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Step 1
Recognize the difference between a food intolerance and a true allergy. Food intolerances are more common than food allergies and, though the body's chemical reaction to the food can cause very real and unpleasant symptoms, food intolerances have less potential for fatality. A true allergy to tomato is rare and caused by a histamine reaction to a protein usually found in the seeds, skin and juice of the tomato.
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Step 2
Take note of when the symptoms occur. Food allergy symptoms tend to manifest very soon after the food is ingested. It's important for your doctor to know the timetable so that he might rule out whether you are experiencing a life-threatening allergic reaction or a food intolerance. You should also take note as to whether your symptoms have become increasingly worse with each exposure to tomatoes.
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Step 3
Avoid fresh tomatoes if after eating them you experience swelling or itching around your mouth, hives, diarrhea, vomiting, difficulty breathing or a persistent skin rash. Though scientists don't know the exact reason, many people with an allergy to tomatoes only experience symptoms when in contact with the raw fruit. Some patients can eat processed products such as catchup or tomato paste with no discernible reaction.
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Step 4
Connect tomato allergy symptoms to other food contact allergies. The tomato plant is closely related to potatoes, eggplant and tobacco. They are all members of the Deadly Nightshade family and have a similar structure. Since a true tomato allergy is so rare, if you're allergic it's likely that you will have symptoms after contact with these other foods too.
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Step 5
Make an appointment with an allergist or your family physician for food allergy testing. For a suspected tomato allergy, you are likely to undergo both blood tests and pin-prick allergen testing. Pin-prick testing allows the allergist to inject small amounts of food proteins in a grid pattern on your back to look for localized reactions, while the blood test can reveal an increase in the IgE allergy antibody in your system.
Comments
nx7501 said
on 11/2/2009 Hey guys try this: Triderma MD Psoriasis Control Cream. I use it on my upper lip. it encourages shedding of old dry scales, relieves redness and itching, and helps skin look and feel normal. I bought this thinking my affliction was psoriasis, but now that Im reading all your comments, the light bulb went on! 5 weeks ago, my whole body itched, burned, stung, and welted. I didn't know what the heck. Im thinking it's something in the shower, the water, the environment, something in my new home..the list goes on. Doc's tested me for a whole list of allergens by blood, and I'm not allergic to anything. We didn't test for tomatoes, though, we didn't even think to! Then I remembered something, the day it all started, I picked loads of tomatoes for my mom in law in her backyard! My affliction lasted about 3 weeks. The lip thing, more like a year or so. Try the cream, it helps me alot to keep...
drgipatel said
on 7/19/2009 I am a doctor of alternative medicine - Homeopathy , i recollect ,I had a patient few years back who came to me with this type of allergy the symptoms he stated were as follows
Since 2 years if he eats tomatoes in 15 to 20 mts his lips would swell, and then in the next 1 hrs time there would be big swollen red lips, and smalls blisters in the arms and back with itching and redness, and then after 1-2 hrs the size of the blisters would go upto the size of a pea, so he used to avoid eating tomotoes, lemon,brinjal etc, as if he had taken it in any form like a juice or in a vegetable all symptoms would flare up. he lived on eating selected food like potatoes, cabbage , rice etc.
he used to take allopathic medicies with not much relif other than the symptoms going down in 3-4 hrs, as a school student he used to suffer a lot as he could eat outside food, cant eat in realtive houses , eat ...
drgipatel said
on 7/19/2009 I am a doctor of alternative medicine - Homeopathy , i recollect ,I had a patient few years back who came to me with this type of allergy the symptoms he stated were as follows
Since 2 years if he eats tomatoes in 15 to 20 mts his lips would swell, and then in the next 1 hrs time there would be big swollen red lips, and smalls blisters in the arms and back with itching and redness, and then after 1-2 hrs the size of the blisters would go upto the size of a pea, so he used to avoid eating tomotoes, lemon,brinjal etc, as if he had taken it in any form like a juice or in a vegetable all symptoms would flare up. he lived on eating selected food like potatoes, cabbage , rice etc.
he used to take allopathic medicies with not much relif other than the symptoms going down in 3-4 hrs, as a school student he used to suffer a lot as he could eat outside food, cant eat in realtive houses , eat ...
drgipatel said
on 7/19/2009 I am a doctor of alternative medicine - Homeopathy , i recollect ,I had a patient few years back who came to me with this type of allergy the symptoms he stated were as follows
Since 2 years if he eats tomatoes in 15 to 20 mts his lips would swell, and then in the next 1 hrs time there would be big swollen red lips, and smalls blisters in the arms and back with itching and redness, and then after 1-2 hrs the size of the blisters would go upto the size of a pea, so he used to avoid eating tomotoes, lemon,brinjal etc, as if he had taken it in any form like a juice or in a vegetable all symptoms would flare up. he lived on eating selected food like potatoes, cabbage , rice etc.
he used to take allopathic medicies with not much relif other than the symptoms going down in 3-4 hrs, as a school student he used to suffer a lot as he could eat outside food, cant eat in realtive houses , eat ...
cluffbristol22 said
on 7/3/2009 I'm not sure if I'm allergic to tomatoes and the like, but I constantly get diarrhea. I feel sick all the time and I'm tired a lot. Also I have this strange redness around my lips which makes them look clownish. My eyes itch and water a lot, too. I have a bunch of itchy patches on my scalp, under my jaw, and a few other places. Does this sound like something that might come from a tomatoe allergy?