Food allergy

Food allergy

Food allergy, which is also referred to as food allergy in the colloquial language, can affect children and adults. The immune system is hypersensitive to certain components of food. It shows in particular symptoms in the gastrointestinal tract, the respiratory tract and the skin. While this particular form of allergy was still a topic a few years ago, which was especially taken into consideration in naturopathic practice, today it is part of the daily routine of a medical allergen.

Contents:
Food allergy
Synonyms
Causes of food allergies
symptoms
Conventional therapy
Naturopathy and alternative treatment approaches

Synonyms

Food allergy, intestinal allergy, allergy, food intolerance.

Causes of food allergies

Causes and outlooks for food allergies: Unlike food intolerance, where there is either an enzyme deficiency (e.g., lactase) or digestive dysfunction, food allergy, as with all allergies, is a malfunction of the immune system that excessively fights off a naturally innocuous substance.

The causes not yet fully understood Accepted benefits include genetic predisposition, early contact with the allergen and certain environmental factors (smoking parents, child nutrition, living environment, air pollution, etc.).

Common trigger are crustaceans (lobster, crabs, crayfish), mussels, fish, legumes (peas, beans, soya), fruits (apples, cherries), berries, vegetables (celery, tomatoes), egg white, milk protein, nuts and seeds (sesame, sunflower -, mustard seeds, celery seeds), cereals (buckwheat), histamines (in strawberries, cheese) and serotonin (in bananas). In many cases, pollen allergies already exist which lead to cross allergies, e.g. of birch pollen and apples.

symptoms

The body now incorrectly as "toxic" estimated substances tries to get rid of the body via its excretory organs. This detoxification and excretion process is manifested as an allergic complaint with diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. It can cause an unpleasant feeling of heat in the body. On the skin show up after allergen absorption in places or all over the body redness or wheals with itching. Swelling of hands, face (e.g., eyelid edema) and legs may occur. In the worst case (and more rarely by food) the reaction can lead to an allergic shock with hypotension, increase in heart rate and shortness of breath leading to cardiac arrest.

Conventional therapy

For very severe reactions with suffocation and shock symptoms, emergency medical monitoring of cardiovascular function and the ability to administer drugs such as cortisone, antihistamines or epinephrine are urgently needed. After the diagnosis (allergy test), the conventional therapy consists in the avoidance of the detected allergens or in the medical suppression of the symptoms.

Naturopathy and alternative treatment approaches

In order to calm the immune system, the triggering allergen must also be determined from a naturopathic perspective and initially avoided. In addition, naturopathy offers a wealth of methods to retune the organism and normalize the immune response.

Depending on the emphasis applied, natural remedies such as self-blood therapy, self-therapy, symbiotic control and immunomodulation, dark field diagnostics & milieu therapy, ear acupuncture, body acupuncture, homeopathy, hypnotherapy, therapeutic fasting combined with a change in diet can be improved in practice. (Dipl.Päd. Jeanette Viñals Stein, non-medical practitioner)