Milk Allergy

Cow’s Milk Allergy is considered as one of the most common food allergies experienced by young children. Luckily, most babies overcome milk allergies when they reach the age of two or three years. Meanwhile, parents who have babies with cow’s milk allergy can be comforted that though there is no exact cure for this allergy, it can be managed by means of keeping their babies dairy-free.

How will you know if you baby has a cow’s milk allergy?

Babies who have this type of allergy may develop one or more of the below symptoms:

• Skin rash or eczema
• Vomiting
• Cramps or abdominal pain
• Diarrhea or constipation

However, there are some who can develop more serious symptoms such as anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis normally occurs after a minute or two of eating or consuming food which they can be allergic to. Other symptoms can be swelling of mouth, tongue and face.

Now, what will you do if your baby is confirmed to have this allergy?

• Breast feed the baby

Instead of bottle feeding, breast feed you baby. If your child already has a cow’s milk allergy, do not stop breastfeeding. As a matter of fact, the symptoms can alleviate as you remove dairy products from his or her diet.

• Formula feed the baby

Your doctor would recommend you to change the milk-based formula diet for your child to hydrolysate formulas or soy-based diet.

On the one hand, if your child was diagnosed with a severe cow’s milk allergy, your doctor may prescribe you with a special medication. Medications like epinephrine or antihistamine are the usual prescriptions given to child with severe allergic reactions.

What are the preventions of cow’s milk allergy?

As your baby starts to eat solid foods, be careful not to give him foods which contain milk.

Follow what you have read in this article and surely you can keep your baby from having cow’s milk allergy. Believe in the saying, “an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure”. Therefore, prevent it while you are given the chance to do so.

Allergy Test

Allergy, Allergens and Allergic Disorders – Symptoms, Treatment and Diagnosis Testing for allergies can be very difficult as it is not easy to pinpoint exactly what is causing the allergy symptoms. However, it is possible to decide what allergies and irritants someone is exposed to, how they may be caused and what can be done to prevent or treat the symptoms.

Different allergies may also respond to different tests, with skin allergies being caused by differing factors such as food intake or environmental allergies.

Allergy tests should always be interpreted by a trained professional who will discuss a patients history as well as their current symptoms.

Allergy Skin Tests

Skin tests are commonly used as they are easy, safe, fast and painless – typically in the form of a skin prick test.

The skin prick test consists of placing drops of a possible allergen, for example food, mould, dust etc. on the back or forearm. The skin is then lightly pricked with a special needle to absorb the substance. After a short period of time, 10 to 20 minutes, the area is examined to see if there is any redness or swelling. An examination will normally measure the affected area and if their is a swelling larger than 3mm the test is typically considered positive.

An intradermal allergy test may be used when the skin prick test has not worked or provided a conclusive result. An allergen is injected into the outer layer of skin with a fine needle and any swelling that forms is once again measured.

Skin tests are normally very over-sensitive and can identify allergens that are not causing a problem at all, so their reliability has been questioned. Skin allergy tests are usually used for drug and insect allergies and in some cases for food allergies.

Allergy Blood Test

A blood test for allergies is called a Radioallergosorbent test (RAST), where a blood sample is taken from the patient and mixed with the suspected allergen in a laboratory to see if there is any reaction. Blood tests can provide an insight into an allergy but they are typically not as accurate as a skin test.

A newer version of the RAST test is available called the ImmunoCap which is used together with a skin test to help determine whether a patient has lost any sensitivity to a food or substance before taking a food challenge test. It is still not as effective as a skin test and further research is being carried out as to its effectiveness in evaluating an allergic persons symptoms and causes.

Allergy Food Challenge Test

A food challenge test is where increasing amounts of a suspect food is fed to the patient and any reaction is noted or observed. If the patient can tolerate the food up to an amount which equals a typical intake, then the food is usually deemed safe enough to re-introduce into their diet.

Other Allergy Tests

There are many other allergy tests available, however it is always wise to proceed with caution when choosing a test to take and reviewing the results from an allergy test.

If a test gives a long list of foods that might be causing an allergy, or the patient is asked to score their reaction to many foods, then the test is probably not accurate. True food allergies are usually limited to a few foods, with the true number for any person being less than five.

Food allergy reactions can also depend on many different factors, such as the state of the food (cooked or raw), the amount eaten, the patients health and so on. A test may indicate a mild reaction but this is no confirmation that the patient will suffer no reaction or a severe reaction in the future.

Seasonal Allergies

Are you one of the millions that suffer from allergies? Are you looking for information on allergy remedies? If you are a chronic victim of the distressing effects of allergies then it’s high time you found an effective allergy remedy. There are several allergy remedy medications available on the market.

In order to effectively treat your allergies, you need to find the allergy remedy most aligned with your symptoms and needs. You have several avenues to choose from when searching for an allergy remedy. These avenues include: home remedies, allergy medication, environmental modifications, and a consultation with an Allergist.

Let’s start with home remedies. Home allergy remedies were used before allergy medications surfaced on the medical scene. Be wary of many home remedies. Many of these remedies are based on “old wives tales”.

However, there are some steps you can take at home that do work. For example, if you have an allergy to pollen you can minimize its effects by washing your clothing and hair when come home. Make sure to do this before you go to bed, so that you won’t spread any of the pollen onto your bedding.

Allergy medications are a wonderful allergy remedy. You can use over the counter antihistamine pills, lotions, and ointments. If you have a chronic allergy you can consult your physician for a stronger prescription allergy remedy. Nasal sprays are also a great tool against allergies. They act as a direct allergy remedy to your nasal passageways.

There are a few environmental modifications you can make as an allergy remedy. Wash bedding in hot water to remove dust mites. Use mattress and pillow covers to fight against dust mites. Keep your home clean and carpets vacuumed.

If you have severe allergies that can’t be managed with basic allergy remedies then head to your physician or allergist. They can take you through a series of allergy testing and provide the best treatment options for your situation. This may involve removing the allergy culprit from your environment, food plate, or clothing drawer. They can provide prescription allergy medication to knock your allergy out cold.

Skin Allergy

An effective approach to managing skin allergies has three components.

Firstly you must understand the condition, then you must discover if anything is  triggering your skin reaction, and thirdly you must look after your skin.
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.

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.

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.