02 February 2007, 12:49

Facing The Facts Of Gluten Allergy.

Gluten allergy is a nutritional intrusion due to the lack of ability to metabolize gluten or foods containing gluten. Allergy to gluten results to people being undernourished, a bloated abdomen, tight bowel movement and tightening of the muscles. It normally occurs to young children.

Food allergy remains one of the most persistent forms of allergic reaction. No one knows why people have certain allergic responses to different types of food. But it is a fact that once a person is exposed to the food allergen, the symptoms will surely follow.

Gluten allergy is a food allergy that makes the sufferer sensitive to gluten. Coeliac disease is a health condition in the small intestine. What happens to a person with gluten allergy is once the allergen comes in contact with the small intestine, it causes the immune system to attack the lining of the bowel.

In wheat, barley, rye, and low level oats, there is a rubbery like protein called gluten. This substance is what helps the dough bind, which you would see with baked breads and other baked foods. Although these grains contain gluten, which can cause a gluten allergy in sensitive people, they also contain a number of other proteins that can also cause allergy symptoms.

This attack on the small intestine’s lining of the gluten allergy sufferer weakens the stomach and can cause serious health problems in the future. The delicate lining is responsible for the absorption of nutrients and vitamins in our body. Once it is weakened, we lose our capacity to effectively turn food into energy,

Gluten allergy starts at a young age, right after the weaning period and the mother is feeding the baby with cereals. There are no specific reasons why a person develops the gluten allergy but when it happens, the only thing the gluten allergy sufferer can do is avoid gluten at all cost.

The four primary proteins found in wheat, rye, and barley includes albumin, globulin, gliadin, and glutenin, better known as gluten. While the symptoms and severity of the symptoms of gluten allergy vary from one person to another, generally a person would experience hives, swelling, abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting, or asthma. If the person is highly sensitive to gluten allergy, the symptoms could be life-threatening.

Symptoms of Gluten Allergy

Gluten is usually found in wheat products. Breads, pasta and other baked goods can be considered dangerous to a person with gluten allergy. Biscuits, pastries, breakfast cereals and instant soups and sauces also have gluten. The symptoms of a gluten allergy differ from children and adults.

Children with gluten allergy may suffer from slow physical growth, weight loss, with poor appetite. Gluten allergic symptoms also include vomiting and diarrhea. Because the small intestine’s lining is damaged, the vitamins and minerals do not go to the body. The kids end up looking thin, pale and have no energy at all.

The good news about gluten allergy is that if the person has a reaction after eating wheat or wheat product, making an early diagnosis is easy. The challenge is that so many of the foods we eat are made with wheat, making it difficult to tell where the real problem lies. Most often, a trained doctor or allergist would conduct a skin prick test or take blood to confirm that gluten allergy is the problem.

In adults, gluten allergy symptoms are similar, with loss of weight, diarrhea or constipation complicating the disease. Aside from this, adults often complain about depression, extreme fatigue, lethargy, bone pain and ulcers in the sufferer’s mouth.

Treatment

Treatment for gluten allergies begins like all other food allergy, avoiding contact with the allergen. There are certain food substitutes for gluten allergy sufferers like using sunflower oil instead of the usual cooking oil and drinking wines instead of beer.

If the reaction to gluten is severe, the solution might be to eliminate wheat and wheat by-products from the diet. However, if the gluten allergy is minor, then reducing the amount of wheat consumed and/or allergy medication or shots might do the trick. If the person with gluten allergy is a young child, chances are he or she will outgrow the allergy.

There are medications available to these sufferers. But unlike other food allergies that show external symptoms like rashes, gluten allergy destroys from the inside, making diagnosis and detection hard. Oral medication can help ease the pain from the small intestine and vitamin supplements must also be taken along with it.

Gluten allergy prevention

Gluten allergy sufferers are asked to be vigilant in monitoring their diet. Reading the labels for anything with wheat is a good start. Self-discipline is the key to beating gluten allergy. The food selection for coeliac disease sufferers is still varied like fruits, salads and vegetables, rice, corn, nuts, meat and chicken eggs and dairy products, fish and seafood.

Gluten Intolerance, also known as Coeliac Disease, is a hereditary disorder that affects the immune system. In this case, when gluten is consumed, the mucosa, which is the lining of the small intestine, is damaged. When this happens, important vitamins and nutrients are not absorbed properly. When a person has this type of gluten allergy, the symptoms would be different in children than they would be in adults.

What could be the worst-case scenario for gluten allergy sufferers? If left untreated, coeliac disease can result in anemia, bone disease and some form of cancer. The best advise is to steer clear of gluten-laden foods. The more the person does not intake gluten, the better their chances of not having a serious health problem in the future.

For answers to All your frequently asked questions about gluten allergy, please go to: gluten allergy or go to: www.allergyanswers.net, www.allergyanswers.blogspot.com/.

Autor: Charlene J. Nuble
Source: www.article.usgab.com

Getting The Upper Hand On Asthma Allergy.

Asthma allergy is the number one form of allergy today. And since asthma allergy is inherited, one can get it at a young age. The diagnosis process for asthma allergy is a simple and very straightforward test and will immediately determine if you do have asthma and not just some other type of allergy.

Symptoms of an asthma allergy

An asthma allergy reaction can vary in degree, from mild to severe. The following are symptoms of an asthma allergy:

Headache
Fever
Chronic coughing
Chest pain or tightness
Difficulty in breathing
Rapid breathing or wheezing
Scratchy or sore throat
Itchy, watery eyes
Runny nose
Continuous sneezing
Restlessness

Some of the mentioned symptoms have the same indicators to conditions like pulmonary disease; sinusitis and influenza so make sure you see a doctor for a more precise diagnosis. What you thought as an asthma allergy may actually be something else.

An asthma allergy reaction that is mild to moderate in degree can be identified with tightness of the chest, spewing and coughing up mucus, having difficulty sleeping and constant wheezing.

A severe asthma allergy attack may be characterized by the person having difficulty in speaking, a bluish color to the person’s lips and fingernails, and breathlessness. When this happens, the patient must be ready with their medication.

Asthma Allergy Treatment

The asthma allergy is treated by medicines prescribed by the doctor. These medicines reduce the swelling of the mucous membrane and help normalize the air passage of the person with asthma allergy. Called “controller medicines”, they help ease the pain of the asthma allergy attack:

Mast cell stabilizers - non-steroidal medications that control the inflammation by stopping the body from releasing inflammatory chemicals.
Corticosteroids - another anti-inflammatory medication.
Anti-leukotrienes – it stops the production of leukotrienes that are responsible for the increase in inflammation that causes constriction of the airway muscle and close the windpipes of the patient.

The drugs mentioned are used to help patients with asthma allergy to gain control of their asthma and keep on living a normal life. They are available in capsules, tablets and inhalers. A person suffering from asthma attacks should always bring their medicine along especially since these attacks are unpredictable.

Asthma Allergy Prevention

An asthma allergy attack cannot be prevented since doctors are not sure what causes asthma. But there are ways that a person with an asthma allergy can reduce the symptoms or totally avoid having an attack.

Keep a clean and dust-free environment by vacuuming the house.
If you live near a dusty road where cars frequently pass by, pour water on the road in front of your house. This will stop the dust from flying into the home.
Regularly clean the fan, air-conditioning and other ducts that come in contact with air.
Avoid places that have plenty of environmental allergens like molds, pollens, animal dander and secondhand cigarette smoke.
Wear a mask when cleaning the house or going to a place full of allergens.
Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet.

In the end, the only way to defeat asthma is to learn how to live with the condition. Healthy living is a great way to turn one’s life around when a person has asthma. And with the help of modern science, it is not impossible to lead a productive life. Despite an allergic reaction, one should not stop enjoying life even if they have asthma.

Charlene J. Nuble 2006. For answers to All your frequently asked questions about asthma allergy, please go to: asthma-allergy.allergyanswers.net/

Autor: Charlene J. Nuble