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Do you want to be free of your asthma and allergy symptoms? Do you hate asthma and allergy drug side effects?
Nasal allergies can be treated with a histamine blocker, a decongestant and prescription nasal sprays. Reduce the symptoms of histamine releasing into the nasal cavities with health information from an immunologist in this free video on allergies.
Expert: Ana Lamas
Bio: Dr. Ana Lamas is an immunologist and allergist with two practices in Miami, Florida.
Filmmaker: Paul Muller
Duration : 0:2:14
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that a child food allergy is more common than they had thought. In fact, in kids under 18, 12% tested positive for a milk allergy, 9% for a peanut allergy, 7% for an egg allergy and 5% for a shrimp allergy. Of course, these numbers may admittedly be over-inflated because their 2005-2006 sampling only showed that the kids tested positive for the presence of immunoglobulin E antibodies, which doesn’t necessarily mean they will have allergies. Additionally, these numbers also include those with digestive disorders (which is different than the immune system response of an allergy). Experts suspect that one-tenth of the children who test positive for the IgE antibodies will have a reaction.
At one time it was assumed that the only way to treat a child food allergy was to avoid any contact with that food for the remainder of one’s life. For people who test positive for allergies to milk, dairy, chicken, pork, rice, oats, barley, eggs, beans and wheat, this prognosis can seem like a death sentence. Yet a fresh approach is being implemented in several allergy clinics across America. A number of people respond to a food challenge, which gradually raises the patient’s dosage of the allergen until tolerance is achieved.
Anaphylactic shock is one danger of this sort of child food allergy test. In rare cases, a child with a severe allergy may suffer low blood pressure, stop breathing, turn slightly blue, lose consciousness and suffer multiple organ failure. Even if a child has only suffered a mild reaction in the past, there is still a possibility the next reaction may be more severe. Unfortunately, there are no tests to determine whether a reaction to peanuts will be a mild tingle in the mouth, a moderate case of hives or anaphylactic shock. On the other hand, being in a clinical setting is much safer than discovering an allergy out in the real world, where medical equipment isn’t ready to administer treatment for food allergy emergencies.
The key part of diagnosing a child food allergy is to examine the child’s food history. “What was eaten? What kind of reaction did he have?” the health practitioner will ask. After that, the doctor may prescribe a blood test or a skin-prick test for additional verification. “When you come to me and say, ‘My kid ate a peanut butter sandwich and within 15 minutes, his lips turned blue, he got hives and threw up,’ that’s enough to tell me the child has a peanut allergy,” says Dr. Hugh Sampson of Mount Sinai School of Medicine. “The more average history is that they were eating a meal and he had this horrendous reaction and they think it’s peanuts. It’s critical to carry out a blood or skin test to make certain.”
More often than not, a child food allergy is little more than an overreaction. “I see it all the time. A family goes in for one thing and comes back with a laundry list of foods they are supposedly allergic to,” says Jodi Stokes, who runs a support group for allergic families in Charlotte, North Carolina. “I tell them to go to a board-certified allergist who knows how to interpret these tests.”
If food allergies and children is an issue that concerns you, visit our site on Food Allergies in Children for the facts you need.
Preventing allergies to pet dander involves keeping the pets out of the bedroom and off of upholstered furniture, bathing the pets on a regular basis and eliminating as much carpeting as possible from the home. Reduce allergies to dander in pets with health information from an immunologist in this free video on allergies.
Expert: Ana Lamas
Bio: Dr. Ana Lamas is an immunologist and allergist with two practices in Miami, Florida.
Filmmaker: Paul Muller
Duration : 0:1:8
Robert Wood is a professor of pediatrics and chief of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at Johns Hopkins, and professor of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Wood is an internationally recognized expert in food allergy and childhood asthma and has published over 100 manuscripts in scientific journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Pediatrics, and the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, as well as two books and numerous book chapters. He is deputy editor of the journal Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, and was previously an associate editor of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. Wood has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, and is on the board of directors of the American Board of Allergy and Immunology.
Duration : 0:2:56
Treating pet allergies requires keeping the pet separate from the bedroom, not allowing it on the furniture, eliminating carpeting in the house and bathing the pets on a regular basis. Keep pet allergies to a minimum with health information from an immunologist in this free video on allergies.
Expert: Ana Lamas
Bio: Dr. Ana Lamas is an immunologist and allergist with two practices in Miami, Florida.
Filmmaker: Paul Muller
Duration : 0:2:4
An allergy to chemicals, more appropriately known as a chemical intolerance, can only be treated by avoidance of that chemical. Avoid contact with an irritating chemical with health information from an immunologist in this free video on allergies.
Expert: Ana Lamas
Bio: Dr. Ana Lamas is an immunologist and allergist with two practices in Miami, Florida.
Filmmaker: Paul Muller
Duration : 0:1:3
Do you suspect your child has food allergies? Even if you have your child tested by a doctor you may find those tests are not fully reliable when it comes to diagnosing food allergies children. Of course, allergy tests can give you a good indication and can help identify specific allergens.
Sometimes, doctors will dismiss the possibility of food allergies if testing for them does not cause a reaction. Some food allergies and food sensitivities can’t be found with a laboratory test though. The only way to uncover them is through the process of dietary elimination.
In fact, diet modification is one of the best ways you can treat food allergies children. Simply avoid those foods you suspect are allergens by buying certain types of food or particular brands. However, some allergies like those to dairy or wheat might require a total dietary change.
It is even possible that you will have to give up a few of your family’s favorite dishes. Before doing that though, search for recipes that use alternative ingredients for similar dishes. You may be able to substitute almond milk for cow’s milk and soy cheese for dairy cheese and create a dish that is nearly the same as the original.
Your child will probably not be happy when you make changes to his diet. He has comfort foods he loves just like you do. You can expect a few unhappy meals at first and maybe even a few temper tantrums. Just remember it is for your child’s better health.
If your child is old enough to understand, you can try explaining the basics of food allergies to your child. This works well with children who realize that they shouldn’t feel so tired or ill all the time, usually by age 8 or 9.
If your child is younger, you may need to make changes to his diet gradually. Of course that is only an option if his allergies are not life threatening or serious. For example, if your child is allergic to dairy foods, replace a yogurt snack with fruit and omit the cheese from his sandwich. That will reduce the amount of dairy in his diet and he might not even notice the change.
Use your child’s allergy problem to improve the overall diet of every family member. That way your child won’t resent other family members if they eat junk food in front of him. While you want to blend your food choices to keep everyone happy, be careful about limiting the diet of other family members. For example, if macaroni and cheese is a family favorite, you could make two dishes. One would be made from dairy products and the other could be made from soy milk and soy cheese for your child with allergies. Dealing with food allergies children will take some creativity on your part but the health of your child and happiness of your family is worth it.
One way to treat food allergies children is to improve the children’s diet. Any parent must be aware of the common symptoms of food allergies.
Hay fever allergies are the term given to nasal symptoms caused by environmental agents, such as pollen or mold. Use nasal sprays and decongestants to relieve hay fever symptoms with health information from an immunologist in this free video on allergies.
Expert: Ana Lamas
Bio: Dr. Ana Lamas is an immunologist and allergist with two practices in Miami, Florida.
Filmmaker: Paul Muller
Duration : 0:1:12
Advanced Allergy Relief of AZ video demonstrating how to LIVE LIFE ALLERGY FREE
Duration : 0:7:46
The most common allergies in infants include allergies to food, formula or allergens in breast milk, as environmental allergies do not develop before the first several years of life. Identify and treat allergies in infants with health information from an immunologist in this free video on allergies.
Expert: Ana Lamas
Bio: Dr. Ana Lamas is an immunologist and allergist with two practices in Miami, Florida.
Filmmaker: Paul Muller
Duration : 0:2:15