What Causes Nut Allergies?

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Nut allergies are fairly common and at times, they may even be life threatening. The fact of the matter is, not all of us that are allergic to nuts and peanuts are going to have a life-threatening reaction because of it. This is because there is a difference between a nut allergy and nut intolerance. Let's take a look at the two of these and see what causes them to happen in an individual. This will help you to determine which you are dealing with and what kind of caution you should take in order to avoid this type of food.

The fact of the matter is, nut allergies happen for the same reason, whether we have an intolerance to them or if we are allergic. The body reacts to things that we ingest and at times, it may consider them to be a foreign body that needs to be attacked and destroyed. There are proteins that are present in nuts and peanuts that will trigger a release of histamine in order to counteract their effect. Even though the protein is not necessarily bad for us, the body considers it to be bad and what we are actually having is a reaction because of the histamine that is being released.

This histamine can cause a number of different problems in our bodies which include respiratory problems, difficulties with the G.I. tract, our skin breaking out and even cardiovascular problems. If you have a severe allergy to nuts, you may end up with something that is known as anaphylaxis. This is a severe reaction to nuts where the airways will swell and blood pressures will drop. You may end up passing out or being unable to breathe and it certainly can be life-threatening if it is not taking care of immediately.

You should discuss these things with your doctor if you have a suspicion that you are dealing with nut allergies. Through a series of allergy testing, they will be able to determine your degree of allergic reaction and what should be done about it. You may just have to carry some histamine with you or perhaps take a little bit of salt under your tongue if you have a minor reaction. If your reaction is major, however, you may be told to carry an autoinjector which will quickly give you the medicine that you need in order to save your life.

Risks Associated with Nut Allergies

If you recognize that you have food allergies because of reactions that you're having after you eat, you would probably be surprised to find out how many times it is actually nuts that you are having a reaction to. As a matter of fact, there is a very short list of foods that has been put out which pose extreme risks for individuals that have an allergy to them. One of the leading foods on that list is different types of tree nuts as well as peanuts.

Whenever an individual has an allergy to nuts or peanuts, there is actually something that is going on behind the scenes which you may not be aware of. There are various types of protein that are in these nuts which invoke a response in our body that is quite unusual. Our body releases a chemical that is known as histamine in response to any of these proteins.

The reason why it does this is because it is actually reacting to them in an improper manner. Instead of ingesting them and getting nutrition from them, it actually feels as if they are a foreign body and needs to be attacked and removed. It is not the protein that we are having a reaction to, it is our own body that is causing the reaction as a result of the histamine that is releasing.

If a person is having a problem with nut allergies, there are several different risks that need to be taken into consideration. The most common problem that occurs as a result of this release of histamine is respiratory distress. As a matter of fact, a person can have a severe reaction to nuts which is known as anaphylaxis and this can cause their airways to swell shut, killing them if appropriate action is not taken.

Other problems can occur as a result of nut allergies which include gastrointestinal distress, skin reactions and even reactions within our cardiovascular system. That is why it is important for anybody that is dealing with nut allergies to avoid them altogether if they are going to be successful in overcoming them.

It is not simply enough to avoid them sometimes because you never know whenever one of these reactions is going to occur severe enough that it will threaten your life. Make sure that you do what is necessary in order to avoid the problem with nut allergies and be prepared should an accidental ingestion happen to occur.

What Are the Symptoms of Nut Allergies?

My child began to develop a problem with nuts whenever he was very young. I recognized the fact that whenever he ate certain foods, he seemed to be having a problem that was displaying itself in a number of different ways. It took me a little while to pin it down but it actually ended up being a nut allergy that he was dealing with. It was not only because of the nuts that were in the food that he was eating at times, it was also because of cross contamination which made it a lot more difficult to pin down.

If you are dealing with the possibility of a nut allergy, there are several different symptoms that may occur as a result. It is interesting why these symptoms tend to occur and you would probably be surprised to find out that it is not the nuts that is causing the symptoms, it is your own body. There are certain proteins that are in nuts which, if we have a nut allergy, is going to be seen by our body as being something very dangerous. In response to these proteins, our body will release a massive amount of histamine in order to combat it. We are not having a reaction to the nuts that we are eating, we are having a reaction to the histamine that our body is releasing.

Some of the more mild symptoms of nut allergy include slight respiratory distress, G.I. tract distress, skin problems and cardiovascular problems. Although many of these are not considered to be something that should be shrugged off, having a slight rash as a result of a nut allergy is not going to be life-threatening. There is, however, a danger that is lurking underneath the surface which should never be ignored.

If you are dealing with a nut allergy, you never know how your body is going to react. The most severe form of allergic reaction is known as anaphylaxis. This is very common for people that have nut allergies and many of them even carry an epinephrine autoinjector should such a problem occur. This is a reaction in which our airways can swell shut and our blood pressure can drop quickly. That is why it is important for you to talk to your doctor about any nut allergy symptoms that you may be experiencing, whether they are severe or mild.

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