How to Deal With Food Allergy Symptoms

Most food allergy symptoms are fairly mild and are not life-threatening. Still, many of the symptoms are annoying and uncomfortable. A severe food allergy is dangerous and can even lead to death if not properly treated. If you or someone in your family has food allergy symptoms, it’s important to identify the allergens and treat them accordingly.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Learn the symptoms of food allergies. Symptoms range from very mild to quite severe. Common mild symptoms include itching, headache, rash, upset stomach, and itching eyes. The most common symptom of a severe food allergy is called anaphylaxis. This is when several severe symptoms occur very quickly and all at the same time. Anaphylaxis is rare, but it is dangerous and can result in death if not treated immediately.

2. Keep a food journal to help determine if you have a food allergy. Make a note of everything you eat and how you feel afterwards. Anytime you feel sick or have discomfort, review your food journal to see if a particular food could be the cause. If the same food continues to cause symptoms over a period of time, you may be allergic to that food.

3. See a doctor if you have food allergy symptoms. Review your food journal with the doctor and discuss your symptoms. Your doctor will probably perform skin tests and possibly blood tests to determine what foods may be the cause. Once the allergens are identified, your doctor can recommend treatment. Mild allergies are usually treated with an antihistamine. For more severe allergies, the typical recommendation is to avoid all foods that trigger a reaction.

4. Have an emergency treatment plan. Even though you are very careful to avoid eating offending foods, you can still have an allergic reaction to them. Simply having contact with an item that has touched the allergen can trigger a reaction. Your doctor will probably prescribe an epinephrine pen, commonly known as an epi-pen, for you to carry with you at all times. In case of an emergency reaction, you use the pen to inject yourself. The injection slows the reaction process so that you have time to get medical attention.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoidance of foods is a bit complicated because traces of offending foods can be found in unsuspecting places. You must train yourself to read labels on packaged foods, alert your waitress when eating out and prepare special recipes at home.
• Don't ignore food allergy symptoms. An adverse reaction to a food doesn’t always indicate an allergy. The reaction may be caused by a digestive problem. It’s important to see your doctor for even the mildest symptoms, because treatment for an allergic reaction is very different that treatment for a digestive problem.

[missforty]

on 3/17/2009 Food journal is very important.

[2besure]

on 9/29/2008 I have terrible allergies. I have not idea which ones are caused by food.