Alternative Medicine

A food allergy is caused by the body’s immune system reacting to something you have either eaten or drank. These allergies are more common in children and in people who also have other allergies.

Food allergies must be taken seriously. Very tiny amounts of a food can cause a reaction if you are allergic to it, and a severe reaction can be sudden as well as life threatening.

When the body’s immune system mistakes a harmless substance for a harmful one, an allergy has occurred. Such is the case in food allergies. The substance your body sees as harmful is the food itself.

Therefore, the next time you eat that type of food, your immune system releases great amounts of chemicals, such as histamines, to protect the body. These chemicals can then trigger symptoms that can affect the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, gastrointestinal tract, and skin.

Tips for Managing a Peanut Allergy

Artificial nuts can also be peanuts that have been reflavored with a nut, such as pecan or walnut. Manedlonas are peanuts soaked in almond flavoring.

Arachis oil is peanut oil. If you are eating at an African, Chinese, Indonesian, Mexican, or Thai restaurant, their dishes oftentimes contain peanuts or are contaminated with peanuts during the preparation process. Foods that are also sold in bakeries and ice cream shops often are in contact with peanuts. Many brands of sunflower seeds are produced on equipment shared with that of peanuts.

Keep in Mind

Most allergic individuals, studies show, can safely eat peanut oil-sometimes. If you are not sure, ask your doctor if you should avoid peanut oil because of your peanut allergy. Most experts agree if you have a peanut-allergic patient, he/she needs to avoid eating tree nuts as an extra precaution. Peanuts are found in many foods and candies, especially chocolate candy. Check your labels carefully. Contact the manufacturer if you have questions.

Tips for Managing a Wheat Allergy

Wheat allergy and Celiac disease are not the same thing. They are two entirely different conditions. While Celiac disease is a permanent adverse reaction to gluten, wheat allergy can be outgrown. Wheat -allergic people have an IGE-mediated response to wheat protein. These individuals are to only avoid wheat. Most children who are wheat-allergic outgrow this allergy.

Keep in Mind

Read labels carefully. At least one brand of ice cream and one brand of hot dogs have wheat in them. It is listed as an ingredient on the label. Many country-style wreaths are also decorated with wheat products. Some varieties of imitation crabmeat contain wheat. Wheat flour is sometimes flavored and shaped into designs such as beef, pork, and shrimp, especially in Asian dishes.

Tags: alternative medicine, medicine, alternative health, accupuncture, health

Physiological & biochemical processes of the body follow a rhythm with a 24-hour periodicity of daylight-and-darkness; it is commonly called the body clock. When a person travels across a number of time zones in a short period of time, the body clock cannot get synchronized with the daylight-darkness periodicity of the destination and the body processes get disoriented. This disorientation is generally known as jetlag.

This condition is commonly faced by persons traveling long distances by jet aircrafts and hence the name jetlag. Persons who work in night shifts for long periods or work for long hours at a stretch for a number of days also face similar conditions of being disoriented. In their case it is not a question of their reaching a destination which has a different daylight-darkness cycle, but their working condition create an environment which has effectively a different rhythm

Loss of inability to concentrate, being confused or forgetful and being irritable, loss of appetite, mild depression and disturbed sleep pattern are common symptoms of being jet lagged. The affected persons may also suffer from swollen or uncomfortable feet, dehydration, etc.

In case of travelers it is the time zones crossed and not the length of the flight-time that matters. For instance Frankfurt to Johannesburg journey would not cause jetlag since they lie along the same meridian (and hence same time zone); it may cause tiredness due to length of time spent sitting up or headache due to low cabin pressure for a longtime but no jet lag.

On the other hand a journey from Los Angeles to New York may cause jetlag. There are extreme periods of daylight or darkness near north and south poles depending on the time of year; jetlag effects can be quite severe in these areas.

Here are a few tips to avoid being severely jet lagged. A good night’s sleep prior to a journey, drinking plenty of non-alcoholic fluid and having only light meals in the aircraft help in reducing the jetlag effects. Some exercise like walking up and down the aisle, stretching, etc. will help avoid discomfort. Removing shoes and stretching your legs helps in avoiding swelling of the feet.

Melatonin, some people believe, is a drug that can help in avoiding the jetlag; it is required to be taken for a few days starting with a couple of days before the journey and continuing for a few days after it. It is required to be taken at specific times. Research has shown that its claim cannot really be supported and on the contrary, in some cases, it may lead to worsening the effect of jetlag. In UK it is banned.

There are anti-jetlag diets on market. But following the diet for a number of days is a cumbersome process and not very practical solution. Some people believe that sleeping pills help you get over the jetlag; you are strongly advised against it as it can cause other complications. “No Jet Lag”, a homeopathic drug, is said to be effective and being homeopathic medicine it is stated to be free of side effects.

Tags: alternative health, health, accupuncture, , complementary medicine