Food Allergies

If you have symptoms of a food allergy, such as nausea, diarrhea, and stomach pain shortly after eating, don’t wait to seek testing and treatment from Julie Wendt, MD, and the team at Relieve Allergy, Asthma & Hives in Scottsdale, Arizona. Even if you have mild symptoms now, your next allergic response could be a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction. With treatment, you can ease your symptoms and be prepared for any reaction. Call the office or use online booking today to schedule an in-person or telemedicine assessment for food allergies.

What causes food allergies?

Food allergies occur when your immune system labels a protein as dangerous (even though it’s not). You’re most likely to develop allergies to:

• Cow’s milk
• Eggs
• Peanuts
• Wheat
• Soy
• Sesame
• Tree nuts
• Fish
• Shellfish

Most of these foods commonly cause allergies in children. However, fish and shellfish allergies often appear for the first time in adults.

What are the symptoms of a food allergy?

One or more of the following symptoms appear shortly after consuming your allergen or at least within two hours:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Abdominal pain
• Hives
• Angioedema (swelling)
• Red, itchy skin
• Teary, itchy eyes
• Stuffy, itchy nose
• Itchy mouth
• Sneezing

Food allergies are also one of the top causes of anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction that can rapidly progress, causing shock and death.

Anaphylaxis causes:

• Swelling of your lips, tongue, and throat
• Difficulty breathing
• Chest tightness
• Wheezing
• Dizziness
• Fainting
• Hives

Anaphylaxis is a medical emergency. You should immediately use your epinephrine pen and call 911.

How are food allergies diagnosed?

The Relieve Allergy, Asthma & Hives team learns if you can connect certain foods with your symptoms. Then they perform allergy testing with a skin prick or blood test.

Your provider performs an oral food challenge if other allergy tests are negative while your symptoms point to a food allergy. During an oral food challenge, your provider carefully supervises your reactions as you consume gradually increasing doses of the food suspected of being your allergen.

How are food allergies treated?

There’s only one treatment for food allergies: avoiding your allergen. You also need to carry a self-injectable epinephrine pen in case of a severe reaction.

You may be a good candidate for oral immunotherapy (OIT) if you have specific food allergies. OIT can reduce your immune response and lower your risk of having an anaphylactic reaction.

During oral immunotherapy, you consume regular small doses of your allergen. Your Relieve Allergy, Asthma & Hives provider is certified to prescribe Palforzia®, an oral immunotherapy for patients with a peanut allergy.

Don’t wait to seek testing and treatment for a possible food allergy. Call Relieve Allergy, Asthma & Hives or click the online booking feature today.