Im Allergic

I come out in a rash when I eat some brands of chocolate – the more expensive sort – but do not when I eat the best known brand on the market in Britain. Does this mean I have a food allergy or is this an intolerance?

Rashes are typical of allergic responses. There may be some kind of oil or emulsifier in the higher end chocolate that is not present in the more common brands. That is what I would suspect.

I gave my boyfriends son allergy medication and he also has a cold I wanted to know when I can give him cold mediation for his cold. He is 5 years old.

Call a pharmacist and tell them what medication you gave the child, they know way more about meds than the doctors do, thats what they went to school for.You dont want to give him too much medication and overdose him. Be carefull and call a professional first.

If I take a generic, one-a-day allergy medicine, how long will it be before it starts working? How long until peak effectiveness, and after how many hours will the effect wear off.

Depends on the medicine.

The non-sedating antihistamines like Claritin and Zyrtec don’t work at all if you only take the occasional one. You have to take them every day, and you don’t notice that they are working until you’ve taken them for 3 or 4 days. If you take them every day, they are always at peak effectiveness – the medicine is maintained at the appropriate level in your body. If you are a very big person, you might need to adjust your dosages accordingly – like taking 3 of them every 2 days (about every 18 hours).

Benadryl starts work in about 30 minutes, and lasts 6-8 hours.

Read the package – there’s lots of good info there.

Good luck!

I’ve already had my ears checked. My GP hasn’t a clue as to why I have sporatic bouts of ear crackling, echoing, popping and slight pressure. Only one ear most of the time. Can a food allergy cause this? Or is this long term ear damage from years ago?

An allergy could be causing excess mucus to build up which would cause those symptoms. Dairy is a big one for that sort of thing. So could changes in the weather, barometric pressure and all that.

When do you develop an allergy? Is there a certain point in time where you develop them? What could determine what allergy you might have?

Thanks!

You are not necessarily "born" with allergies. Some allergies are "acquired" such as being allergic to penicillin after taking it many times. I have recently been diagnosed as being allergic to phenoxyethanol, an ingredient in cosmetics, and I realize I have been using several products over several years that have that as an ingredient. The same overexposure concept applies to food allergies also. You could have been eating strawberries all your life, then one day, suddenly, have a reaction. The immune system is what is causing this and you could find lots of info under that topic for more details.

Here’s an excerpt from a site explaining allergic reactions for nail techs to watch for in their clients!

"Irritant Contact Dermatitis can develop after a short, heavy exposure or a repeated or prolonged low exposure to a substance. The appearance of irritant contact dermatitis varies considerably according to the conditions of exposure. For example, an accidental contact with a strong irritant causes immediate blisters. Contact with a mild irritant may only produce redness of the skin. However, if the irritation continues, small lesions or sores appear on the reddened area; afterward, crusts and scales form. The skin damage usually heals a few weeks after exposure ends if no complications have arisen (no infections occurred)."

And…I hope you never have any!!!

I’ve heard and read omnivores say that they cant be vegan or vegetarian due to a certain disease or food allergy…

Is there any disease or food allergy/allergies (some have more than one) that makes vegetarianism or veganism impossible?

I understand it may make it more difficult, but is there any disease or food allergy that makes it downright impossible that they absolutely must have meat and/or dairy?
For example I’ve heard people say they felt sicker on a vegetarian diet so they went back to eating meat (I felt fatigued the first few weeks but I felt much better ever since I guess I was just detoxifying), some people are anemic, have soy allergies, wheat allergies, and I knew someone who says they have stomach problems and can only eat very bland food (ie beans are a no no) so she doesn’t want to restrict her diet anymore, do all these really make veganism impossible?
Really? I’m a vegan myself but I’ve heard of a guy who is allergic to nuts, wheat, AND soy and my vegan diet is pretty dependent on this stuf.
I don’t have any food allergies nor illnesses so I fully take advantage of the vegan diet

No. That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. An allergy or disease that forces them to eat meat, fish, eggs & dairy? Allergies usually prevent someone from eating a certain thing, not force the person to include specific foods in their diets.

As for diseases, a certain disease may mean you need to consume more, for example, calcium, because of a bone disease. However, as long as you can get your calcium from non-dairy sources, and still get the amounts you need (depending on your disease), you will be perfectly fine.

People who say they have an allergy or disease that forces them to eat fish, meat, dairy or eggs, are either terribly naive, simply not willing to put in the effort, or bullsh!tting you.

For every vitamin and nutrient, there is more than one source to obtain it from. Sure, it might not be the most apetizing, splendid, tasteful thing, but it is a source of a certain vitamin or nutrient. If veganism really means that much to someone, I think you’d put in the effort and remember your moral reasons for going vegan when you have to eat the distateful food.

Bottom line? You’re never stuck with simply getting your ___x___ from source y.

I was diagnosed with a cashew nut allergy as a small child will I still be allergic? I’ve never tried the nut. Is there any way for completely curing the allergies?

A food allergy describes a reaction to food that is immune mediated – characteristic features are rash, difficulty breathing, eczema, swelling, itching – usually around the mouth and throat. Food intolerance describes a physical reaction to food that is not immune mediated – feaures may be similar to those of food allergy, and include vomiting, ulceration, abodminal pain, diarrhoea, bloating, and it is thought that some food intolerance may be associated with features such as arthritis, seizures, migraine etc.
One way of finding out if you’re allergic to cashew nuts is to try and persuade your GP to do a RAST test for cashew nut protein. Some allergies can be cured by hyposensitisation, which involves desensitisation to the allergen by sequential administration of increasing doses of the offending substance. This should only be done in specialist clinics, and is not advised for life threatening allergy or peanut allergy.

I want to sell home-baked goods, but out of all of the personal, financial, and legal restrictions, the thing that seems to give me the most trouble is having to write food allergy notifications. It seems like it’s possible to be allergic to just about anything, so how do I know which ingredients I should list or leave unmentioned?

You should list: milk, eggs, wheat, nuts, peanuts, food colorings, soy, and corn.

I used to have dogs and never had an allergy problem. Five years later when I bought my own puppy I started suffering common allergy symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing, itchy nose/eyes/throat, hives, and nasal congestion. I don’t plan on giving him away, and I also don’t want to have to keep buying over the counter allergy products that aren’t usually covered by insurance. What is the best long term allergy medicine?

You can buy the generic store brands of OTC allergy medicines which are cheaper. I know that sometimes Walgreens puts their own brand of allergy meds on sale for really good prices now and then. Once I purchased a 150 count bottle of Walgreen’s generic Zyrtec (great for pet allergies) for $25.00. So check around for that.

I think one time he got it from cheese that had horseradish in it but we have yet to figure out what else causes it.
I believe he also has a different allergy to wine and or hard alcohol.
Nothing else usually happens to him other than the hot red blotches.

What your describing sounds like Hives! That is an allergic reaction to something. He best be tested for food allergies. In the meantime, take Benedril, it will help with the hives.