A food allergy is an adverse immune response to a food protein. Instead of perceiving food proteins as harmless agents, the body mistakes them for an “invading enemy,” releasing harmful chemicals into the body to try to eradicate them. Food allergy tends to be hereditary and is common in people with environmental allergies (to pollen, dust, mold, etc.)
Typical food allergies include:
Signs of food allergy:
Symptoms of food allergy range from moderate to severe and usually occur within minutes to hours after eating the “problem food.”
Common food allergy symptoms:
- Skin rash
- Itching of mouth, lips, tongue, throat, eyes, skin, or other areas
- Swelling (angioedema) of the eyes, lips, tongue
- Difficulty swallowing and breathing
- Digestive trouble (flatulence, cramping, diarrhea, etc.)
- Hay fever-like symptoms
- Hoarse voice
- Wheezing and/or shortness of breath
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Anaphylaxis
Managing food allergy:
Just as the body can be allergic to dust, mold and pollens, it can have a similar response to food proteins. When the body encounters those proteins in food items, it may interpret them as an “invading enemy” and mount an immune response to “attack” the enemy. This can drain the body’s resources and lead to a host of uncomfortable allergy symptoms.
But if you’re tired of simply avoiding the foods that cause your allergy symptoms, there is promising news. New medical studies1 have validated a treatment called sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) as a useful approach to diminishing allergy symptoms. SLIT uses under-the-tongue drops of allergenic extracts designed to desensitize the body to food proteins. SLIT has proven successful in reducing allergy symptoms to various food items.
America’s Best Care Plus offers under-the-tongue serum drops that contain extracts of 59 different food items.
1 See Research Studies for medical literature on sublingual immunotherapy and food allergies.