Peanut Allergy Symptoms

By Sven Ullmann

A peanut allergy is an illness that is caused by the body's reaction to particular substances. Everytime the body comes into contact with a substance it considers as harmful, it reacts by releasing histamines to fight off these allergens. As the body fights these allergens, the person exhibits the classic symptoms of an allergic reaction. There are many substances that can cause allergy like insect bites, pollen, dust and food. Aside from shellfish, fish and eggs, allergy to peanuts is the most common.

Considered to be one of the deadliest types of food allergy, peanut allergy affects about 3 million Americans. Since this particular allergy can cause death, it is important that you know the facts surrounding this reaction especially if you or someone in your family is allergic to peanuts.

Peanut allergy can be triggered by even the smallest of doses. The allergy is characterized by severe symptoms including anaphylactic shock. The particular symptom causes severe swelling, heart failure, breathing difficulties, circulatory collapse and eventually death. Aside from these, the person also suffers from gastrointestinal discomfort.

Since there is no available treatment for allergies, the same is also true for peanut allergy. Available medications for allergies are only designed to treat the symptoms of the allergic reaction. To prevent any episode of allergic reaction, persons with peanut allergy should avoid peanuts or peanut-ingredients at all cost. In case of an allergic reaction, the individual must be injected by epinephrine or adrenalin. This could prevent or reverse the anaphylactic shock. Adrenalin can increase heart rate, constrict blood vessel, reduce swelling and relax muscles. As soon as the symptom subsides the person must still be taken to the nearest hospital to be checked thoroughly.

Today, people with peanut allergy are given extra consideration. Because of the possible severity of the illness, you should also do your part in making sure that you do not endanger yourself. People with peanut allergies have found themselves having problems when traveling by air.

Peanuts are considered to be a staple in most airlines and if you are not careful, having an allergic reaction while on air will be just a difficult situation. To avoid such situation, you should first check with the airline to find if they do serve peanuts or peanut-ingredient in your flight. For more convenience, you should ask your doctor to give you a document stating your allergy to peanuts.

Before your trip, discuss with your doctor the need for carrying with you extra adrenalin. You should also plan on what food to bring so you are assured of peanut-free food. If you are traveling with your child who has contact sensitivity to peanuts, make sure you wipe the seat, tray table, arm rest and window area. In case an allergic reaction still occur during the flight, you should stay calm and foll ow all your doctor's instructions in cases like this. Immediately alert the airline crew of the emergency situation so they could contact and request professional medical assistance that would be on standby as soon as you landed.

As you can see, the peanut allergy can be very dangerous. If you have it, it's a good idea to just be aware of it, so you can react in the proper ways to diffuse the allergic reaction. Be alert to especially any peanut allergy symptoms that might arise.

Article by Sven Ullmann, who runs http://www.deservedhealth.com - a site dedicated to different health related articles. Read more about http://www.deservedhealth.com/peanut-allergy-symptoms/

Article Source: http://www.free-articles-zone.com

Allergic Rhinitis and Its Causes

By Alexander Chong

Allergic rhinitis is an atopic disease, which is inherited from the parent. If both your parents have allergic rhinitis or other respiratory diseases such as asthma, tuberculosis, and emphysema, the probability that you have these kinds of respiratory diseases is 50%. If one of your parents has respiratory diseases, the probability that you inherit their diseases is 25%. If both of your parents do not have any respiratory diseases, your chances to have respiratory diseases are no more than 12.5%. Sometimes, what has happened during pregnancy can cause allergic rhinitis to the newly born baby. The immunological status of the mother during pregnancy may cause the newly born baby has allergic rhinitis. Pregnant mothers who are smoking, drinking coffee and alcohol usually have poor immunological status, which can also cause newly born infant has allergic rhinitis or other respiratory diseases. This is because all these acts can cause high IgE antibody level in umbilical blood. Apart that, using bottle-feeding to feed milk to infant, early introduction of several kinds of food and early exposure to certain allergens and pollutants can cause nasal allergy to the newly born infant.

Allergic rhinitis symptoms change with age. At the earlier stage, children are mostly sensitive to seasonal allergens. After they have grown older, they usually become sensitive to perennial allergens. Therefore, after they have got over the symptom that is caused by seasonal allergens, they may still keep on the symptoms due to the perennial allergens. When the children grow older, they may have higher risk to have bronchial hyperreactivity and asthma. 17 to 19% of them will have asthma after grow up. To protect them from getting asthma, perennial immunotherapy should be used at the early stage. Moreover, the risk of getting asthma does not depend to age when the allergic rhinitis started, family history of atopic disease, sex, severity of symptoms at the startin g period and treatment.

Allergic rhinitis started when the atopic individual meets the antigens that are able to stimulate the IgE response. So, what are substances that can act as allergens? Allergens usually are airborne particles, which have molecular weight ranging from 30 to 40,000 daltons and also with diameter ranging from 2 to 60 m. Most of them have diameter more than 15 m, which can deposit onto the nasal, pharyngeal and ocular surface. Chemically, these particles are proteins, which link to some small unit of carbohydrate. Particles that have these kinds of characters are pollen, acarids, animal dandruff and fungi.

Pollens that are released from grams, weeds and trees during breeding season usually cause seasonal allergic rhinitis. Only light pollens that can be pollinated by wind can exist in air and cause a high natural exposure to the allergic rhinitis patient. The seriousness depends to the concentration of the pollens in the atmosphere. Indivi dual with allergic rhinitis who lives in suburban area will be seriously affected by these seasonal pollens compared to the one who lives in city. Surrounding temperature also gives an impact to the pollens concentration in air. Usually, in warmer environment, plants release more pollens compared to cold environment. Most of the plants breed in late spring and summer that is the warmest season. Windy weather will cause the pollens scatter around in air and this will cause the most exposure to the allergic rhinitis patient. The better day is rainy day. Rain water can wash all the pollens in air and bring them down to the ground. Surrounding air becomes fresher and cleaner after raining.

The main culprit of the perennial nasal allergy is house-dust mites. The acarids that are commonly found in the house dust are Dermatophagoides pteronyssimus and farinae, Euroglyphus maynei and Blomia tropicalis. Substances that are directly responsible to the nasal allergy from these dust mites are their body and metabolic products. Usually, mites grow rapidly in damp and warm climate. Therefore, sensitization to acarids depends to where you are actually living. Nasal allergy for patients who live in tropical and equatorial regions have higher possibility causes by acarids because these regions climate is promote mites growth. House-dust mites grow at maximized concentration when surrounding humidity level is between 70 to 80 % and with the presence of high temperature. Nasal allergy symptoms will develop when the level of dust mite concentration reaches 2 g/g in air. Conversely, in high mountains with dry and cold climate have lowest level of dust mites because this climate prevents the mite growth. Animals also are the other source of aeroallergens. These aeroallergens are present in the animal's saliva, feces, urine and dandruff. Therefore, nasal allergy can be caused by domestic animals such as cat and dog and also wild rats and mice.

Air pol lutants enhance the sensitization of the nasal allergy by the allergens. Air pollutants can be divided to two groups that are outdoor pollutants, which are released from industrial works, automobile exhaust and domestic heating, and indoor pollutants such as tobacco smoke, furnishings, wood and coal burning and heater. Chemically, air pollutants consist of oxides of nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide and black smoke. How actually air pollutants enhance sensitization of nasal allergy is not completely clear. This may be due to air pollutants easily irritate the respiratory mucosa and make it prone to allergic sensitization. Air pollutants have negative impact to the nasal epithelium and ciliary beat, which are responsible to the clearance of allergens. Furthermore, some pollutants can enhance the releasing of the mediators that induce inflammation such as histamine, prostaglandins and leukotriene C-4.
Apart from that, some pollutants also can stimulate synth esis of the IgE antibody directly. When allergen binds two IgE molecules together on the mast and basophil cells surface, primary chemical mediator; histamine, will be released and it will cause nasal allergy. Therefore, we can affirm that allergens can easily enter into our blood stream through our nasal mucosal membrane if we have chronic inflammation, not enough IgA antibody, impaired ciliary beat and also with air pollutants around us. IgA antibody is very important to our body because it prevents allergens from penetrating through our nasal mucosal layer. Monounsaturated oleic acids, which can be found in cold-pressed extra virgin olive and coconut oil, hazelnut or filbert oil (or the whole nuts), green and ripe olives, and almonds can increase IgA antibody in our body. Besides oleic acids, vitamin A also can increase IgA antibody, which can be found in cod liver oil, pumpkin, cooked carrots, sweet potatoes/yams, squash and other yellow or orange vegetable.


References:
Passa`li D, Mosges R. Consensus Conference of Allergic Rhinitis in Childhood. Allergy 1999;54 (Suppl 55):5-27.
Linna O, Kokkonen J, Lukin M. A 10-year prognosis for childhood allergic rhinitis. Acta Paediatr 1992;81:100-2.
Braham SS, Barrows AA, Decotiis BA, Settipane GA, Corrao WM. Airway hyperresonsiveness in allergic rhinitis. A risk factor for asthma. Chest 1987;01:671-4.
Pedvis S, Fox ZR, Bacal HL. Long-term follow-up of ragweed hay fever in children. Ann Allergy 1962;20:
569-77.
Ausdenmoore RW. Allergeni aerei e fattori ambientali. In Lawlor GJJr, Fisher TJ editors. Manuale di Immunolgia
e allergologia. Milano, Libreria Editrice Internazionale, 1990:50-62.
Taudorf E, Moseholm L. Pollen count, symptom and medicine score in birch pollinosis. A mathematical approach. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol 1988;86:225-33.
Krishna MT, Mudway IM, Kelly FJ, Frew AJ, Holgate ST. Ozone, airways and allergic airways disease. Clin Exp Allergy 1995;2 5:1150-8.
Konlee, Mark. "A Consumer's Guide to Immune Restoration: The Search for 'Th1'." Positive Health News. Report No. 18. Spring 1999.

Alexander Chong Author of "How to cure your incurable nasal allergy without using any synthetic drugs, herbs and expensive devices". http://www.cure-nasal-allergy.com

Article Source: http://www.free-articles-zone.com

Supplements for Nasal Allergy and Sinus Infection Patients

By Alexander Chong

Nasal allergy is a quite common illness that everybody can have it. It is caused by the exposure of the individual to the various types of allergens such as pollen, fungus, mold, dust mites, certain foods, latex, animal dander, volatile chemicals and others. When allergens were inhaled into the nasal cavity, it penetrated mucosal membrane and came to contact with blood serum. Individual with Immunoglobulin-A antibody deficiency will easily let the allergens penetrate mucosal barrier because deficiency of Immunoglobulin-A antibody increases the mucosal permeability. Macrophages are the first type of cells that will come in contact with the allergen particles and after processing the allergens; it will pass information about the invasion of the allergen particles into the body to B-lymphocyte cells (one type of the white blood cell). This will stimulate B-lymphocyte cells and cause them start to multiply and transform into plasma cells. Stimulation of the B-lymphocyte is con trolled by T-lymphocyte cell (the other type of white blood cell). The plasma cells that have been formed will produce IgE antibodies, which after that bind with the mast cells and basophil cells around nose and cause itching and hypersensitive. Subsequently, histamine chemical will be released from the mast cells when the mast cells started degranulating

What we know that why an individual's nose easily becomes allergy is due to the deficiency of Immunoglobulin-A antibody, which is one of our defense components in our body. Its function is scavenging of exogenous material, which is coming in contact to the mucosal membrane. Apart from this, T-lymphocyte cells, which are developed in bone marrow, work as helper and suppressor to the secretion of immunoglobulin by the B-lymphocyte cells. Malfunction or deficiency of these cells will cause over secretion of immunoglobulin-E antibodies. This may exacerbate the nasal allergy illness. All this malfunction and deficiency ma y due to the genetic disorder inheriting from our parent. However, it may also cause by our irregular lifestyle, unhealthy eating habit and environmental factor such as not enough sleep, eat too much fried food, smoking, alcoholic, exposure to hazardous chemicals and so on. Infection with certain virus such as HIV or utilized certain steroid or chemotherapy medicines may also cause this problem. In other words, deterioration of the body immune system will make nasal allergy illness become more critical. Due to this, in order that one can relieve from the nasal allergy torturing, he or she must have a strong immune system to defend the foreign substances that will enter into their body.

Deterioration of immune system mostly due to the attack by the free radicals that have formed in our body. Free radical is a very reactive molecule and has a strong tendency to oxidize lipid, protein and DNA in our body. Everyday, a lot of free radicals are produced in our body. Althou gh our body itself can generate antioxidant to protect ourselves, it is still not enough. That's why, we are all aging. Free radicals that have been generated in our body can weaken our body immune system by attacking to the white blood cells. Changing the DNA in a white blood cell is the most crucial point because it causes irreversible mutation of the cell. Due to this, white blood cells can not function properly and become malfunctioned. When this happening, nasal allergy illness will emerge in our body. To protect our body from radical and maintain our body immune system, we need to take enough antioxidant supplements to neutralize the excessive free radicals that have been produced in our body everyday.

Vitamin C is the most common antioxidant that can relief nasal allergy symptom. But the doses that we need to take to stop the nasal allergy are around five to eight gram. This is quite a large amount and it may cause stomach and intestinal upset. To prevent this , we should use ascorbate form of vitamin C. Until now, there is no solid evidence to show how vitamin C can stop the nasal allergy reaction. But scientists figured out that it may due to its antioxidant capabilities, which prevent cell damage. Research had been carried out in the department of obsterics at Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn to study vitamin C and histamine levels in the blood of 400 people. They found out that, people with high levels of vitamin C in their blood have lower histamine levels. When 1000mg vitamin C supplement was given daily to those with low levels of vitamin C and high levels of histamine, their hay fever improved remarkably within three days. [Journal Nutrition, April, 1980]. When large amount of vitamin C is taken, just make sure you take calcium supplement. This is because; vitamin C in the blood will bind with the calcium in the bone and attract them out into the blood. This calcium will be discarded from the body through urination. This is because vitamin C is an organic acid that can dissolve mineral in bone. To avoid this, we should take calcium ascorbate, which is a mineral form of vitamin C.

Vitamin C is very soluble in water. Therefore, high levels of vitamin C in the blood may not be easily achieved. This is because vitamin C easily excretes from the body through urination. More frequent you urinating; less vitamin C can be retained in your body. Therefore, although we take a lot of vitamin C, the actual amount retaining in the body in very little. You may relief the nasal allergy for a while and if you want to continually remain relief from nasal allergy, you may need to continually take vitamin C. This situation can be seen after we have taken the vitamin C. The urine that we excrete after one hour taking the vitamin C is yellowish color. The color is due to the presence of the vitamin C in the urine. The following urine may still yellowish. After the urine no longer shows any yellowish color; that means the vitamin C levels in the blood has gone down already. Due to this, a lot of vitamin C has been wasted. To save cost, we need to take citrus bioflavonoids and pantothenic acid. Both of them are vitamin B complex substances. Citrus bioflavonoids alter the body's metabolism of vitamin C and raising the concentration of vitamin C in certain tissue [American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, August, 1979]. Whereas, pantothenic acid can help our body absorbs vitamin C more easily.

Apart from vitamin C and B, the second supplement that can boost our immune system is zinc. Zinc is a transitional metal that is indispensable in our body. Biochemical functions in our body that involves zinc are protein synthesis, spermatogenesis, platelet reactivity and the main one is maintaining cellular immunity. Apart from these, zinc also can prevent certain type of cancer. Zinc deficiency mostly due to malnutrition, alcoholism, malabsorption, liver cirrhosis, chronic renal dise ase, extensive burns, use of chelating agents and genetic disorders. Our meats that contains high amount of zinc are chicken and beef. People who try to avoid red meat due to its high cholesterol have the higher possibility not enough zinc in their body. Zinc deficiency can cause growth retardation, male testerone deficiency, delayed wound healing, bullous dermatitis, diarrhea and intercurrent infection. Zinc can inhibit replication of several viruses such as herpes simplex virus, foot and mouth disease virus, poliovirus and rhinovirus. Zinc is very effective to treat common cold because it prevents rhinovirus (cold virus) from binding to the tissue surface and stabilizes the cell membranes. Subsequently, it is also inhibiting prostaglandin metabolism and inducing production of interferon gamma, which is a natural chemical that help body to fight infections. Study that had been published in the Annals Internal Medicine in 1996 showed that if an individual starts taking zinc gluconate glycine within 24 hours onset of the common cold symptoms, it can significantly reduced the illness duration.

The third supplement that has antioxidant function is virgin coconut oil. The difference between ordinary coconut oil and virgin coconut oil is that the later is extracted by wet process directly from the coconut milk or meat under a control temperature usually is 50 oC, whereas; coconut oil is obtained from the copra by dry process, which involves high temperature or sunlight exposure for several days. Due to the exposure to sunlight and application of high temperature, most of the minor components such as tocopherols, tocotrienols and polyphenols will be destroyed. This is because all these components are unstable in high temperature. Sunlight can destroy there components because sunlight contains a few percent of UV light, which is a high energy wave that can break the chemical bonding in an organic substance. Recently, study had been carried out in University Kerala in India to determine the effectiveness of the virgin coconut oil as antioxidant enzymes in male rat [Food Chemistry, 2006]. They found out that virgin coconut oil has more effect as an antioxidant and prevents peroxidation of lipids compared to the groundnut oil and copra oil. Study also had been carried in the same University to determine the beneficial effect of the virgin coconut oil to lipid components in male rat [Clinical Biochemistry, 37, 2004]. The finding that they got is that virgin coconut oil can reduce the levels of lipid in serum and tissues. Besides, it also can reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and increased high-density lipoprotein in the blood. This effect may due to its high polyphenol content.

Finally, what we know immunoglobulin-A (IgA) antibodies are the main antibodies that can prevent allergens from entering our body through nasal mucosal membrane. Therefore, nasal allergy and sinus infection can be prevented by increas ing this antibody level in our body. Nutrients that can boost this antibody level in our body are monounsaturated oleic acids and vitamin A. Monounsaturated oleic acids can be found in cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, hazelnut or filbert oil (or the whole nuts), green and ripe olives, and almonds. Whereas, vitamin A can be found in cod liver oil, pumpkin, cooked carrots, sweet potatoes/yams, squash and other yellow or orange vegetable

By Alexander Chong Author of "How to cure your incurable nasal allergy without using any synthetic drugs, herbs and expensive devices". http://www.cure-nasal-allergy.com

Article Source: http://www.free-articles-zone.com

Know More About Food Allergy

By Dr Thannie Santinukul

The most common food defeated symptoms found in small children is allergic to cow's milk, because small children drinks cow's milk in everyday life. When they begin grows up then get more supplementary food such as eggs, then they may allergic to eggs also. For the adolescent and adults, the allergic to seafood are found in most cases
What are the symptoms of food allergy?
Food allergy disease can effect to every system of the body , but the most common cases found with; - Alimentary canal symptoms ( vomit , stomachache , suffer from diarrhea) - Skin (urticaria) - Breath system , (sneeze , catarrh , cough, breath uncomfortably) in some cases, patient might get severe symptoms and die.
How do you know that what kind of food that you allergic to?
Once you have noticed that there is the same symptoms happened repeatedly after meal, you should go to see a doctor and investigate, then have a check-up. The most important information for the doctor that you should remember kind of the food that you have taken, the quantity that eat, the symptoms that happens so the doctor can diagnose easily. But in the some people who are suspected that allergic various kinds foods or not sure that which kind of food that allergic to. Doctor may ask the patient taking notes of what they have eaten in detail as well as unusual symptoms that happen for better diagnose. Besides, there is a skin test to identify the kind of food that patient allergic to, which takes only 15 minute for take the skin testing. Another option is to take blood test for food allergic. However the most accurate diagnosing method is to let the patient has a meal that suspect to be the cause of allergy, if the symptoms appear from eat certain kind of food and that symptom disappears when stop eating ,as a result , that patient is allergic to such food. However, this testing step should be within close supervision of a doctor, especially in case of allergy symptoms is severe.
What is the most effective way to cure?
The most effective way is to avoid or never eat the food that you allergic to. You must also avoid every kind food that participate or assemble of the nutrient that you allergic. For example, if you allergic to cow's milk, then avoid the food that have milk is the components, such as, ice cream, biscuit and eat soybean milk instead. Medication treatment should be used only to cure specific symptom that appear from time to time such as use medicine to heal urticaria symptoms, medicine to decreases catarrh etc.
Can food allergy be permanently cured?
In some case, if patients can avoid and haven't take the food that they allergic for about 1-2 year consecutively, as a result , the allergic symptom disappear and permanently cured. However, seafood allergy and peanut allergy can not generally be cured. For babies who allergic to cow's milk, about 50% of them this symptom is likely be disappear when they are 1 year old , 85% when they are 3 years old , and only 15% still got the allergy and 25 % of a child who are allergic to cow's milk , often have the symptoms that allergic to other food.
How to prevent from food allergy?
For a family who have the first child got the disease allergy can reduce a chance for the next child to get the disease by breast-feed at least 4 month or more. Mother who breast-feed a child should also avoid the food that cause the disease such as , egg , cow's milk , seafood , and peanut nut during the breast-feeds period.

Dr Thannie Santinukul http://www.knowfoodallergy.com http://www.findallergytreatment.com

Article Source: http://www.free-articles-zone.com

hoodia gordonii plus