In the United States, over three million people are diagnosed with food allergies every year, and over 50 million people have an allergy to some type of food. This number includes one in every 13 children. Most people are born with their allergies; however, allergies can develop at any age, and that is what happened to me. I developed an allergy when I was 14 years old. It was then that some troubling and deleterious side effects started happening to me. When people develop food allergies, their immune systems overreact to normally harmless food proteins. (foodallergy.org). These attacks can affect people in a multitude of ways; they can cause hives, difficulty in breathing, stomach aches, and many more symptoms. Developing allergies that people are unaware of can be very scary and dramatically life changing. Some of the effects that allergies can cause can be troubling and they might happen multiple times before …show more content…
When I first started going gluten free I did not know much about it. I stuck to mostly naturally gluten free foods such as fruits, vegetables, and meat. Even though the gluten free diet did help me be able to find foods to eat, I still experienced some other scary symptoms due to my weight loss. During this time, I was a member of a synchronized ice skating team at the University of Delaware. During one practice, my team and I were in the middle of our program when I completely blacked out. I had felt like this before, but it was never this bad. It was unnerving and dangerous. All I could see were shades of gray and black, like the static on a TV. My hearing was completely muffled, and I started feeling very dizzy. When this happened, I blindly skated over to the boards to go sit down. My coaches were not happy when this occurred. Later that day, they talked to my mom and told her that if this continued to happen to me that I would not be able to skate. This lead to yet another
Anaphylaxis shock occurs when someone who is sensitive to a substance they are exposed to which results in constricted airway and possible inability to breathe. Parents with children that experience any form of allergic reaction most notify the day care provider so appropriate precautionary steps are taken to maintain a safe health environment for these children. As allergy conditions have slowly increased within our society day care providers have taken more aggressive action to protect these children by extending a “peanut free environment” within the school setting. The percentage of children who experience their first allergic reaction outside the home has increased by 77% over past years daycare providers need to be trained and prepared to handle all types of allergic reaction situations. Steps that a provider and parent should take are as follows: 1. Food allergy action plan, 2. Inform all staff, 3. Post child’s name and allergy,
Following my first sip of milk at the age of one, with the resulting hives and coughing that ensued, I involuntarily joined the community of fifteen million Americans afflicted by food allergies. Living everyday with additional allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, and shellfish has, out of necessity, sharpened my compulsiveness with ingredients and food preparation, but furthermore has spurred me to intervene on behalf of fellow members in this emerging epidemic. The Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) national organization has been a source of education and support in my own life, and subsequently has aided my efforts to raise awareness among peers, and to nurture my advocacy involvement. Selected as a member of FARE’s Teen Advisory
The ethical issue presented is about a conflicted family member who asked whether or not to expose their niece's fake food allergy and Kwame Anthony Appiah responded. The article “Should a Family Member Expose a Niece's Fake Food Allergy” is a personal anecdote of how the writer views the situation and feels responsible to act on behalf of their niece. According to the article, the sister in law of this person has imposed false belief in her daughter that a lot of food is dangerous. The family member believes that the sister in law is afraid of her daughter abandoning her to the point of creating a pretend food allergy. The anonymous writer states that they and their brother believe the food allergy is entirely fabricated. However, as pointed
Food allergy is a prevalent health condition wherein the body mistakenly identifies certain foods as harmful. According to the Food Allergy Research and Education or FARE, approximately 15 million Americans have food allergies and the numbers are continuously rising. Steering clear of foods that can trigger allergic reaction can be tough, thus it is important to educate yourself on what causes the allergy and how to avoid them. Following are several tips that can help avoid mild to life-threatening allergic reactions:
Food allergy or hypersensitivity refers to the abnormal allergic reaction of the body’s immune system to a usually harmless food such as milk, eggs, peanuts, and fish. Food allergens that cause allergic reactions are usually proteins and this can cause adverse effects even if cooked or have been digested. Dairy allergens include milk and milk proteins that are found in cows, sheep, goat, and other grazing mammals that produce milk. Milk allergy symptoms may differ from person to person and it sometimes occur a few minutes to a few hours after ingestion. Principal symptoms are mostly respiratory, gastrointestinal and dermatological. After consuming milk, some symptoms may immediately surface like hives, vomiting and wheezing. In some cases, signs and symptoms may take longer period of time to develop such as diarrhea, abdominal cramps, itchy skin rash and loose stools, which may contain blood. For babies, colic also surfaces much longer than most symptoms thus parents should be more alert for signs of milk allergy. Rarely, milk allergies can trigger anaphylaxis, which is a severe reaction that can be life-threatening. It is best to consult your doctor even if there is only mild reaction. This is to avoid potentially worse reaction in the future and also to know the steps in avoiding its recurrence.
You have close relatives with allergy (that is, a mother, father, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, or child)
Allergies are hypersensitive immune responses to substances that either enter or come in contact with the body. In layman's terms allergies are, a food or natural substance. These include pollen, ragweed, peanuts, shellfish and pet dander are recognized by the immune system as a threat.
In most situations, genetic heredity plays a role in what allergy a person acquires. Children inherit their allergy from their parents. (Mills et al., 2007) On the contrary, some of individuals develop certain allergies in spite of their parents. One proposed theory that will be explored in this paper is whether or not the use of vaccines causes us to develop certain allergies. Before that theory can be proven as right or wrong, we must first get a more thorough understanding of the immune system.
Many people who are prone to allergies can develop asthma. Hay fever can be a risk factor for people to develop asthma. Some sufferers don't develop allergies until later in life, and they can develop asthma later too. While
Imagine going to a cafeteria and ordering food. As you take a bite into your meal, you notice a strange tingling in your throat. A rash forms on your skin. Nothing seems to concern you. As you continue eating, breathing becomes increasingly difficult. Your throat has swelled up. You panic and grab your epinephrine autoinjector and inject yourself. If you were too late, your body would've gone into shock and could have even died. Instead, you return to normal and realized the food you ate contained an allergen you were sensitive to. This slight mistake could have ended your life if you did not have your epipen. This reaction is common to people who have allergies. Perhaps only a rash would occur or just a slight swelling of the throat. Allergenic reactions are on the rise. What causes allergies and why have so many people been diagnosed with allergies? The basic answer is insufficient training of the immune system. What is thought to be insufficient training? Prior to this rise in allergies and life in the 21st and 20th century, cleanliness was not the main issue towards allergies. Society did not have the hypercleanliness attitude that it does today. Children played outdoors, became dirty, and antiseptic products were not rampant in households. Life seemed more natural than it does today. Today, society appreciates the advances in technology for the household well being and the individual well being. Hand sanitizers took the place of soaps, antibiotics took the reign in place of a natural immune response. This shift towards technology and advances has put a damper on our immune system and it's capabilities of fighting antigen. The preferred training of the immune system during adolescence has shifted from the T-helper 1 response...
Healthy humans have two types of immune systems that protect the body from invading pathogens that cause diseases. The Innate Immunity is the first barrier of protection. It is similar to a force field. Its primary purpose is to destroy any pathogen that tries to enter the epidermis cells (the skin cells) and the mucosa (mucus secreting cells found in the GI tract, respiratory tract, urogenital tract and eyes. If the first defense does not work, the adaptive immunity steps in to eradicate the invading microbe. Yet, sometimes the body reacts to harmless agents as if they were pathogens. Every day, more adults develop allergies to things in their environment. Exposure to such things as pollen, grass, mold and pet dander1 can lead to mild or harmful reactions. Other allergens can cause tingling in the throat and mouth, and in many cases severe reaction that lead to death. 2 In the last couple of decades, 75 to 100 percent of asthma and 150 percent atopy have reported.4 17.7 million adults and 7.1 million were diagnosed with allergies and hay fever.5 There are no known reasons why people developed hypersensitivity to certain agents, yet, many adults are developing allergies later in life. Statistically, children are the ones who develop allergies the most. About 3.9 percent of children have allergies, whereas 2% of adults have it. 6 Then, why are adults becoming more and more susceptible to this affliction? One possible reason is foods and every day household products are making people sick. Could it be that constant exposure to known hypoallergenic agents are causing allergic reactions to develop in adults who have never displayed any allergic reactions in their lifetime?
Human race is known to have developed numerous allergies to various known and unknown allergens. An extreme allergic reaction which can be “life-threatening”. (Mydr.com.au, 2014) is referred to as Anaphylaxis.It is a “medical emergency”(Lloyd & Sisman,2013).Statistics indicate that maximum deaths occur due to allergic reactions of various medicines. The other causative agents can be insects, food, latex, hair dye, etc(Lloyd & Sisman,2013). The most common trigger to stimulate anaphylaxis among children are food products such as peanuts, dairy, seafood etc. Exposure to any of these allergens can result in severe anaphylactic attack within 20 minutes.(Australian Resuscitation council, 2012).However the doctors discuss the history of symptoms occurring in children suffering with peanut allergy before declaring them to be anaphylactic and prescribing medication. (Unknown, 2014). Symptoms of anaphylaxis may occur in varied forms depending upon the severty of the reaction. For instance in mild cases swelling of lips, eyes or face occurs along with hives, rash, tingling of mouth and vomitting accompanied with abdominal pain. Nevertheless in extreme conditions the former symptoms may be accompanied with noisy breathing, wheezing, hoarseness and unconsciousness. (Lloyd & Sisman,2013).
Foodborne diseases are among the most widespread public health problems. Yet only a small proportion of these illnesses come to the notice of health services, and even fewer are investigated. In developing countries even fewer cases are counted, primarily because of poverty and lack of resources for food safety management and food control services. In spite of underreporting, increases in foodborne diseases in many parts of the world and the emergence of new or newly recognized foodborne problems have been identified (Tauxe, 2002).
Through various observations and assumptions, there have been conversations on whether or not overconsumption of food is an addiction. However, many have come to the conclusion that food is an addiction if it is overconsume excessively than it is necessary for an individual’s diet. Nevertheless, food addiction can create health issues that can affect an individual’s body. Even though, many individual may have such knowledge of overconsumption of food; however, many may choose to ignore the consequences that comes with food addiction. Becoming a food addict is harmful and dangerous to an individual’s health.
Patients who usually have allergies suffer from many symptoms due to the allergic reaction(s). Normally, your immune system protects you against invading agents such as bacteria and viruses. Otherwise harmless allergens (allergy-producing substances) cause your body to react as if they were dangerous invaders. In effect, your immune system is responding to a false alarm.