Wheat Allergy

Wheat contains a lot of proteins. Usually, wheat allergy is due to one or more of these proteins. This allergy is most common in young children.

What happens in wheat allergy is the body mistakenly creates an anti-body (a disease fighting agent in our blood) that is targeted at a wheat protein. There is a wide range of symptoms to wheat allergy, including hives, difficulty in breathing and nausea. Wheat allergy can also cause a life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis.

Avoiding wheat is the primary treatment for wheat allergy. Medications may be necessary to manage allergic reactions when you accidentally eat wheat.

Note that wheat allergy is not the same as another disease which is an intolerance for Gluten, another specific protein found in wheat.

Milk Allergy

It is ironic, but here is an allergy that is most common in children - milk allergy

Usually, when we talk about milk allergies, it refers to cow's milk. However, milk from sheep, goats and buffalo also can also cause a reaction. Unfortunately, some children who are allergic to cow's milk are allergic to soy milk too. This is unfortunate because soy-milk is the de-facto replacement for cow's milk in many instances.

A milk allergy usually occurs a few minutes to a few hours after you consume milk. Signs and symptoms of milk allergy range from mild to severe and can include wheezing, vomiting, hives and digestive problems. Rarely, milk allergy can cause anaphylaxis — a severe, life-threatening reaction.

Avoidance is the primary treatment for milk allergy. Fortunately, most children outgrow a milk allergy by age 3.

Shellfish Allergy

One of the most common allergy is shellfish allergy. The problem is this: sometimes, when shellfish is not fresh, it can cause symptoms similar to some of the allergies.

The interesting thing about shellfish allergy is that you can have allergic reactions to all shellfish, or only a selected few. For example, some people are allergic to crab and are perfectly fine with lobster and prawns. Yet others cannot take oyster, but have no problems with octopus and squid.

As in all food allergies, reactions can range from mild to severe. Itchiness, rashes, and even anaphylaxis which is life-threatening. Many people have swelling around their faces when they consume shellfish to which they are allergic.

If you think you have a shellfish allergy, ask your doctor to do some tests. You need to know for sure so that you can  take steps to avoid future reactions.

Generally, shellfish are very high in cholesterol and rich in minerals. There are many alternative foods that can give you the minerals, without the allergy reactions. 

Peanut Allergy

When we talked about egg allergies, some friends pointed out that there was another common allergy - peanuts.

Peanut allergy is common and often occur when we are young. This is similar to other allergies such as milk and egg. Unfortunately, while many children outgrow allergies to other foods such as milk or eggs, most of them do not outgrow peanut allergy as they get older.

The symptoms for peanut allergy can be minor, like itch or some irritation, or can be very serious, even causing anaphylaxis, a condition that requires quick medical attention. Those who do not normally get such a violent reaction are still at risk.

If you suspect that you have peanut allergy, tell your doctor. He will most likely recommend some tests to confirm the allergy. This will help you take steps to prevent any worse reactions from your allergy.

It is relatively easy to avoid peanuts compared to milk and egg. You just need to be more careful and you can continue to leave a happy and healthy life.