Food Allergies
Thursday, April 17, 2003

Imagine what it would be like if eating a peanut butter sandwich or drinking a glass of milk left you gasping for breath and scratching away at unsightly hives. For the four million people who suffer from food allergies, that’s reality. Dr. Ken Davis discusses food allergies in today’s Sixty Second Housecall.

All foods contain various proteins that enter the bloodstream along with other nutrients. If you have a food allergy, the presence of specific proteins in the bloodstream triggers the release of antibodies to fight what your body believes to be a foreign substance.

The most common reactions are skin rashes and an upset stomach. Some people may wheeze or get a runny or stuffy nose. In severe cases, the person can experience anaphylactic shock with lowered blood pressure and difficulty breathing.

You may have an allergic reaction the first time you eat a food or the hundredth time. But once the reaction does occur, you can generally count on it to happen every time. Peanuts are the most common food allergen. Others at the top of the list are fish, shellfish, tomatoes, citrus fruit, seeds, nuts, wheat, eggs and milk.

Most people outgrow their food allergies or become able to tolerate the food in limited amounts. For those who don’t, the treatment is simple—avoid that food. To learn more, join us online at wtva.com and click on Sixty Second Housecall. For North Mississippi Medical Center, I’m Dr. Ken Davis.