Tuesday

Treatment for Food Allergy

Basic Food Allergy Treatment

Food allergy treatment is not as simple as taking a flu shot, and those of us suffering from food allergies must take responsibility for our individual health and participate actively in our own treatment. The most common food allergy treatment is a change in the dietary practices of the food allergy sufferer. For example, if you suffer from an allergy to dairy product, then you simply eliminate the offending foods from your diet, and this should be all that is required in your food allergy treatment. The most common food allergen is peanuts, and like dairy products, avoiding peanuts and peanut products can treat this allergy, but careful attention must be paid to product ingredients when shopping, as both peanut products and dairy are common ingredients in many foods.

Food Allergy Treatment for Multiple Food Allergies

Food allergy treatment can be much more difficult for those of us who suffer from multiple food allergies, such as allergies to both dairy products and peanuts. Your doctor might advise you to begin a rotation diet in this case. With this type of food allergy treatment, you must eliminate all the foods you are allergic to from your diet, and rotate all other foods on a predetermined schedule, usually three to five days. The reason for this is because many people who suffer from multiple food allergies are also allergic, to a much lesser degree, to many other foods and additives. The rotation diet allows them to eat these other foods in lesser quantities over shorter time periods.

After several weeks or months you may even be able to gradually re-introduce they foods you were allergic to into your diet. It is advisable, however, to do this in small quantities and to continue with your rotating diet. Many patients who strictly adhere to this food allergy treatment find they are able to live normal and productive lives.

Food Allergy Treatment with Medication

You and your doctor may find that you can control your food allergy with a prescription medication, and some people are fine just taking an over the counter antihistamine. Vitamin-C can also be useful in your food allergy treatment. Your doctor may also advise immunotherapy as a food allergy treatment. Immunotherapy is a series of allergy shots, which can decrease your body’s allergic reaction to the offending foods, but this is a slow process that may take several years.

Whatever food allergy treatment you and your doctor settle on, it must be a program that you adhere to strictly and diligently. The symptoms of food allergies are always uncomfortable, but they can also be deadly.