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All of us have heard of Food Allergies, but when kids are very small it’s hard to tell if their having a reaction to a certain food, don’t like it, or are just being kids.
If a person has a food allergy, antibodies within the human body actually think the food is something very harmful. Once the body detects the ‘unwanted’ food, it releases chemicals into the bloodstream to ward off these perceived threats.
A child with a food allergy will likely exhibit signs of a runny nose or some itchy skin (like a rash or hives). More extreme symptoms include coughing, nausea, vomiting, severe stomach pain and difficulty breathing. While most food allergies are minor, some are extremely dangerous as they combine all symptoms into one massive problem as blood pressure drops, the tongue will swell and in many cases the breathing tube actually narrows.
Many food allergies can be detected at home, but oftentimes it’s tough to diagnose what the problem food actually is. Specialists in this area are equipped to determine what the real problems might be. These doctors usually do a skin test, in which a liquid extract of the suspected problem food is applied to the skin of the patient. If a reaction is found, then an allergy to that food is present. In more difficult cases, doctors often send blood samples to other labs for additional testing.
The good news about food allergies for kids is that with time, many of the allergies are overcome as the body simply grows out of them. Life-long food allergies are usually associated with peanuts and some types of fish.
