Food Allergy Versus Food Intolerance

Among the allergies rampant in American lives today,threatening is because of the immediate threat to the
food allergy is one of the top three. However, someperson. Someone with food allergy can have an
people misdiagnose food allergy as food intolerance.anaphylactic shock and start to experience the
There are certain similarities but one must be careful inswelling of the throat muscles. This can block the air
administering medicines to a person with an allergy.Thepassage of the person and could result to
wrong medicine for the wrong condition can increasedeath.Another real danger is the sharp drop in the
the allergic symptom resulting in anaphylaxis and evenblood pressure of the patient. In this case, the person
death. Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction wherewith food allergy may experience mental confusion
all the symptoms swiftly attack the entire body all atand dizziness.Food Allergy TreatmentA food allergy
the same time.Symptoms Of Food AllergyFood allergycan be treated as soon as the symptom occurs. For
is an allergic reaction to certain types of food. Therashes, there are skin creams available to ease the
most common food allergens are: cow's milk, wheat,swelling and itchiness. The antihistamines will give relief
peanuts and other tree nuts, eggs, fish, soybeans,to symptoms of runny nose, watery eyes and swelling.
shellfish, meat and certain types of drugs. The allergicThese medicines can be bought right in the local
reaction can vary depending on the type of allergendrugstores and does not require a prescription.For
but they have the same number of symptoms:-those who experience the severe food allergy
Rashes or hives begins to appear on the skin. Inreactions, a dose of epinephrine (adrenaline), either self-
extreme cases, the swelling and hives can spread toinjected or given by the doctor can immediately
the entire body.reverse the symptoms. As of now, a shot of
- Swelling of the certain areas near the mouth.epinephrine is the most effective treatment for food
- Swelling of the earallergy and other types of allergies.Preventing Food
- Redness and itchiness of the eyes.AllergyAlthough food allergies cannot be prevented,
- Runny nosethe best way to defeat it is by staying away from the
- Vomiting and diarrheafood a person is allergic to. Taking a risk will only cost
- Difficulty in breathing and wheezing, sometime signsyou more pain in the future. So it is best to see the
of asthmaFood intolerance has much of the samedoctor to get a proper diagnosis and guidelines on
symptoms except the runny nose and watery eyes.what to eat and what not to eat.Making the right
Most often, food intolerance results in diarrhea anddiagnosis on food allergy versus food intolerance can
swelling of certain areas of the body.Aside for thebe tricky. It all depends on how severe the allergic
similarities in symptoms, a food allergy is more severereactions are and the number of symptoms that show
than food intolerance. Someone with food intoleranceup on the person when exposed to the food
can eat small portions of the food he is allergic to.allergen.----------------------------------------
They can still enjoy the food, though in small quantities.Note: This article may be freely reproduced as long
But to a person with food allergy, that small portion canas the AUTHOR'S resource box at the bottom of this
immediately trigger an allergic reaction. And if notarticle is included and and all links must be Active
treated at once, the patients can go intoLinkable with no syntax changes.
anaphylaxis.What makes a food allergy more life-----------------------------------------Charlene J. Nuble 2006.