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?

Gynecomastia is a condition characterized by enlargement of the breast tissue in men. It occurs when there is an imbalance of the testosterone (male sex hormone) and estrogen (female sex hormone) in the body. It may a cause of embarrassment in men.
Causes:
The primary cause for this condition is increase in the level of estrogen in comparison with testosterone in the male body. Testosterone controls male characteristics such as body hair and muscle mass. Estrogen is responsible for controlling female characteristics such as breast enlargement. 
Men usually produce small quantities of estrogen in their body to maintain certain sexual functions. Complications occur when estrogen levels in the male body increase too much in proportion to testosterone.
The condition can be classified as follows:
1. Gynecomastia in infants:  Half of the infants are usually born with large breasts due to their mother's estrogen. The effect tends to wear of in a few weeks.
2. Gynecomastia during puberty: Gynecomastia occurs during puberty due to changes in hormones. The condition goes away without any treatment in six months to 1 year.
3. Gynecomastia in men: This condition may peak in men during the age of 50-80. Statistics show that at least 1 out of 4 men in this age group have this condition.

Some other causes for this condition in middle aged men are as follows:
1. Heart medications
2. Anti-anxiety drugs
3. Antibiotics
4. Chemotherapy
5. Medications that are used to treat heartburn
6. Smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol 

Treatments:
1.        If the cause of the condition is medications, then discontinuing the medicines should stop the effects. It can also be treated by taking medicines to reduce estrogen levels in the body. 
2.        Surgery is another option where an incision is made in the chest area and the extra breast tissues are removed from the area. This also requires repositioning of the nipple in the chest. 
3.        Post-surgery, you should stick to a proper and healthy lifestyle to retain the new shape of the chest area. Weight gain or taking steroids can cause the symptoms of this condition to reappear.


Causes and Treatment of Gynecomastia

A rash on your child s body or their regular cough bouts can sometimes be triggered by an allergy. We can excuse it by calling it a common flu or a heat rash, but the reason behind it might be something you are not aware of. Your child might be allergic, and it is imperative for you to find out that exact thing your child is allergic to, it can be dust, nuts that you may think is beneficial for your child s health or even the fabric of the clothes you put on them. Allergies are caused when children come in contact with allergens, which can he inhaled, injected or even eaten unknowingly. If you see any of the symptoms of allergies, consult your doctor at the earliest and do not treat it lightly.

Some common triggers for allergies

These are divided into four groups

Foods: Certain foods like peanuts, eggs, milk and it products which you feed your child might be triggering their allergy.
Outdoors: When kids play outside pollens from trees or flowers might causes allergies. Even insect bites and stings are a major trigger
Indoors: Animal fur or hair and even dust mites and mold that exist in your house can trigger an allergy
Irritants: Common irritants like cigarette smoke, perfumes or even car exhaust should be watched out for.
Symptoms of common allergies

Nasal Congestion: It is referred to as stuffy nose, which is very common in kids. Allergies are the most common cause of chronic nasal congestion (a stuffy nose) in children. Sometimes a child s nose is congested to the point that he or she breathes through the mouth, especially while sleeping.
Allergic rhinitis (hay fever): It is also common and its symptoms include a runny or itchy nose and constant sneezing. A child with allergies may also have itchy, watery, red eyes and chronic ear problems. Even though it s commonly known as  hay fever,  allergic rhinitis isn t triggered by hay and doesn t cause fever.
If you suspect your child has an allergy, make an appointment to see a specialist. Start a diary before the appointment and keep track of what symptoms your child experiences and what you think causes them.

Common Allergies in Children - That You Need to Know!

What is allergic rhinitis?

Allergic rhinitis is defined as allergic symptoms in the nasal passage. Allergic rhinitis can be seasonal (occurring during specific seasons) or perennial (occurring year round). The allergens that most commonly cause seasonal allergic rhinitis include pollens from trees,grasses and weeds, as well as spores from fungi and moulds. The allergens that most commonly cause perennial allergic rhinitis are house dust mites, cockroaches,animal dander,and fungi or moulds. Perennial allergic rhinitis tends to be more difficult to treat.

How does allergic rhinitis occur ?

This condition occurs when allergens (allergy- causing substances) come into contact with the nose, and usually also the ears, sinuses, and the throat. When allergens come in contact with the lining of the nose and sinuses, they trigger the cells to release the chemical histamine, which causes the allergy symptoms described below.

What are the symptoms ?

Nasal congestion 
Sneezing 
Watery " runny nose" 
Itchy eyes,nose,or throat 
Puffy eyes or 'allergic shiners'
Post nasal drip 
Tears 
These symptoms may occur during a certain season or year long. They can occur at any age. 

What is the treatment for allergic rhinitis ? 

A number of medications ,including antihistamines, intranasal corticosteroids, and decongestants are available to control symptoms. Allergen immunotherapy could provide long lasting benefit. You can "train" your immune system not to react exaggerated to an allergen anymore.

Allergic Rhinitis - Signs That You are Suffering from it?

Do you know that enlarged breasts, which are observed in many men are caused because of a health condition? This is known as gynecomastia and involves enlargement of the breast tissues in men. The condition is commonly called man boobs. It is usually not something serious and is not always permanent.

Causes
During the puberty stage, gynecomastia is quite common and normal. It occurs because of natural changes in oestrogen and testosterone, the sex hormones. The condition is also likely in men of old and middle age because of ageing and hormonal shift. Certain medicines such as antibiotics, heart medicines, AIDS medicines, drugs for heartburn and anti-anxiety medicines may also be responsible for this condition. Drinking alcohol in excess and taking marijuana, and other recreational drugs also increase the chances of gynecomastia. Breast size may also get enhanced by the use of herbal products containing lavender oil and tea tree oil.

Symptoms
Men affected by gynecomastia are featured by having a rubbery mass underneath their nipple region. It is less in amount and is usually tender. Fluid discharge is also an indication in some cases.

Diagnosis
For the diagnosis of gynecomastia, you should visit a plastic surgeon, who deals with cases of hormone imbalances. Blood or hormone tests may be required if your physical examination shows that your breasts are larger than usual, the lymph nodes are swollen, or when the lump is sore.

Treatment
Commonly, gynecomastia can not be cured with medicines. Surgery is compulsory. In the case of teenagers, the breasts become of normal shape within two to three years. Surgery is the only option for restoring your chest shape and improving your self-image. In the surgery for treating gynecomastia, a small cut is made on your breasts and extra breast tissues are removed. This makes your breasts smaller and flatter. The nipple may also need to be repositioned. Liposuction is another procedure which is carried out for this purpose, in which extra fat is sucked out from under your skin. Among the different modes of treatment for gynecomastia, surgery is meant for long term results. However, you need to undertake a healthy lifestyle in order to maintain your new chest shape. Gaining weight and taking drugs may cause gynecomastia to reoccur.

Gynecomastia - What You Need To Know About It!

The development of a girl s breast at puberty is a major differentiating factor between the silhouette of a boy and a girl. However, sometimes, men too can develop breast tissue. This condition is known as Gynecomastia. While it is not fatal or very harmful to a person s overall health, it can cause emotional distress and affect a person s self-confidence.

Gynecomastia can be triggered by a number of factors including diet, lifestyle, hormonal imbalances etc. One of the most surprising causes of this condition is milk. This is because milk is considered to be rich in oestrogen. When talking of milk, it can be categorised as organic and non-organic milk. In order to increase the amount of milk, a cow can produce they are often injected with hormones. Milk collected from cows who have received such treatment is known as non-organic milk while milk collected from cows who have not received any form of treatment to boost milk production can be termed as organic milk. Non-organic milk may also have a higher than normal IGF-I level. This refers to an insulin-like growth factor that aids in the development of breast tissue.

The main reason milk consumption is encouraged is for its high calcium levels. However, you can get your calcium from other natural sources as well. Green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale and bok-choy are very rich in calcium and the calcium from these vegetables can be very easily absorbed by our bodies. Thus, skipping your glass of milk will not give you weak bones.

Gynecomastia can be treated. Increasing your intake of cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower can help absorb and remove oestrogen from the digestive tract before it goes into the blood stream. Spices like turmeric can increase testosterone levels and help balance hormones. Phytoestrogens like flax seeds and soy can also help treat gynecomastia by minimising oestrogen levels and reducing cholesterol.

Two ayurvedic herbs that can increase the production of testosterone and thus, help maintain a balance between oestrogen and testosterone are tribulus terrestris and cordycep. Red clover can also help reduce oestrogen levels. Sarsaparilla is yet another ayurvedic herb that can help treat this condition by strengthening muscles.

In addition to these dietary changes and herbal medicines, one must also exercise to reduce fat tissue in the chest area. Lifting weights or chest bench presses are ideal exercises to strengthen chest muscles and reduce gynecomastia.

https://www.lybrate.com/health-package/135247833?lpt=PS-PPV

Drinking Milk - Cause Male Breast (Gynecomastia)?

Don't wait any longer, manage your Metabolism Image online with a Lybrate doctor today

Consult for Metabolism Image - Online and Easy!

FilterClear All

COMMON SPECIALITIES

COMMON ISSUES