Food allergies can be defined as a sign of danger given by the human body when it considers some particular food items as harmful. This is basically an allergic reaction to some food proteins. As per the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, about 4 to 6 percent of kids and 4 percent of adults worldwide are affected by different types of food allergies. The most interesting fact about the food allergies is that you can develop an allergy to a particular food at any age. Also, one can develop an allergy to a particular food even when you have been eating that food with ease all these years.

Food allergies can be categorized into main types:

Immunoglobulin E (IgE) mediated allergies: These allergies occur mostly in infants and children and can be seen for milk, peanuts, eggs, soy, and wheat. Moreover, the affected body areas include the mouth, skin, eyes, heart, brain, and gut.
Non-IgE mediated food allergies: These allergies normally affect the digestive tract and symptoms of these food allergies take a long time to develop.
Let us have a detailed look at different methods that can assist you in dealing with different food allergies.
Remove food items that can trigger allergy
It is obvious that food allergy is pertaining to a particular food and thus it is advisable to remove the triggering food items from your diet. It is also advised to remove the byproducts of such food items. This will minimize the danger of food allergy. There are some common food items which can trigger the food allergies which are:

Milk
Eggs
Wheat
Fish
Peanut as well as tree nuts such as walnuts
Shellfish
Soy
Try to stock your pantry with alternatives to the allergic food items. There is no need to make your taste buds suffer by removing food items which can activate allergies. You can try alternatives to such food items and have a healthy life. Read the label on food while shopping for groceries as most of the triggering ingredients are common in many of the food items. Thus, it is advisable to read the ingredients on the food labels before you buy them. You can also look for these common names for allergens:

Glucosamine for Shellfish
Flour, triticale, durum, vital wheat gluten for wheat
Natto, tempeh, shoyu, miso, Edamame, for soy
Roe, surimi, nuoc mam, fish gelatin for fish
Rennet casein, tagatose, whey, rennet casein, casein in milk
Lysozyme, vitelline, surimi, albumin, livetin, globulin, and lysozyme for egg
Write down your meal plans
Preparing your own meal can minimize the risk of food allergies. Thus, try to make your own food and keep a memo of what you would like to eat in a meal. This way you can eliminate the dishes which include triggering ingredients. These above-mentioned methods can surely help you in preventing food allergies effectually. However, if the symptoms of food allergies are severe, do not hesitate to take medical help.

Food Allergies - How To Deal With Them?

If people understood the benefits of laughter and it could be packaged and sold in bottles, then it would sell the most. Laughter and humour is contagious and easy to  make and use. It has many therapeutic benefits besides just enjoying a good joke. When laughter is shared, it binds people together and increases happiness and intimacy. Laughter also triggers healthy physical changes in the body. Humor and laughter strengthen your immune system, boost your energy, diminish pain, and protect you from the damaging effects of stress. 

A. Laughter is good for your health:
1.Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.
2.Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.
3.Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.
4.Laughter protects the heart. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems. 

B. The link between laughter and mental health:
1.Laughter dissolves distressing emotions. You can’t feel anxious, angry, or sad when you’re laughing. You will feel lighter, happier and confident.
2.Laughter helps you relax and recharge. It reduces stress and increases energy, enabling you to stay focused and accomplish more. It has the capacity for a person to be in touch with the present and bounce back faster from problematic situations.
3.Humor shifts the perspective, allowing you to see situations in a less serious light. You will be able to see your own mistakes as errors of judgement, learn from them and move on. You will feel less anxiety and panic reducing your heart rate and muscle tensions.

Shared laughter is one of the most effective tools for keeping relationships fresh and exciting. All emotional sharing builds strong and lasting relationship bonds, but sharing laughter and play also adds joy, vitality, and resilience. And humor is a powerful and effective way to heal resentments, disagreements, and hurts. Laughter unites people during difficult times.

C. Humour improves your Social Relationships
Incorporating more humor and play into your daily interactions can improve the quality of your love relationships— as well as your connections with co-workers, family members, and friends. Using humor and laughter in relationships allows you to:
1.Be more spontaneous. Humor gets you out of your head and away from your troubles.
2.Let go of defensiveness. Laughter helps you forget judgments, criticisms, and doubts.
3.Release inhibitions. Your fear of holding back and holding on are set aside.
4.Express your true feelings. Deeply felt emotions are allowed to rise to the surface. Its easier for others to take constructive feedback when sandwiched between something light and positive. 

D. Making opportunities to laugh together:
1.Watch a funny movie or TV show.
2.Go to a comedy club.
3.Read the funny pages.
4.Seek out funny people.
5.Share a good joke or a funny story.
6.Check out your bookstore’s humor section.
7.Host game night with friends.
8.Play with a pet.
9.Go to a “laughter yoga” class.
10.Fool around with children.
11.Do something silly.
12.Make time for fun activities (e.g. bowling, picnics, games) 

However, it is important to keep in mind that you don’t laugh at someone or in their absence. Don’t resort to sarcasm and witticism, which is not clean humor and showing sensitivity towards other people’s sentiments. So take out your laughter arsenal and get ready to shoot.








LAUGHTER: THE BEST MEDICINE

Vertigo is marked by a feeling of dizziness and disorientation. This feeling could be so bad that even standing up makes a person feel lightheaded. Vertigo can even make a person feel nauseous. 

The five most common causes of vertigo are:

Meniere s disease: Meniere s disease is a condition that affects the inner ear. It is marked by a buildup of fluid in the inner ear as a result of a viral infection, allergies or an injury to the ear. Along with dizziness, it can also cause a ringing noise in the ears, the feeling of having plugged ears and hearing loss. Vertigo caused by Meniere s disease can last for months.
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV): This is one of the most common triggers of vertigo. This condition is caused by small crystals that break free and float in the inner ear canals. These canals are known as semicircular canals. Vertigo caused by BPPV is usually short-lived and relieves itself is a few minutes. Moving the head in a certain way or jerky movements can trigger vertigo in such cases. The exact cause of this condition is not clear but it has been often associated with severe head trauma.
Labyrinthitis: This condition is also known as vestibular neuritis. It is marked by swelling and irritation of the two vestibular nerves in the inner ear canal. Labyrinthitis may be caused by a viral infection or an inner ear infection. In such cases, vertigo may be accompanied by hearing loss. Older adults are at the highest risk of this condition.
Vitamin B12 Deficiency: A simple vitamin deficiency can also cause vertigo and dizziness. Vitamin B12 helps prevent anaemia and keeps nerves and blood cells healthy. Low levels of this vitamin can cause neurological problems that in turn cause vertigo. This is because vitamin deficiencies reduce blood pressure and blood flow to the brain. A simple blood test can help check Vitamin B1 levels and identify a deficiency. Some of the best sources of vitamin B12 are dairy products, meats and fortified cereals.
Dehydration: 60% of the human body mass is water. Water plays a number of roles in the human body. One of the most important functions of water is the circulation of nutrients in the body and blood flow. Thus, even mild dehydration can make a person feel dizzy and nauseous. This type of vertigo may be relieved by drinking copious amounts of fluids. 

Vertigo - 5 Most Common Problems That Can Lead To It!

Irritable bowel syndrome is a disorder, which generally affects the colon (large intestine). It usually shows symptoms like abdominal pain, cramping, bloating, diarrhea, gas and constipation. IBS is a long-term condition. It can result in sudden mood swings, depression and thus holds you back from living your life to the fullest. IBS can be controlled by managing lifestyle, stress and managing your diet. Medication and counseling could also be required to manage IBS.

Symptoms of IBS:

Immense cramping and pain.
A feeling that your belly is bloated all the time
Severe gas
Alternating and sudden bouts of constipation and diarrhea.
Presence of mucus in the feces.
Whenever you experience such kind of symptoms, it is always advisable that you must consult a doctor, so that it doesn't lead to a serious condition.

When should you consult a doctor for IBS?
IBS is not a chronic disorder and can be controlled by home remedies. It may also require medical treatment if the symptoms become acute and persist for too long. If you experience certain symptoms like rectal bleeding, weight loss and heavy abdominal pain that might increase at night, you may be at a risk for colon cancer. If such symptoms persist, you should visit a doctor as soon as possible.

Causes of IBS:

Foods: Most people are susceptible to IBS if they consume foods like spices, fats, fruits, cabbage, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, carbonated beverage, milk or alcohol. These foods irritate the lining of the stomach and trigger IBS. However, the trigger may vary from person to person.
Stress: Signs and symptoms of IBS can also increase if you are very stressed out. Stress makes your muscles too worked up and this may result in IBS. However, you should know that stress aggravates or triggers the symptoms but doesn t cause IBS.
Hormones: Women are more likely to develop IBS. Fluctuations in the hormonal cycle can trigger IBS. This usually occurs around or during menstruation.
Other illnesses: Sometimes illness such as gastroenteritis (infectious diarrhea) or bacterial overgrowth in the intestines can trigger symptoms of IBS.
Age: You will be more likely to develop IBS if you are 45 years of age or above.
Hereditary: People having a family history of IBS are more susceptible to develop IBS.
Mental problems: Depression, personality disorder, anxiety and a history of sexual abuse can also trigger symptoms of IBS.

Can Severe Gas be a Sign of Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

Top tips to help you fight anxiety

Anxiety is the latest problem affecting a majority of the population, owing to our hectic and fast-paced lifestyles. All of us are so busy in our lives that we forget to provide our mind and body with the basic care that they need in order to function effectively. Here are five useful tips to help you overcome anxiety, on a daily basis.

1. Maintain the right diet
Though it may sound like a cliche, maintaining a healthy diet on a regular basis is the key to beating anxiety. Try and consume food products rich in Vitamin b which is known to improve mental health; and Omega-3s which can effectively counter severe anxiety and depression.

2. Get adequate sleep
Not getting enough sleep not only affects your mind but has an adverse effect on your body as well. Even anxiety can result in irregular sleep patterns and thus ensure that in any situation, you manage to get six to seven hours of sleep on a daily basis.

3. Engage with people
Man is indeed a social animal. People make us happy. The hormone oxytocin significantly reduces anxiety levels and it is released during the process of socializing; thus it is essential to be in contact with your close group of people.

4. Keep your immediate environment clean
A cluttered home or workplace not only adds to physical clutter but contributes towards building up mental clutter as well. Spend a few minutes every day in keeping your immediate environment clean and organized. You are bound to feel calmer and more relaxed.

5. Indulge in breathing exercises
When your brain is tensed, your breathing pattern automatically becomes short and shallow. In order to send relaxing signals to your brain, try taking deep and long breaths and continue the process for a few minutes.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on consult.

From lybrate: if you found this tip useful, please thank the doctor by clicking on the heart icon below. Also, spread good health by sharing this tip with your loved ones over whatsapp, facebook and other media.


5 Most Effective Ways To Drive Anxiety Out Of Your Life

Consuming too much alcohol can cause people a lot of problems like nausea and headache. Additionally, it can also mess up with your bowel movements and affects your motions by giving you loose motions or constipation. Alcohol hinders digestion, causes dehydration and drying out, discourages glucose metabolism and compromises the working of the central and peripheral nervous systems. The combined effect of these components is the primary reason for chronic constipation, identified with alcohol misuse. 

Here are a few reasons why and how alcohol can mess up with your poop:

Dehydration: Alcohol tends to dehydrate the body almost as much as a session in a sauna does. That is the reason your mouth feels so dry the next morning. Once your body gets dehydrated, it works extra minutes to recover the liquids and electrolytes from any place it can find them, including from the substance of your stomach. Accordingly, stools become dry, hard and difficult to pass.
Powerlessness to move bowels: Alcohol smothers intestinal peristalsis and kills the urge to move your bowels. For the same reason, it kills your decision making ability. Inability to move your bowel when you want, expands, impacts and solidifies the already dried out stools until it gets too difficult to go out without straining and subjecting yourself to anorectal harm. These are the two issues that usually precede chronic constipation.
Loss of electrolytes: Alcohol causes loss of electrolytes that are vital to hold dampness in the poop. Eg. Sodium and potassium. Water maintenance in the body and stools requires sodium and potassium, the minerals known as electrolytes. These are not stored in the body for the same prolonged way as calcium or magnesium and they require constant replenishment. Since alcohol stimulates urination and regularly causes diarrhea and nausea, these minerals are rapidly lost.
Occupies digestion: Alcohol in excess causes extreme vomiting that encourages the majority of the above conditions. Liquor hinders stomach absorption and causes deferred stomach emptying. This condition is known as gastroparesis. After around 8 to 10 hours inside the stomach, undigested proteins begin to spoil. This can lead to loss of appetite and the inability to eat proper meals.
Diarrhea: Alcohol affects your glucose level to such a degree that it might bring about loss of bowel capacity control and result in loose bowels, with symptoms like vomiting and nausea. Just like sometimes the knees go powerless on you from an excessive amount of alcohol, so does your bowel movement. In turn, diarrhea and vomiting are caused due to excess intake of alcohol may bring about serious irritation of the whole GI tract and digestive system, and fester in the body for quite a while.

Can Drinking Alcohol Mess with Your Poop?

Don't wait any longer, manage your Critical Care online with a Lybrate doctor today

Consult for Critical Care - Online and Easy!

FilterClear All

COMMON SPECIALITIES

COMMON ISSUES