Egg Allergy: Unscrambling the Symptoms

If you or your child aren’t feeling on the sunny side after your morning scramble, it could be egg allergy. The second most common food allergy after milk, egg allergy reactions can vary from person to person, making them difficult to confirm without a food allergy skin test.

An omelet of allergy symptoms:

Reactions to egg in allergic individuals can vary drastically each time they occur, and can include…

• Skin inflammation or hives (the most common reaction).
• Runny nose and sneezing.
• Congestion, coughing, wheezing, chest tightness or shortness of breath.
• Digestive upset: cramps, nausea, vomiting.
• Anaphylaxis, a life-threatening emergency presenting as dizziness, rapid pulse, constriction of airways and swelling of the throat that make it difficult to breathe.

Don’t let egg allergies poach your health:

If these symptoms are experienced shortly after eating eggs or egg-containing foods, an immediate consultation with an allergist including an allergy skin test is warranted, as reactions could worsen rapidly or over time.

Egg allergy skin tests are over-easy:

To confirm the allergy, a drop of liquid egg extract is placed on the skin of the forearm or back, which is then gently punctured by a special device. If the skin reddens, or more importantly, if it swells, the egg allergy is confirmed.

Hard boiled treatment:

Living with an egg allergy mostly involves a little foresight and common sense. Those effected by egg allergy are advised to have quick access to an epinephrine auto-injector in case of anaphylactic reaction. As is apparent, eggs and products containing eggs should be avoided. Be sure to read the labels of all packaged food products, which are required to list use of eggs on the label. Common sources include:

Pasta/macaroni

Baked goods

Mayo

Marshmallows

Nougat

Marzipan

Meringue

Surimi

Lecithin

Albumin

Take charge of your health and start looking on the sunnier side of things. Uncover the truth. Schedule a food allergy skin test at an allergy doctor near you today.

Going beyond the symptoms in treating allergies

Allergies are pretty common in the spring. For a lot of people over the counter medicines work fine, but that is just treating the symptoms. Immunologists say shots can help a person develop a tolerance for allergies, and even cure them. The shots are an extreme measure though, and usually only done when allergies reach a severe level.

The allergies have to be severe enough, but doctors say allergies can be overcome with shots. You get the shots after going through a battery of tests to determine exactly what is causing your allergies, and to what degree. She shots are custom designed for each person, and you have to be consistent in going to the doctor to get the shot each week for it to work. After about six months the serum, or the shots, can be adjusted. A Scottsdale allergy clinic will advise you on the best approach for your individual condition by performing specific allergy tests on you.

The most common allergies are grass and ragweed pollens. People are also allergic   to tree pollen, mold, dust, food and other things. Sometimes it is a combination of things, like ragweed and mold, that cause symptoms.

A daily pill that can be used for grass and ragweed allergies, which work as well as shots. But it only works for those two things. If you have mold allergies too, you will have to get shots. The shots may also be tailored to fit your individual condition, and can address both pollen and mold, or any combination you might have.

The goal of immunology is to completely cure the allergy problem by helping a person build up a tolerance for the thing that is causing an allergic reaction. If symptoms are beyond minor, or if they last all year, this might be a reasonable alternative. The shots do require that you go to see the doctor once a week, which is a commitment of time and money. Immunology or immunologist and Scottsdale Allergy Doctor will closely monitor your progress and adjust the shots as time passes to get the best overall effect.

Allergies and Arizona Cats- how to create peace!

What do you do if you've just found out someone in your family is allergic to your beloved cat? Arizona is full of allergens from desert blooms and pollution, so adding a pet can be difficult. The truth is that the best thing to do is to find another home for your pet. However, if that is too emotionally hard to do, here are some steps to try before you make that final decision:

1. Start allergy shots for family members who are allergic.
2. Limit the allergic person's contact with the cat. If they do touch the cat, be sure they wash their hands and change clothes.
3. Keep the cat out of bedrooms and keep the door closed.
4. Get a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter for your vacuum and be sure to vacuum your house often.
5. Do a thorough vacuum of the area where the person with allergies sleeps. Then wash all of the fabric in the room, including sheets, pillows, comforters and curtains. Be sure to dust away any surfaces, especially places the cat likes to go.
6. Get allergy covers for pillows and mattresses. That will help protect the person from pet dander that has already seeped in, as well as preventing more pet dander from building up.
7. Get a HEPA allergy air filter for the bedroom and keep the door closed while you use it.
8. Be ready to give more medications to control that person's allergies.

Be sure to consult with your Scottsdale Allergy and Asthma doctor about the steps you have taken and let them help you adjust your home environment and medication. You may be able to keep your pet if you are willing to do the work it takes to keep your family member healthy.

Food Allergies: Are You Avoiding Favorite Foods for No Good Reason?

Living with food allergies can be dangerous, and at the very least a hassle, particularly if you’re living your entire life around the avoidance of foods you aren’t actually allergic to. How can you know for sure if you actually suffer from food allergies or if you’re complicating your life unnecessarily? Your local Arizona asthma & allergy clinic can help…
Why you may not have allergies
Research shows that of the 20% of individuals who claim to suffer food allergies, only 3-4% are actually affected. Why the discrepancy? Many of these individuals have food intolerances and other health issues, and have never received food allergy tests from a trained Scottsdale Asthma & Allergy Clinic specialist able to make them aware of the distinction.


Allergy vs intolerance: What’s the difference?

• Food intolerances
  Intolerances become more common with age. They occur in the digestive system, where foods that cannot be properly broken down result in symptoms such as gas, bloating, and diarrhea. Common culprits includes sugars found in dairy (lactose), and also fructose from fruit, veggies, honey, and some fruit drinks and soft drinks. Food intolerances can also result in headaches, such as is the case with chocolate, cheese, and wine.
  
  
• Food allergies
  Food allergies result from the body’s abnormal response to a food, occurring within minutes to hours of contact with the offending substance. Symptoms may also include gas, bloating, and diarrhea, as well as runny/itchy nose, congestion, sneezing, coughing, and wheezing; skin itching, swelling, or hives; and in severe cases anaphylaxis. Some allergies are outgrown over time, while others (nut, fish, and shellfish) persist throughout life.
  
  

Know before you say “no”
Food allergies can be diagnosed by an allergy specialist. Diagnosis should include a detailed medical history, physical exam, food allergy tests, food journaling, and to confirm results, a placebo-controlled food challenge in the doctor’s office.
Don’t needlessly avoid your favorite foods. Find out the facts with the help of a Scottsdale Asthma & Allergy Clinic specialist near you today!

Worsening Children's Allergies: Is Your Dishwasher to Blame?

Hate handwashing your dishes, relying on your dishwasher to make your daily chore list a little lighter? You could be contributing to your child’s allergy and asthma symptoms, according to a recent study *published in the journal Pediatrics conducted by pediatric allergy doctors.

A dirty discovery:
In the questionnaire-based study, pediatric allergy doctors focused on 1,029 children ages 7-8. The findings: Families who utilized hand dishwashing over automatic dishwashers experienced a reduced risk of allergic symptoms such as asthma, eczema, nasal congestion, runny nose, post-nasal drip, sneezing, red eyes, and itching of the nose and eyes. Children who at more fermented or farm-fresh foods were also noted as exhibiting lower rates of allergies, with the lowest risk associate with those children whose dishes were hand washed and food was procured directly from farms.

Too much of a good thing:
According to the hygiene hypothesis, children in developing countries grow up in an overly sanitized world, their lack of exposure to even common microorganisms leading to immune system misfires. The result? Over reaction - allergies and asthma rather than a normally developed, properly functioning immune system.

Don’t scramble to the scrap yard…
Though results were deemed “interesting,” physicians at the University of California-San Francisco explained more research into lifestyle choices is necessary. Until a causal relationship is identified, pediatric allergy doctors urge patients and their families not to ditch the dishwasher yet.


* Published at www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/289832.php 'Fewer allergies among children in dishwasher-free homes"

When Allergies Attack: Coping with Arizona Allergy and Asthma Cases

"Allergies can be described as the immune system’s reaction or hypersensitivity to an otherwise harmless substance such as pollen. On the other hand, asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that plagues a person’s respiratory system, thereby complicating breathing and causing bouts of coughing. Incidentally, certain allergies also trigger asthma symptoms, thus, correlating the two ailments and inconveniencing the afflicted twice over. It can be hard to cope with allergies, and it’ll be even more difficult if your allergies also cause asthma attacks. To make things easier for yourself, you should see a medical center—such as the Adult & Pediatric Allergy Associates, P.C., for instance—that can offer Arizona allergy relief. These medical facilities are also equipped to deal with asthma incidents brought about by allergies. Should your condition escalate, don’t hesitate to pay your allergy doctor a visit."

http://allergyarizona.net/industry-news/when-allergies-attack-coping-with-arizona-allergy-and-asthma-cases/