As a rule, snoring occurs only during sleeping. It is occurred by creation of vibrated movement of air by obstruction of air way during respiration while sleeping.

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Sound is generated during this process due to vibration. The sound varies in persons from soft to louder. It is often unpleasant.

Usually the uvula and soft palate are the structures that involves in the production of snoring and it is caused by irregular blockage of air movement.

More over, it can be defined as a “noisy breathing” through mouth and nose while sleeping.

There are so many factors involve in this condition. Some examples are:

• Weakness of throat and relaxation of muscles in the air way.

• Defects in the jaw position

• Obstruction of air passage in nostrils.

• Tongue dropping back into throat.

• Continuous sleeping postures usually lying on back.

• Touching of tissues in the top airways causing vibration

• Alcoholism relaxes the respiratory muscle system.

• Susceptibility of snoring increasing as age grows.

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The bad impacts or effects of snoring :

When a person snores it is an annoying one to anybody who sleeps nearby. Even it may cause a couple to sleep separately in the night and thereby it seriously affects the relationship. In rare cases the snoring causes stoppage of breathe and resulting in serious condition. Some body feels sleepy during day time and this morning fatigue causes serious effects in health. Recent studies try to correlate snoring with heart diseases. Snoring leads to various poor health conditions.

When a person is having the habit of snoring during sleep it means that he is deprived of peaceful sleep which causes many ill health conditions both physically and mentally. Lack of peaceful sleep in a regular pattern generally causes anxiety, tension, bad temper and behavior changes. This condition also causes poor thinking capacity and weak memory. Sleep deprived persons due to snoring are not alert in their duties on the day and they are impatient and bad tempered.

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Long term sleep depriviation due to snoring causes serious consequences. It increases the blood pressure, possible heart ailment, weight gain, depression, injury from accidents and mental disorder. It is also described that snorers are prone to life threatening diseases like heart attacks and strokes. Recently researches on snoring explain the possibility of diabetes and the brain tissue damage due to lack of oxygen supply. Decreased libido and day time drowsiness is often seen among snorers. Irritability is the common condition seen. Though it affects mildly in some persons and in others even it affects the life style. The studies recently made on loud snoring shows that it is causing carotid artery atherosclerosis and they emphasize that loud snoring causes turbulence in the blood flow and which causes irritation to blood flow and causing carotid atherosclerosis.

Habitual snoring is the strongest indication of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is the condition during sleep where there are pauses in breathing. One or more breaths are missed in each episode of apnea and occur and repeated throughout the sleep. The breath missing time is about 10 seconds. Five or more episodes are noted for every hour of sleep. The interruption of breathe is caused by lack of respiratory effort. These symptoms may be present for years and the sufferer may be affected by day time sleepiness and fatigue. The untreated sleep apnoea may increase the risk of hypertension, heart attack and strokes. It also leads to impotence, decreased memory and personality changes. Snoring and sleep apnoea now can be monitored and diagnosed in the home itself by using a convenient portable “sleep monitoring device”.

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Snoring is usually recognized by the partner or friend who observes one’s snoring. Generally the sleep disorders such as snoring is identified by a sufferer by his/her bad feeling of day time drowsiness or sleepiness, decreased concentration in work and by depressed feeling while working. A sufferer may ask somebody to note his snoring habit or he can diagnose this event of snoring by simply putting a tape recorder to record the episodes of snoring sounds. A sleep study will show the severity of the condition.

Snoring needs no costlier treatment and it is cured almost by changing the sleeping patterns. Almost until this time that all treatments are aimed to tighten the throat and air way passage muscles and in clearing the blockage of the air passage. Smoking is a cause that “weakens and clogs” the throat and hence every snorer is asked to stop smoking.

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Every snorer is asked to do the following :

• Do not lie on the back and lie by sides always.

• Clear the nasal passage before going to sleep by sprays.

• Do moderate exercise

• Elevate head while sleeping

• Do not have any alcohol before sleeping

• Do not take any medications for anxiety

• Inhale steam foams before sleep

Keep punctuality in sleeping.

Numerous over the counter aids are available for snorers like nasal sprays, nose clips, nasal strips, pillows specially made for snorers and anti-snore clothes. However, snoring is always mild and sometimes it causes serious medical conditions and for which reason that an expert in this field can be consulted if it lasts longer and every snorer should get their advice before using anything or any devices to stop the symptoms.

Constant headache is the most common disease or symptom that affects all age people across the world.

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There are many reason for constant headache to occur like climatic condition, stress, constant exposure to sun, sinus, migraine etc. some people prone to attack  by headache  on daily basis, this type of headache is known as constant headache.

Understanding the cause for headache is very important because without knowing the causes we cannot stop this type of headache.

Constant headache causes

Migraine

Migraine is nothing but a headache that affects people all around the world. The exact cause for migraine cannot be detected but when compared to men most of the women are affected by this kind of headache. These  migraine  perform different action in different people ,some people  have mild attack that last for a couple of hours, for others it can be few days with constant irritating disorder that will affect  the daily routine activities of the people. Migraine can also cause other symptoms like nausea, vomiting, sensitivity towards the light are various other symptoms that can affect the people.

Sinus headache

Sinus headache is also one of the causes for headache, it can be often confused with the migraine but sinus is entirely different from this disease. Sinus is nothing but dust particles in the nose that affects the normal routine activities of the nose that cause one side headache and also some fluid that flows from nose can cause irritation which can be cured by taking proper medicine. Sinus cannot be prevented by just taking painkiller because dust particles cannot be controlled by a pain killer but it can be treated by undergoing an operation in the nose to stop constant headache.

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Head injury

Head injury is also a cause for constant headache because brain does not have a sensitive area to detect the pain so alternatively areas in the neck and face can detect the pain by producing headache in that particular area and also trauma can also lead to constant headache because injury in the brain normally shows its sign by constant headache. Constant headache should be treated by consulting the doctor and analyze the reason for the headache and also proper treatment is necessary to this disease.

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Stress

Constant headache can occur due to stress because stress is related with problems like hopelessness, tired, tension, and also less asleep .These things give rise to stress in the person having constant headache. alcoholism, smoking cigarette can cause headache to the people.

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Cluster headache

Cluster headache is nothing but a sudden headache which will be constant for few days .Cluster headache leads to multiple problems like vomiting, body pain, irritating eyes, with severe headache. It is one of the worst pains that can make people unconscious. Periodic treatment is necessary for constant headache because without proper treatment the disease cannot be cured and patient could not bear the pain. It takes few days with constant headache and other side effects that can affect day today activities.

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Constant headache treatments

Consulting a doctor is the best remedy for constant headache because treatment is very much needed to eradicate the disease also constant headache could not be stopped without proper medicine. Stress management classes should be taken by people who are suffering from stress.

By doing yoga, meditation, regular breathing exercises prevents certain diseases like sinus, migraine , stress can be cured  by  taking  medicine can also  produce side effects like stomach pain etc.Regular treatment  should be taken for disease like brain tumor which will show same symptoms like migraines, sinus but  it is a dangerous disease which can even lead to death.

Gastro esophageal reflux (GERD) is the disease wherein the mucosa is damaged by the changes that happens in between stomach and esophagus due to relaxation or improper function of the lower esophageal sphincter.

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This results in expulsion of gastric juices in to esophagus. Hiatal hernia also causes this condition. In chronic cases this reflux defect affects respiratory and laryngeal portions also. They are called extra esophageal reflux disease. (EERD)

Heartburn, regurgitation and difficulty in swallowing are the common symptoms. Rarely does it accompany with pain in swallowing, high salivary secretion, nausea and chest pain.

GERD in some cases causes injury to esophagus and it includes ulcers in the junction of the stomach and esophagus. (Necrosis), narrowing of the esophagus (stricture), metaplasia and rare form of cancer in the esophagus. It causes damage to other organs than esophagus (EERD) which includes cough, laryngitis, asthma, sinusitis and dental damage. Even somebody have symptoms of pharyngitis, sinusitis and even recurrent ear infections.

In children, GERD causes various symptoms like vomiting, cough and other respiratory symptoms. All children have different symptoms and their behavior changes in food intake, unnecessary crying, fails to gain weight and some children have belching as in adults.

Babies when affected they used to scream while sleeping, poor sleeping patterns, vomiting after feeding, unusual hiccups, running nose condition, problems in swallowing of feed, gagging, frequent ear infection and sinus congestion. Refusing food or taking food often is common in babies. Nocturnal cough, bad breath is also common in infants.

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Most infants are having possetting after a feed, there is weight gain, they eat well and there are no other symptoms also. But when they grow, some babies show improvement and their lower esophageal sphincter becomes more proper. Some babies with GERD do not have any vomiting symptoms and most of the babies are mostly affected by more reflux and more damage to esophagus. Commonly called spitting up in infants is the main symptom of infant’s GERD. “Barrett’s esophagus” is a condition where cell changes occur which are precursor for carcinoma.

Endoscopic study shows clearly about the narrowing of the junction of stomach and esophagus and which causes the difficulty in swallowing or dysphagia. Barium meals X-ray, manometry are all valuable investigations including EGD. In GERD, now, monitoring pH of esophagus is having vital importance in calculating the severity of the disease and improvement status after medication or surgery. In chronic cases it is advised to take three yearly endoscopy to study possibilities of any adverse conditions in the esophagus such as dysplasia. EGD is also a form of endoscopy which facilitates to see the surface of the esophagus and stomach.

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Biopsies show any form of edema, inflammatory changes, even pre-cancer identifications such as dysplasia and carcinoma. Some of the patient will not show any surface changes and they are called non-erosive type of reflux.

In healthy adults that the junction between stomach and esophagus has a valve arrangement which prevent anything comes back from stomach to esophagus but in the adults of having reflux, they do not have proper valve arrangement and they have their stomach content in to the esophagus such as enzyme, stomach acid and bile substances which cause inflammation to esophagus. Hiatal hernia, obesity and hypercalcemia play an important roll in developing this condition.

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Life style modification and certain foods definitely promote this condition. Providing elevation to head while sleep is the best result giving practice and almost several patients feel comfort without reflux when they avoid food two hours before going to bed.

Proton pump inhibitor such as pantoprozole, H2 receptor blocker like ranitidine is very much useful and widely used to heal the disease by reducing acid secretion.  Antacids play an important roll in treating this condition. Prokinetics like cisapride and mosapride of having the value of improving action of the lower esophageal sphincter and helps in rapid gastric emptying and thereby stopping reflux actions in to esophagus.

Blood clots are serious conditions and it happens when coagulation of blood occurs. It occurs when the protein fibrin aggregates with blood factors like platelet.

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Fibrin is helping in the process healing the injuries. But when blood clots happen unnecessarily fibrin is harmful in making the clots. Blood clots or otherwise called a thrombus. Blood clots normally happen either in the heart or in the blood vessels.

Embolism is a condition where a sudden blocking of an artery by clots or even foreign materials which is brought to its sight of lodgment by blood stream. This embolism is called thromboembolism when a blood clot blocks an organ like brain and heart from its supply of blood. As the consequence of diminished blood flow (ischemia) the tissues of the organ affected begins to die.

Deep venous thrombosis is a condition where a blood clot enters in to deep veins in the body. It restricts the blood flow and oxygen to the related organs. Pain, fever, reddishness of the affected area is the chief indications of this DVT. Genetic factors and sitting for a long period during journey are the causes for this condition.

It is the fact that blood clotting is a natural process of the human body that it necessitates the clotting of blood for repairing the injured and damaged blood vessels. The blood factors are RBC, hemoglobin, WBC, platelets, blood plasma, chemicals and blood proteins. Platelet is important in the mechanism of blood clot and eventually it causes the production of fibrin which in turn aggregates with blood factors and causes the blood clot.

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Blood begins to clot when the lining of the blood vessels are damaged. The clot may occur either in the artery or in the veins. In immobilized persons the venous thrombosis occurs due to stagnant or slow movement of the blood and it blocks the vein.

Arterial thrombosis or blood clot of arteries occurs due to atherosclerosis where the lining of the arteries are covered by deposits of plaques and when the plaques rupture the clots form in the ruptured cavities and this clot causes the blockage of blood flow partially or completely at the sight where it is formed. Blood clots are also formed in the heart due to irregular beats of the atrium and ventricles and consequently the blood tends to be stagnant and clot begins to form in this condition.

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There are definite risk factors that cause the arterial blood clot. They are High blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol level, smoking and genetic factors. Venous blood clot is having the risk factors of restricted movement due to various causes like bedridden after illness, continuous sitting during journey and during orthopedic injuries. The second factor is genetic consequences.

Blood clots are very dangerous to life and a condition called pulmonary embolism which is life threatening in its nature. A clot formed in the leg is carried through blood stream and from the heart it reaches and lodged in the small vessels of the lungs which cause the death or infarct to the lung tissue and thereby diminished oxygen supply to body by lungs. (Hypoxia)

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Blood clots may arise in the internal organs where there is a leakage of blood which may also cause serious consequences. Examples are peptic ulcer bleeding, rectal bleeding, and urinary tract bleeding and vaginal bleeding. Swelling, pain, warmth and redness are main symptoms of venous clotting. Loss of sensation, ischemic pain is the symptoms that involved in arterial clots.

Ultrasound is used to detect the venous blood clots. Fluoroscopy is also very successful in finding out the venous clots. CT scan is used to find out the pulmonary embolism or with plain chest X-ray. Arteriography is very useful in detecting the arterial blood clots.

Non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen and diclofenac sodium is used in mild cases and in deep venous thrombosis anticoagulant in various forms are used. Arterial blood clots are treated with direct medication on the clots and surgery is preformed to remove the clot.

Food poisoning may appear due to intake of contaminated food in solid or liquid form. This is a common illness all over the world and not specific to particular region or part of the world. Usually, this is mild in its nature. But may cause serious illness.

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Depends upon the food poison’s influence on the gastrointestinal tract it is presented with abdominal discomfort, fever, chills, nausea, voimiting, diarrhea, watery stool with blood and mucus. Consequences may be very mild or even fatal. This may affect individuals or group who take the contaminated food. Normally, the symptoms appear immediately after taking the contaminated food and the symptoms take its course up to 48 hours.

About 250 different kinds of diseases are identified but all are not common cause of the diseases. Some most common causes of virus and bacteria are discussed here below.

It is estimated by centre for disease control and prevention that 76 millions of people are affected by food poison, 3,25,000 are admitted to hospital and about 5000 deaths are occurring in America per year and it is well established that diarrheal death are increasing in number world wide.

Viruses are the most common cause of food poison. The public places like schools, hotels and the cities with thick population are places where this disease spread fastly.

Noroviruses are forming a group of virus and they cause mild illness. This illness is accompanying nausea, vomiting, headache and abdominal pain. Fever is also a prominent symptom with diarrhea. These symptoms generally disappear within two to three days. Food poisoning of this virus occurs through contaminated fish, water and vegetables. This is transmitted easily from human to human.

Rotavirus is one of the viruses that cause food poison in the form of diarrhea in children commonly below 5 years of age. This infection is called and named as stomach flu though there is no relation with influenza. There are seven types of viruses in rotavirus namely A B C D E F AND G. Type A is the common one which affects children. But however, the immunity develops whenever it infects and future infection become less severe in its form. The transmission of the disease is fecal-oral route. The toxins are formed when this virus infects human being and this toxin in turn causes gastroenteritis. About 5, 00,000 children die out of this diarrhea every year.

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Hepatitis A viruses are causing diarrhea and this is accompanied by fever, fatigue, loss of appetite and with jaundice. The transmission is from human to human by fecal contamination of food.

Bacteria are most common cause of food poison oriented diarrhea and generally they are transmitted from one person to another through fecal contaminated food. These bacterias are causing inflammation of the intestine and it prevents the digestive system to absorb nutrient and the toxins produced by them causing damage to digestive system and cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

The bacterium, salmonella is the common cause of food poison in U.S, several European countries and in Asia. The normal appearing eggs may contain these bacterias when eaten raw or under-cooked and it causes illness.  This infected form of the disease usually has fever, abdominal cramps. Diarrhea begins in 12 to 72 hours after taking this contaminated food. This illness may long last up to 7 days and the patients recover easily and in severe cases hospitalization is necessary. The other route of food poison of this salmonella is poultry, dairy products and sea food.

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Camphylobacter is also a most common cause for food poison. This bacterium and its association were identified as a cause of food poisoning in the year 1975. Eating undercooked chicken, meat, cheese, unpasteurized milk is causing this illness. Normally this bacterium lives in the intestines of mammals, and warm blooded birds. Diarrhea is common symptom of this food poison and this lasts for 7 days. The stool examination will reveal the presence of this bacterium.

E.coli is a bacteria that enter in to food like beef and vegetables and the food containing   these bacteria cause food poisoning. Certain type of strains of this E.coli is causing stomach cramp, vomiting, bloody stool and diarrhea. It is transmitted by raw or undercooked meat, juices, contaminated well water and milk.

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Shigella is the one of the severe form of diarrhea that can cause even an out-break of he disease. Shigella is a family of bacteria that are able to cause sudden and severe form of diarrhea. This form of diarrhea is also called as bacillary dysentery. It is commonly spread from person to person or through contaminated food. This form of diarrhea always accompanying with a constant feeling for evacuation of stool and the stool will contain blood and mucus.

Pesticides contaminate food materials like fruits and vegetables and consuming this food of fruit causes food poison and such poison may cause mild to severe illness with blurred vision, headache, abdominal cramp, high saliva production and diarrhea. Neurogenic symptoms like tremor in legs and hands may also appear. This is transmitted by eating unwashed fruits or vegetables contaminated with pesticides.

The common treatment for food poisoning is home support of avoiding dehydration with adequate liquid.  After diarrhea is arrested the bland diet such as rice, bread and milk to be taken. In severe cases with nausea, vomiting and fever the patient should be treated properly in the hospital.

As of to date no complete cure has been known to defeat allergic responses. This is because allergic response is a hyper reactive response of the immune system resulting in adverse reactions and complications.

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The best way to prevent an allergic response is to avoid the food-causing allergy. However, initially before identification of the food allergen or accidental ingestion of foodstuff causing allergic responses will require prophylaxis. Desensitization to allergens is not a very much of a reality as far as food allergy is concerned. Thus, the various ways to treat food allergy are:

1.    Dietary avoidance :

Upon identification of the allergy causing food, the food must be removed from the regular diet. The best way is not to use those food items in food preparation, read the ingredients on the label for each food, and asks and requests such food allergens while dining out in restaurants. The best way to avoid food allergy in infants is to breast feed them until one year, and avoid as much as possible by giving milk or other dairy products. Some allergic responses like eczema can be prevented by controlling stress, nervousness, anxiety and depression and keeping the skin well moisturized. However, care has to be taken that the moisturizer used should be devoid of allergens.

2.    Treating an anaphylactic response :

A mild allergy symptom is over countered by administering antihistamine pills, but when the response is drastic, an intramuscular shot of adrenalin is to be given. Individuals with allergy have to be advised to always carry an anti-allergy kit with adrenaline or “epi-pen” kit. Moreover, in some countries, people are advised to wear medical alert bracelets or necklaces with the name of the food they are allergic to.

In a severe anaphylactic shock, the first priority is to administer the emergency medications given by the doctor. The usual ones prescribed are:

• Epinephrine – EpiPen is actually an effective bronchodilator, opening up blocked airways, and constricts blood vessels increasing the blood pressure.

• Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) – this drug reverses the effects of histamine and is administered for mild allergic reactions.

• Corticosteroids – they are usually administered as intravenous to first reduce swelling and other allergic reactions. When the symptoms are less severe, they are applied as cream or ointments.

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In a severe life-threatening case where cardiovascular activity is affected, CPR is to be given. Epinephrine is then given immediately in the thigh muscles to open the airways as soon as possible. In addition, to stimulate the cardiovascular activity back into normality, injections will include administering intravenous fluids and medicines along with them. On reviving the life back, antihistamines, and other allergic medicines are given to reduce the elicited allergy symptoms.

3.    Allergic Rhinitis :

This is treated by administering antihistamines when the symptoms are mild. Generally, antihistamines causes sleepiness, but newer ones like cetrizine do not cause sleepiness. Corticosteroids are the next best medicines that can be given to reduce respiratory symptoms.

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4.    Other Symptoms :

Antihistamines generally are effective relievers of gastro-intestinal symptoms, hives, sneezes and running nose caused because of food allergy. Bronchodilators relieve respiratory symptoms like asthma and wheezing. In severe cases of respiratory symptoms, enough oxygen supply has to be maintained, by using a tube into the nose or facemask, mechanical ventilation or simple surgery to remove air blockages, if required.

Localised reactions like hives or other skin reactions like eczema are treated by cooling down the inflamed area with a cold shower or by using cool compresses, wearing non-irritant clothes, applying calamine lotions and taking antihistamines to alleviate itching. Antibiotic creams are also given to prevent sepsis.

However, in all cases self-treatment is not recommended.

Food allergy is an unfavorable immune response to a food protein. Sometimes the food consumed by a person is wrongly identified as harmful by the immune system and that is referred to as allergy.

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Food causing allergy are of various types such as gluten, herbs, spices, crustaceans, vegetables, milk, egg, tree nuts, peanuts, soybeans, fish and so on. Allergic reactions caused by vegetables may lead to itching of lips, throat or mouth, which is commonly known as Oral Allergy Syndrome. Tree nuts such as hazelnuts and walnuts can also lead to Oral Allergy Syndrome.

Some people are allergic to fruits that contain pollen. So, it is advisable for such people to use cooked fruits. Some people can also have allergic reactions to fruits such as avocado, banana and kiwi.

There are certain ingredients like aniseed, garlic, chamomile and sesame used to enhance the flavor of the food. These substances might contain allergens that lead to severe reactions in the body.

Crustaceans such as lobsters, crabs, shrimps and mollusks such as oysters and snails can lead to life threatening reactions. The flesh proteins in fish lead to allergic reactions. Milk protein and egg white are the common allergens in children.

Similarly, beans, peas and lentils can lead to food allergy. Peanuts can lead to severe or fatal reactions. The raw and cooked legumes can also lead to allergic reactions. So, different food products can cause food allergy and diagnosis is very important if food allergy occurs.

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Doctors should examine the patient thoroughly and find out if there is a severe reaction to a particular food product.

One of the most important tools in diagnosis is the patient’s history. It is necessary to know about the patient’s food habits. Diagnosis involves skin tests, blood tests and some food challenges.

The doctors would like to know when the reaction happened exactly after the time of food intake.

It is also important to know if the reaction is due to a particular food.

Then, the next step is to know whether everyone who ate the food is affected or only one person is allergic to that food. The amount of food intake by the patient is also very useful information during diagnosis. The next thing to know is whether the food was cooked properly or whether the food was little raw or overcooked. History alone is not sufficient during diagnosis.

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The doctor might ask the patient to check whether the same food causes allergic reaction again.

The next step would be the elimination of a particular diet. Sometimes the doctor might ask the patient to avoid having a particular food product. Later, if there is no symptom of allergic reaction, then the doctor can proceed with the diagnosis. After a short period of time, when the doctor directs the patient to consume the same food again and if the symptoms return, then the doctor can easily come to a conclusion. This kind of diagnosis is not suitable when the allergic reactions are life threatening.

Skin Test :

In some cases, scratch-the-skin test is performed. The test is indicated positive if the patient has IgE antibody specific for the food being tested on the skin’s mast cells.

This is a quick, simple and safe test.

Blood Test :

Blood tests cost more than skin tests. Doctors make use of blood tests such as RAST and ELISA. Using these tests, the food-specific IgE antibodies are measured in the blood of the patients.

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Food Challenge :

Apart from these tests, the other way of diagnosis is double-blind food challenge. Samples of suspected food products that lead to allergic reactions are placed in opaque capsules.

The patient and the doctor are blindfolded. They are not aware about which capsules contain the suspected foods. After the patient swallows a capsule, the doctor will examine if any allergic reaction has occurred. The process is repeated with each and every capsule.

Sometimes, the suspected food can be masked in some other non-allergic food to avoid recognition. The only advantage of food challenge is that the diagnosis can be confirmed quickly.

This is possible when the patient is allergic to the suspected foods alone.

For patients with multiple allergies, this is an expensive test. The procedure is difficult and it requires lot of time. It should be performed only under the doctor’s direction to confirm if the patient is allergic to a food product or not.

Diagnosis can be done further to find out the reason for the patient’s symptoms.

Food allergy is an elicitation of a series of immune response in the human body to one or more products in food, mostly proteins.

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Allergic reactions to food mostly involve the release of histamines, inflammatory chemicals most often in the skin, the stomach, the intestines, the and the airways or the respiratory symptoms.

Either food allergy responses may appear early, within minutes to several hours after a meal, or delayed, symptoms appear after 12 to 72 hours after a meal. The most common and major allergic response to a food product in general is as follows:

1.    Hives :

Hives are raised, itchy red swollen regions on the skin. Also known as, urticaria occurs when histamines are released into the blood stream resulting in itching and swelling, especially around the eyes and lips (angioedema). This can also occur in hands, feet and throat. Hives are characterized by an initial itch, followed by swelling with or without redness, and can change shape, disappear and reappear and can spread to larger areas. Foodstuff involved in eliciting hives is strawberries, tomatoes, chocolate, eggs, shellfish, mangoes, pork and nuts.

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2.     Allergic rhinitis :

Allergic rhinitis or hay fever is a common symptom of dairy allergy resulting in chronic congestion affecting the eyes and nose. This is often followed by eczema and asthma. Some of the immediate responses includes itchy nose, mouth, eyes, throat, skin or any area, problems with sense of smell, runny nose, sneezing and tearful eyes. Those symptoms that develop later includes stuffy nose (nasal congestion), coughing, clogged ears and decreased sense of smell, sore throat, dark circles under the eyes, puffiness under the eyes, fatigue and irritability, memory loss and headache. Milk, wheat, nuts, chocolates, colas and sulphites are the common food substances involved in instigating allergic rhinitis.

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3.    Eczema:

Also known as, atopic dermatitis is a very painful, itchy, scaly rash appearing near the face, elbows and knees. This is aggravated by sweat, touch of clothe and dryness of skin. This occurs as an allergic response to milk, egg, fish and wheat. This is a chronic skin disorder and results in blistering, weeping and peeling of skin. Of the various types, atopic eczema is common for o allergic response leading to long-term inflammation, especially in infants and children. Typical changes in the skin during this condition include blisters with oozing and crusting, discharge and bleeding from the ears, dark pigmentation of the skin, redness of the skin or inflammation or erythema, thickening of the skin like lichenification leading to long-term irritation. Eggs, citrus fruits and tomatoes are involved in initiating atopical eczema.

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4.    Anaphylaxis :

Anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock is a whole-body allergic reaction causing difficulty in breathing due to swelling in the airways and dilation of blood vessels resulting in a drop in blood pressure. This is a life-threatening reaction.  Anaphylactic symptoms develop within minutes or seconds. This will include abdominal cramping or pain, abnormal breathing sounds, anxiety, confusion, cough, diarrhea, difficulty in breathing, dizziness, light-headedness, hives, and itchiness, reddening of skin, wheezing, and difficulty in speech, nasal congestion, nausea, vomiting and palpitations. Other symptoms will include arrhythmia, pulmonary edema, mental confusion, rapid pulse, weakness and bluing of skin. Anaphylaxis, if turns into a life-threatening shock, can cause such a sudden drop in blood pressure resulting in immediate death.

5.    Gastrointestinal Distresses :

Diarrhea, nausea and constipation accompanied with stomach pain before, during and after the allergic responses are the common symptoms of food allergy, especially those of dairy products. These symptoms are grouped together and are better known as gastro-intestinal hypersensitivity. Other associated gastro-intestinal symptoms include headaches, development of migraines in the end, asthma, emotional disorders like feeling of “impending doom” (a fear that something bad will happen) and asthma.

One may get to know of an allergy to food either in their childhood or in adulthood.

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The most common food allergies found in infants and children are seafood, eggs, dairy, soy, peanuts, gluten (wheat and corn) and yeast. Infants are usually allergic to cow’s milk until the age of one, eggs until the age of two, and to peanuts, tree nuts and fish until the age of three.

Some children are usually allergic to soy, wheat and eggs until the age of six. However, the allergies to these foods are of concern to children and infants and can extend beyond the age limit for introduction of these foodstuffs in the regular daily diet of an individual. The “big eight” allergies in children and infants are:

1.    Dairy Allergy:

The oldest known allergy occurs either to the milk protein, casein or the whey, but not to the milk sugar, lactose. These two components of the milk hyper react with the body’s immune mechanism and causes allergic reaction. Milk being the primary diet of infants is prone to allergy, and is best to avoid cow, sheep or goat’s milk in their diet until the age of one. This allergy also acts as a prelude for allergy to other foodstuff.

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2.    Egg Allergy:

Next to milk, eggs are the most common food allergens, affecting about 2.5 per cent of their population. Mostly children are allergic to the egg yolk, or the white of the egg or rarely both. So their diet may include either the egg white or the yolk, depending onto which they are allergic to. Children who are allergic to egg will not be privileged to receive immunization against influenza and MMR vaccine.

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3.    Peanut Allergy:

Peanut allergy, though third in the list, is a highly lethal allergen and can continue life-long. Children allergic to peanuts have to always carry or wear an identity bracelet. This allergy usually co-exists with other non-legume nut allergies like tree nut. Some of the common symptoms of this allergy are anaphylactic shock and digestive symptoms with eczema. Peanuts are common ingredients of many of the yummy items…including, raw peanuts, peanut butter, bakery products, many of the Asian cuisines (Thai, Chinese, Indonesian and Indian dishes), vegetarian diets, groundnut oil, muesli and other cereals, ice creams, marzipan, soups, energy bars, sauces, etc.,. However, peanut oil is not excluded in dietary items alone, but also finds place as a base in cosmetics, medicines, creams and ointments.

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4.    Tree Nut Allergy:

Once a child is allergic to tree nuts is life-long and can be very severe. Since cross—contamination between the uses of nuts is unavoidable, is better to go for a complete “nut-free” diet. The common tree nuts are cashew nuts, almonds, pecans and walnuts. Mere touch can be allergenic and is found in a wide array of products including cosmetics, creams and lotions.

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5.    Seafood Allergy:

Allergy to seafood is of two types: fish and shell fish allergy. The allergy can continue life-long, and if one is allergic to one type of shellfish, should avoid mostly all types of shellfish, but is not the same with fish.

Shell fish allergy is grouped in two – ‘molluscus’, which includes abalone, mussels, oysters and squid, while the other are ‘crustaceans’, which includes lobsters, crayfish, prawns, crabs and shrimps. Fish allergy includes scaly and bony fishes. Patients allergic to seafood is beat to avoid their direct contact while swimming as with shellfish poisoning, and in food, medicines, cosmetics, creams and other ointments.

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6.    Soy Allergy:

Soybean, though related as legumes to peanut, is rarely cross-reactive allergens. Soybean allergy is very common, especially to children who are also allergic to dairy and dairy products. 15 allergenic proteins have been found in soya or soybeans.

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Soy and soy products that is containing the soy protein or those containing the soy protein digestive initiative factor does not usually causes allergies. Many of ‘soy’ containing products that not necessarily be labeled are hydrolyzed vegetable protein, lecithin, miso, mono-diglyceride, monosodium glutamate (MSG), natto, tempeh, tofu, vegetable oil and vitamin E.

7.    Wheat Allergy:

Allergy to wheat usually involves immune response of IgE antibodies to one or more proteins in wheat, including albumin, globulin, gliadin and glutenin (gluten).

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Even inhalation of wheat flour can initiate allergic response to wheat.  Patients sensitive to gluten in wheat will also be allergic to other gluten containing cereals like oats, rye and barley. All items labeled as containing wheat or wheat products has to be avoided and alternatives like gluten-free diets or rice-based products are consumed.

8.    Yeast:

Yeast and yeast products widely used in most of the bakery products has a large variety of proteins, all capable of causing allergic response if not avoided.

Food allergy is characterized by certain symptoms in various parts of the body.

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It is due to some specific reactions in the immune system triggered by food and it is because of the abnormal response to food. Food poisoning, toxic reactions and food intolerance are not food allergies and they are also having abnormal response to food but have different mechanisms and entirely different from the immunological reaction responsible for food allergy. However, clinically very few only have proven allergic reactions to food. It is true though the food allergies are milder but in rare cases it is fatal.

The allergens are protein components of the food that are responsible for encouraging an allergic reaction. These proteins are able to resist heat of cooking, acid in the stomach and digestive enzymes.

Due to this ability of resistance it is not digested when taken in the food, they reaches the internal organs through blood stream and causes allergic reactions of the body. The locations of reaction occurring are not limited.

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There are two components that are involved in the allergic reaction. One is immunoglobulin E (IgE) and another one is called the mast cells. IgE is a circulating substance in the blood stream and the mast cells are found in the body tissues like nose, throat, skin, gastrointestinal tract and lungs.

Heredity plays an important roll in food allergy and usually a person is less affected with one allergic parent than the person with two allergic parents. Generally, the persons are mostly affected who is coming from the family in which allergy is common.

Generally, allergic reaction to food occurs only after a person is initially exposed to certain allergic food or he is being sensitized.  During the initial exposure to allergic food, the allergen induces or stimulates the lymphocytes to produce specific antibodies (IgE) to specific food and this released IgE attaches with the mast cells in their surfaces. When the person takes the same food for the second or next time, the allergens sharpens the IgE antibody attached to the mast cells of the tissue and in turn the specific IgE activates and induces the mast cells to produce and release a copious amount of chemicals and histamines which causes various symptoms in the body according to the tissues to which they attach.

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Food allergy can expose the allergic symptoms within few minutes to an hour after eating. The allergen reaches various tissues of the body and it may cause various symptoms. Diarrhea is the most common symptoms among all and also it is most common in confusing other different mechanisms like food intolerance with food allergy. In the initial stage of allergy one may feel itching over lips and in the later stage when the allergen reaches various body tissues, it presents such symptoms like asthma, hives, eczema, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Usually, they are mild, but in rare cases anaphylaxis occurs and severe form of this condition are always fatal. (Anaphylaxis is the allergic reaction that spreads quickly to several organs at the same time and severe form causes death)

Food allergies commonly begin in the first or second year of life. Some of them disappear in the later stage and some are permanent. Some children are prone to have allergies with cow’s milk or soy milk which commonly cause watery stool. The diagnosis of food allergy in infants is made by changing the diet from cow’s milk to soy formula or breast milk.

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There are many conditions that resembles food allergy such as histamine toxicity, food additives, lactose intolerance and food poison. There are many common foods that causes food allergy in adults. Examples are various shellfishes like shrimp, lobster and crab. Eggs, fishes and certain legumes like peanut are also included.

In diagnosis process, it is very important to differentiate the true food allergy from other conditions that mimics food allergy. Dietary diary and elimination of food helps in finding the specific food that causes the allergic reaction and treatment is based on avoidance of the particular or offending food that causes food allergy in individuals.