peanuts, nuts of trees and shellfish.

There are a large number of myths surrounding food allergies.

Myth 1: Food allergies are very common.

Food allergies occur in less than 12% of the adult population. Of the 6-8% of children who suffer from food allergies, a huge majority outgrows their allergies as they age. Food intolerance is another matter. Food intolerance happens when a person is unable to digest or process a particular ingredient. Food intolerance produces mild though persistent reactions in the body, which is quite different from the severe allergic reactions caused by food allergens. A good majority of people suffer from food intolerance. Unfortunately, most people mistake food sensitivities for food allergies.

Myth 2: Most people are allergic to milk

Milk allergy is very uncommon in adults, though it is quite common in children below the age of 3. Most children outgrow their allergies as they grow. Adults may experience bloating, nausea or breathing problems after ingesting milk products. But these reactions are a result of being lactose intolerant.

Myth 3: Food allergy is only lifestyle threatening, not life threatening.

This is a serious misconception. Food sensitivity is lifestyle threatening, food allergies can become life threatening. This is because of the inherent nature of allergies, where the body produces severe and sometimes violent reactions to counter an attack. Food allergies are particularly life threatening in small children as they can accidentally ingest something that can cause a violent allergic reaction.

Food allergies must be treated immediately and patients need to be taken to a doctor as soon as possible.

Food allergies can be diagnosed by conducting allergy and intolerance tests. Once an allergy is detected, sufferers must avoid those foods. This is the only way in which food allergies can be treated. Of course, there are medications to relieve symptoms, but, as they say, prevention is always better than cure.

Allergy gets into a body when an immune system becomes suddenly abnormal to a specific material which is generally not detrimental to most of the individuals except the one who has the allergy. When this allergy is triggered by an allergen or substance, the body recognizes this as a trespasser and releases any sort of chemicals so that it fights the trespasser causing symptoms like irritation. Moreover this irritation could also be fatal leading to death.

Allergy caused by food is a reaction which is made by the immune system. In the immune system antibodies are produced because of negative effect to few foods. Even though there are a lot of people who say that they have the allergy, only few actually have this allergy causing reactions. Many individuals confuse food allergy and food intolerance. Intolerance to certain kinds of food doesn’t affect the immune system. But both food allergy and intolerance are sensitivity reaction to foods.

In today’s world the medical department hasn’t found any proper cure for allergies caused by food. The allergy management only cautions you of intake of the allergens in food and few diet modifications.

During the allergic reaction, Antibodies are released by the immune system, especially immunoglobulin E. It inevitably causes the production of histamine (chemical) in the way of guarding the body. The following chemicals are the main cause of symptoms that includes irritation in eyes, throat, skin, gastrointestinal organs and lungs. These things happen when one is exposed to allergen.

There are 8 major foods that are the main cause for the reaction (allergic). These eight allergy provoking foods are soy, wheat, fish, milk, eggs, tree nuts, shellfish and peanuts.

These cause severe damage to an individual’s body.

People afflicted with allergies react to only certain allergy causing foods. Cross reaction takes place when allergy to a kind of food causes (allergic) reaction to foods that are related to allergen food. For example, a reaction to wheat could cause a reaction to rye.

The Allergy in pollens could cause allergy to peaches, almonds, hazelnuts, green apples. Reaction to a goat’s milk could be cause an allergy to cow’s milk. So there are so many examples to show cross reaction.

If you accidentally ingested the food-containing allergen, it is very important that you should immediately take anti-histamine medications. This is why you have to take anti-histamine medication wherever you go in case you accidentally ate food that contains an ingredient that you are allergic from.

These are some of the common food allergens that you should know about in order to properly manage it and minimize the risk of future allergy attacks that can lead to severe discomfort and in severe cases, death.

Asthma or eczema patients could be at a risk of having food allergy. To add to this they might be having a severe reaction than the normal people who have only food allergy. This is because, when an allergy occurs, the concerned person is under stress which could lead to triggering their eczema or asthma aggravating the current situation. But the degree of this reaction depends upon circumstances like a person’s sensitivity threshold to allergen, exposure scale the individual has to the food and the quantity of eaten food.

Vigilance and self-discipline will help or guide a person who suffers from this allergy. There are no specific cures for the food allergy. However contacting your physician will serve you better responses. The physician will understand your problems and give you proper treatment.