A Peanut allergy is an over sensitivity to the dietary ingredients that are found in the nuts. This reaction can be very mild or it can be severe and life threatening, and it varies from person to person. The reaction to food (and nuts especially) is the over reaction of the immune system. The immune system basically thinks the ingredients in peanuts are harmful to the body, so the reaction occurs. Millions of people suffer from a peanut allergy, and it is estimated that 1% of the whole population reacts to peanuts. About the same amount of children as adults have it, but about a fourth of the children with the allergy will eventually outgrow it.

There is no cure for a peanut allergy; the only way to treat it is with a diet of exclusion. For those who have a peanut allergy, being vigilant with avoiding foods that may be contaminated with peanuts, peanut oils, or peanut particles is critical. Many foods are processed in a factory that also makes products that contain peanuts; this is an important piece of information for peanut allergy sufferers, and is listed on food labels.

Symptoms of a peanut allergy are triggered when the body releases histamine to combat the ingredients in peanuts, because it thinks the ingredients are harmful to the body, even though theyre not. The body overreacts and attacks the substances. With a peanut allergy, histamine can induce constriction of the bronchioles in the lungs, which is also known as bronchospasm, or constriction of the airways. Someone suffering from an attack may have moderate or severe trouble breathing. Some of the other most common symptoms of a peanut allergy include vomiting and nausea, diarrhea, swelling of the lips, face, neck, and throat, and hives. Additional symptoms of a peanut allergy can include acute abdominal pain, anaphylactic shock, and sudden exacerbation of atopic eczema.

The most severe cases of a peanut allergy can result in anaphylaxis, which is a severe, acute reaction to peanuts. Anaphylaxis is an emergency situation that requires immediate attention, and usually needs epinephrine as a treatment. Unfortunately for some people who have a peanut allergy, contact with anything that has to do with peanuts can prove to be even fatal.

When someone goes into anaphylactic shock from a peanut allergy, death can result because of obstruction to the upper or lower airway and heart failure. This can happen within minutes or hours after eating peanuts, and the very first signs are usually sneezing, tingling in the lips, tongue, and throat, followed by a general feeling of dizziness and feeling unwell. Any person with symptoms of a severe peanut allergy should be taken to the ER or 911 should be called right away.

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Millions of people suffer from some form of food allergies. Many others may suffer from food intolerance, but this is different. In children, some of the most common foods that cause reactive symptoms include cows milk proteins, egg whites, wheat, peanuts, codfish, beans, and soy. Most food allergies with adults are caused by Brazil nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, and walnuts. There are also many people who are allergic to crab and shellfish, prawn, squid, mussels, and other types of fish.

Localized oral food allergies can occur in adults in association with silver birch tree pollen. When a localized oral food allergy occurs, people can get an itchy mouth and throat from eating things like certain fresh fruits like peaches, cherries, and apples, and also from raw vegetables like carrots, potatoes, and also from nuts. The reaction is not usually life threatening, and doesnt usually involve the entire body and usually remains as only affecting the mouth.

Usually, food allergies present themselves within a few minutes of eating an offending food. The most common symptoms include a rash, diarrhea, swelling of the lips and face, difficulty breathing, and in severe cases, someone with food allergies can go into anaphylactic shock. Delayed reactions to foods with food allergies can also occur, such as aggravated eczema and Celiac disease. Celiac disease is a delayed immune reaction to the gluten part of wheat.

Unlike food allergies, food intolerance reactions are slower, do not involve the immune system, and are not usually life threatening. They are often referred to as pseudo allergic reactions. Lactose intolerance, for example, is not one of the food allergies, but is an inability to digest the cows milk sugar lactose. Lactose intolerance, unlike food allergies, does not cause rashes, hives, or lethargy.

A problem that is becoming more common today is that people are having reactions to the preservatives and additives in food, and these reactions may look like food allergies. Some of the additives that are known to cause reactions include sulphites, salicylate, MSG, caffeine, and tartrazine. These reactions are usually dose related, unlike true food allergies, in which a tiny amount can trigger life threatening reactions for some people. When something is dose related, it basically means that the more they are exposed to something, the worse their reaction is. It is important to remember that when trying to decide if someone has true food allergies or food intolerances, food allergies involve the immune system, and food intolerance reactions do not. If someone shows signs of a severe reaction to food such as difficulty breathing, severe swelling, or dizziness, emergency treatment is required.

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An immune systems reaction defines any common food allergy among children and adults. The reaction to any food can be mild, moderate, severe, or life threatening. A food allergy that is severe can lead to anaphylactic shock that can result in death from heart failure and obstruction of the upper or lower airway. This can happen within minutes or hours after eating an offending substance with this food allergy.

A reaction to peanuts is the most common food allergy among both adults and children. Currently, there is no treatment to prevent or cure a food allergy to peanuts. This condition is different from an intolerance to foods. An intolerance may produce upset stomach, cramping, and diarrhea, but it does not involve the immune system. A true food allergy to peanuts is becoming more common in children, affecting about 1% of all children in total. The number of people who suffer from this food allergy doubled in the five years between 1997 and 2002.

A peanut food allergy is the most common kind of fatal reaction from ingesting a substance, and 54% of fatal food allergy reactions that were reported in the United States from 2001 2006 resulted from the ingestion of peanuts. Just this year in 2008, some of the deaths from this food allergy included an 8 year old who came in contact with peanuts in his home, a 66 year old woman who died of a severe food allergy to peanuts, a 30 year old man who died after eating a peanut butter sandwich in jail, and a 30 year old man who died after eating a cookie that had peanut butter in it at a party.

In July of 2007, in the efforts to help those who suffer from this food allergy, a scientist in North Carolina had developed a process to make allergen free peanuts. Initial testing showed a 100% inactivation of the peanut allergens, and human serums that were taken from people with this food allergy showed no reaction at all when exposed to these peanuts. Food companies are interested in licensing the process, and hopefully in the near future, people who suffer from this common food allergy will be able to eat allergen free peanuts without the fear of a severe reaction.

Any type of food allergy can be mild or severe, and it just depends on the person. While some reactions depend on the amount of the offending substance consumed, some intake amounts have little to do with the severity of the resulting reaction. Difficulty breathing, swelling, dizziness, and sweating are some of the most common symptoms of a food allergy.

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There are many people who suffer from nut allergies, both children and adults. While some people only suffer with a mild rash or a bit of facial swelling, there are others who have immune systems that overreact severely not only to nuts, but to any food that they may be allergic to. Symptoms can begin within minutes of consuming an offending food or within hours. Whether symptoms that present themselves are mild or life threatening, the amount of people with nut allergies continues to increase across the country.

Nut allergies are present when the body over reacts to something that is harmless to others that are not allergic to nuts. When a person comes in contact with something that they are allergic to, the cells in the body release histamine. This makes the tiny blood vessels in the tissues of the body leak fluids, causing them to swell. Depending on the severity of the nut allergies, the swelling can affect only the lips a little bit or the entire airway of a person, sometimes sending them into cardiac arrest.

There is no cure for nut allergies, and the only way to avoid reactions is to avoid the offending nuts. If someone who has nut allergies does come into contact with them and a reaction starts, treating it quickly will help minimize the potentially serious risks to the person. If the person has a severe allergic reaction, if it is available, they should be given an adrenaline injection right away, and 911 should be called. Other than peanuts, some of the most common nuts that can cause a nut allergy are hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, and pistachios.

With nut allergies, when a person comes into contact with nuts for the first time in their lives, the immune system reacts and prepares to fight. In this initial meeting with nuts, there is no reaction! It is during the second exposure to nuts that we see a reaction. Children usually already have come in contact with nuts through the mother while still in the womb or from breast milk as infants. The sensitivity that people have to nuts varies greatly; while one person can handle and be near nuts and have no reaction, others cannot even get the nut oils on their hands without going into anaphylactic shock. Difficulty breathing, swelling of the lips, face, and hands, rashes, sweating, and dizziness are some of the most common symptoms of nut allergies.

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Both of my sons were diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and severe learning disabilities. No, they weren’t victims of the current tendency to diagnose the majority of active or misbehaving children with ADHD; my boys truly met the criteria and then some. But much to the dismay of the physician who diagnosed my eldest, I was unwilling to put a preschooler on Ritalin. Instead, though the doctor said I was wasting my time, I experimented with dietary management.

Two weeks later I visited the doctor and reported an amazing change in behavior. I also brought pictures my child had drawn–pictures so advanced from the ones he had been able to draw during testing, they were irrefutable proof that the diet was working. But the doctor had no interest in being proven wrong. He had decided diet management didn’t work, and he wasn’t about to consider changing his mind.

Artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, and MSG had a dramatic effect on my child’s attention and behavior. I became one of those militant mommies who cleaned out her pantry and stopped buying packaged, processed food. I began cooking from scratch. I packed healthy lunches, and from preschool years through grammar school told all of the teachers not to feed my kids candy or junk. I never questioned the diet. My sons’ behavior validated the diet every time they ate anything forbidden!

I’ll never forget the day my husband took the boys to the movies and fed them “plain popcorn.” Soon after their return I heard a rhythmic thumping. I found my eldest bouncing on his bed, flying three feet into the air. But he wasn’t jumping. Like a scene from The Exorcist, he was lying flat on his back and somehow propelling himself into the air! I called the theatre to find their plain popcorn was dusted with a powdered flavor enhancer–a seasoning full of additives including yellow dye number 5, my son’s worst nemesis.

A few teachers who liked to reward kids with food were supportive, buying special treats for my boys or asking me to bring in acceptable handouts. A few didn’t believe in diet management. One teacher, in an attempt to prove to us wrong, bought our son school cafeteria lunches every day for more than a month. Not only did his behavior immediately deteriorate and continue to worsen, he learned how to lie. He became so unmanageable, I considered medication. And then the teacher began complaining about his behavior, through she was still feeding him cafeteria food!

Even knowing how important their diet restrictions were, I felt guilty when Halloween, Easter, or Christmas rolled around. Having been raised on Kool-Aid, Pixie Sticks, and Twinkies, I was filled with an unreasonable fear that I was denying my children a “normal” life. Initially all bets were off for those holidays and we all suffered the consequences: atrocious behavior for a week or more and often a cold or flu as well. Over time I realized if I filled Christmas stockings and Easter baskets with their favorite healthy foods, acceptable treats, and toys, the children were happy. Halloween remained the big stumbling block.

I made a deal with my kids. I told them they could stuff themselves with all the candy they could eat for that one day. Anything left over, we trashed. One day of eating all the food coloring, sugar, and artificial crap they wanted was still followed by at least 3-4 days of out of control behavior, but at least they experienced Halloween.

Looking back I wish I had handled it differently. I wish I had taken my eldest son’s later approach. He raised my granddaughter on organic foods. Though she had no symptoms of ADHD, he packed her lunches for preschool and limited her exposure to anything artificial or made with refined sugar. She preferred the taste of healthy wholesome foods and could taste the difference–even in treats.

When Halloween came around, her father left nothing to chance. She was allowed to trick or treat, but she was never allowed to eat the candy. Instead Daddy traded the “bad stuff” for the “good stuff.” He didn’t just trade one bag for another, they negotiated. One piece of organic chocolate candy made with raw sugar was worth at least five pieces from her bag. She so wholeheartedly agreed organic candy was better tasting and better for her, she threw away the “bad stuff.” When asked if she wanted to give the candy to her friends at school, she said, “No,” with a scowl. She knew it was bad and she didn’t want anyone else to eat it either.

I wish I had been half as ingenious. I wish I’d never felt conflicted about denying my boys the foods other children ate. If I had it to do over, my sons would have known they deserved the best possible diet for the sake of their health and well-being, regardless of the challenge of ADHD. They would have understood the damage refined sugar and additives do to their bodies. And maybe, just maybe, they would have skipped Halloween altogether… Nah, maybe not.

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A lot of people complain of not feeling well most of the time. Perhaps its not a full on sickness, but more a general feeling of low energy. This may be due to the toxins accumulating in our bodies from years of consuming pollutants and toxins. Here are five small things you can do about it to make a possibly big impact on your feeling of wellbeing.

First, you may want to start a Master Cleanse to detoxify your body. Master Cleanse is a ten day program of primarily drinking the Master Cleanse drink and allowing your body to flush the toxins out. Some of the causes of toxic build up are from years of breathing polluted air, drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes and cigars, eating food coated with pesticides, and drinking unpurified water. The detoxification of Master Cleanse may give you a big push towards feeling better.

Secondly, after you have completed Master Cleanse, slowly reincorporate foods as instructed by the Master Cleanse directions. Try to choose strictly organic food to put in your body and cleaning products to use in your home. Everything we do, every choice we make, can affect the way we feel. By choosing the organic, healthy way and you may be adding to your quality of life.

Thirdly, you may want to start keeping a journal. Every day write down how you feel in the journal and what you did and what you ate. You might start to see a pattern of more exercise and healthier foods equalling a better feeling body and a happier you. Look for patterns and analyze what you are doing right and wrong for yourself. You may choose to change things accordingly, opening the door for better health and self knowledge.

Fourthly, try focusing on someone else. There are people hurting everywhere in our world and they may desperately need our help. The simple act of helping another can help us forget about our own problems and make us feel better in the process. If you do not know where to start, you might try calling your local nursing home and asking what they need. They may need someone to paint the nails of the residents, call Bingo, or help serve refreshments at a party, all of which could do wonders for your sense of self as well.

Finally, you might want to think about what you are doing in your free time. Are you using it to your full advantage or wasting it on things that wear you down? You might want to consider turning off the TV and reading a book. Television can dull the mind, while reading often stimulates it. You might want to try playing a crossword puzzle or game of Scrabble, taking a walk, cooking a gourmet meal, making a scrapbook, painting a picture, playing a round of tennis, or writing a letter to an out of town friend. All of these activities may make you feel better and this can cause you to live more fully.

Misa Smith, of Atlanta, GA, is a devotee of Master Cleanse and can attest to its ability to make her feel better overall. To find out more about Master Cleanse, visit http://www.baakla.com.