Allergy Relief

Sometimes the best treatment for food allergy can be as easy as changing what you eat one by one and carefully documenting  changes in your childs behaviour. Here are some tips to help you manage skin allergies, but first lets have a look at what an allergy is.

What Is An Allergy

An allergy can be described as a malfunction of the immune system, an exaggerated response to certain substances. Your body mistakenly believes that something it has touched, smelled or eaten is harmful to it and your body releases massive amounts of chemicals, such as histamine to protect itself.

It is believed that 11 million Americans suffer from food allergies. These allergies are as varied as food itself is. Some people suffer from an allergy to one food, some to many. The most common food allergies are generally eggs, milk, peanuts, tree nuts (such as walnuts), fish, shellfish, soy and wheat.


Symptoms of food allergies are varied and range from a tingling of the mouth to swelling of the tongue and throat to difficulty breathing to hives, cramps, diarrhea, vomiting and in some instances death.

There are ways to help you or your loved one manage your food allergies. First seek the help of an allergist. Your allergist will perform a patch test to determine the exact cause of allergic reactions. This will be the guideline you use as you develop a diet based around your food allergies.

As with other types of allergies there is no cure for a food allergy. Some children do grow out of some food allergies as they age although allergies to peanuts, fish, shellfish and nuts are often considered lifetime allergies. You or your loved one must simply avoid the food that causes the allergy. This can be difficult, especially when eating out in a restaurant. Depending on the severity of allergy, even slight cross contamination of food products can cause reactions.

Food labeling is a very important component of avoiding foods that trigger allergies. Since 2000 the FDA has been presenting information on allergy risks and labeling requirements to manufacturers. They seek to have manufacturers change some labels to be easier to read, using plain language like "milk" on a label instead of "caseinate".

In the case of a milk or egg allergy there are alternatives that can be used when cooking or baking. There are many online sites dedicated to supplying information, education and support to those with food allergies.


An effective approach to managing skin allergies has three components.

1. Understand the condition

2. Find the trigger for your food allergy


3. Keep your skin clean and in good condition

Many people think that allergies only affect the respiratory or digestive systems, but they can also affect your largest organ- your skin. As with other allergies the immune system overreacts to the presence of certain substances and releases inflammation-producing chemicals. Do some research and talk to your doctor. You can be confident of controlling your skin condition better if you are sure you understand what causes it.

The second component in managing a skin allergy is identifying then eliminating the allergens and irritants that start the itching/scratching cycle. There are over three thousand known triggers for skin allergies. Many are natural, but there are plenty of man-made ones too.

Latex Gloves-notorious for causing skin allergy

A common man-made trigger is latex, which comes from the sap of the Brazilian rubber tree. The natural proteins and those added in the manufacturing process can trigger an allergic reaction. Most people are aware that this can lead to reactions if you wear latex gloves. However latex is also present in baby pacifiers, balloons, pencil erasers and elastic bands in undergarments. There can also be problems when latex particles become airborne and are inhaled. If you have a latex allergy try to avoid the material and use vinyl or plastic where possible.

Nickel is another trigger. In addition to the obvious nickel-containing metallic objects like coins and jewelry, nickel is also present in everyday objects like scissors, bathroom and kitchen cabinet handles, and zippers. Mascara, eye shadow and eye pencils also contain nickel. Experts estimate that the number of people suffering from a nickel allergy has risen about 40% in the last decade. Much of this is believed to be due to the popularity of body piercing. Some foods also have natural nickel content and people who suffer severe symptoms may need to restrict their diet under medical supervision. At present there is no way to desensitize a person with a nickel allergy. Avoidance is the best strategy.

The third component of effective management is looking after your skin. The easiest thing to do is to keep your fingernails short to reduce the damage caused by scratching.

Managing your skin's condition means firstly moisturizing and softening the skin to ensure it does not dry out. Your doctor may recommend you use topical corticosteroid preparations to control the inflammation.

When you take a bath soak in lukewarm water for 20 to 30 minutes. Do not have hot baths or showers, as the heat will increase skin dryness and itching. You can add oatmeal or baking soda to the bath for a soothing effect, though it does not help moisturize the skin.

Use a mild soap or a non-soap cleanser with neutral pH (pH7). If you wish to add bath oils do so after you have been in the water so that it can seal in the moisture. Do not use bubble baths as they can form a barrier that stops the bathwater moisturizing your skin.

After the bath dry yourself by patting your skin with a soft towel. This helps retain moisture. Immediately after drying your skin apply a lotion or emollient cream to help your skin retain the moisture.

Startling Statistics

To look after your skin you will also need to avoid situations where you will experience extreme physical contact, heavy perspiration, or heavy clothing. This may mean avoiding some sports. Swimming is permissible if you rinse the chlorine from your skin as soon as you leave the pool, and use a moisturizer after drying yourself.

Follow these three steps and you will be able to control your skin allergy and minimize its impact on your everyday life.

Dark Eye Circle Causes

Dark Eye Circle Causes

Having dark circles or bags under eye lids is a common complaint. What a lot of people don't know is that those puffy eyelids or dark circles under your eyes can be caused by something you've eaten. That's right a food intolerance or allergy to food can be the main cause of puffy eyes or dark eye circles under your eyes.

When your eyes are affected by allergies, one or both will tend to itch tear or become red. Many people with allergies have bags or dark circles under their eyes, it may even go as far as a swelling in the upper cheekbone .
Dark eye circle can make you look like you have black eyes, sometimes the circles can appear pink or even blue. Wrinkles may also be present.
This can be an indication that you suffer from eczema.

An allergy to wheat can cause dark eye circles. It would be a good idea to check if you are exhibiting other allergy type symptoms, maybe a runny nose or itchy ears, perhaps you have a rash in certain parts of the body. A blocked nose that only has clear mucus sometimes points to a wheat allergy.

In some people dairy allergy could be the cause of their dark eye circles. If you suspect your are suffering from a food intolerance that may be causing your dark eye circles perhaps a diet change is in order. Slowly eliminating certain food from your diet one at a time and noting the result may be beneficial to your cause.

More on Skin Allergies

Adolescent Food Allergy

Food Intolerance


Most people know someone or have someone in their family who suffer from some sort of allergy. It could be Hives, Hay fever or eczema. These are the more widely known common allergies. Of late though the number of people having adverse reaction to food they have eaten is growing. The most common food allergies are usually a peanut allergy or gluten intolerance or even wheat or yeast intolerance. Also Milk allergy or dairy intolerance can also be common. These allergies can be quite specific which can make them easy to identify. I will elaborate on these common food allergies in later posts.

Severe eczema can be also caused by food allergies. 

Some food allergies are harder to identify. Child food allergies are very common unfortunately  a lot of the time are overlooked or not recognized or not even agreed upon. Through my own experience with my daughter, who had numerous child food allergies I realized that "food intolerance" was a valid illness.

What Is An Allergy


There is much confusion at the present time as to what the word allergy means as the word does not represent the same thing to all Physicians. There are two conflicting definitions of the word allergy. The original definition, simply put was, an adverse reaction to a substance that does not bother the majority of individuals. For instance most people don't react to molds, dust, pets, freshly cut grass or food they may have just eaten.


However in later years allergy was redefined and the scope of what could be called an allergy became much stricter. So at this point allergists accept three basic concepts when it comes to allergy symptoms.


   1. The allergy must affect only specified parts of the body.

   2. The source of an allergy must be due to established and acceptable causes.

   3. An allergy must be scientifically confirmed by certain accepted immunological tests.


Is your child suffering from food intolerance

Symptoms of intolerance in children can be obvious. Food allergies are more common than we think, with all the additives and preservatives in food today it's not surprising that our children suffer from food allergies or food intolerance. Educating your self on the effects of common food allergies like, gluten intolerance, milk allergy or peanut allergy is a step in the right direction.

Gluten intolerance, peanut allergy, yeast intolerance, egg allergy or dairy allergy are the most common, gluten and wheat are in so many things we eat, this makes cutting it out of your child's diet can be quite a daunting effort but the results will be relatively fast. I know with my daughter if she ate even the tiniest piece of bread she would break out in hives with in minutes and within an hour or so her behaviour would also take a turn for the worst. It was the same with dairy and egg white. Dairy caused constipation, excess flem and over tiredness, egg white would cause her skin to break out into very red and sore boils just on contact.

A Quick Word On Hay Fever

This is what a child with food intolerance usually presents as. 

Hay Fever usually means that the nose and eyes are congested. The roof of the mouth and ear canals can become itchy also. If your child shows hay fever symptoms all year round it more than likely that this hay fever can be attributed to a food allergy or other allergen like Mold, dust, or pets.

Signs that your child is suffering from a food intolerance


Constant nose rub
Eye circles
Red ears
Red cheeks
Eye wrinkles
Aggression
Lack of alertness
Mottled tongue

The tell-tale puffy eyes.
The first indicator of food intolerance.

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