Mysterious Illness

Do you feel sick and can’t figure out why? It might be a food allergy that’s causing your bloated stomach pain or mysterious rash. If it’s persistent and not getting better, there can be an underlying problem like food allergies. When you eat an ingredient you’re allergic to, the immune system overreacts and can cause potentially severe or life threatening symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says food allergies are a growing food safety and public health concern, affecting four to six percent of American children. You can develop food allergies at any age.

Food Allergy Awareness

Right now is a peak time for allergy and asthma sufferers. When you eat a food you’re allergic to, the body’s cells release histamine chemicals. Then the intestinal defense mechanism is breached, and your digestive system doesn’t break down the food and stomach acids properly, absorbing the antigen straight into your system and crossing the gut-blood barrier. Your intestinal tract becomes inflamed. You may also be compromised by a viral or bacterial infection.

Symptoms to Watch Out For

Food allergy symptoms vary from itching and swelling in the mouth, skin rash, hives, vomiting, wheezing, trouble breathing, fatigue, diarrhea and gastro-intestinal problems. The allergic reaction can also make your blood pressure drop and affect your heart, eyes, and brain. Kidswithfoodallergies.org finds the most common food allergies for children are eggs, milk, soy, wheat, peanuts and tree nuts like cashews, walnuts, pistachios, and chestnuts.

It is also important to be aware of Gluten issues. It not only causes Celiac disease, but can also manifest in a less severe form (gluten intolerance) that can cause diarrhea, constipation, or bloating.

Test for Food Allergies

There is no cure for food allergies. The best advice is to avoid the food or spice, giving you problems. If you don’t know which ingredient is making you sick, you can come to Johnson Medical Associates for testing. A blood test can measure your immune system’s response to certain foods by measuring the allergy related antibody, immunoglobulin E. The doctor will check for an immediate response and a delayed reaction. Skin intradermal testing can also work. A small amount of the suspected allergen is injected into your arm, and the amount of reaction is recorded. Try eliminating certain foods for a week and then add the foods back into your diet one at a time. The doctor will also look at your symptoms, family allergy history and a physical examination.

Immunotherapy Treatment Option

At Johnson Medical Associates, you can get a digestive enzyme analysis. An oral immunotherapy treatment has you consume tiny drops or powder of the trigger food, controlled by Dr. Johnson. Then he slowly increases doses at intervals, and the immune system eventually becomes desensitized, learning to react less strongly to the food allergen. Most patients have to continue treatments to build up their tolerance. Research from the National Institutes of Health shows encouraging results and tremendous progress over the last decade with food immunotherapy to treat child patients and desensitize them.

Treatment depends on the individual. You can heal the gut with nutrient replacement and the right supplements to correct the bad bacteria. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment can help heal inflammation in your digestive tract from Crohn’s Disease and colon inflammation from Colitis. Patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome can also benefit from hyperbaric oxygen treatment.

Living with Food Allergies

If you have a young child and are concerned they’ll be exposed to a food allergen in the school cafeteria, at an after school program or at a friend’s home, you should have an emergency plan. Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that can come on rapidly with a swollen airway and even cause death. Quick actions are crucial to prevent a severe health problem or even death. The child can take one bite and end up in the ER. Sometimes anaphylactic symptoms can start out mild and become stronger an hour later. In that case, a doctor needs to be monitoring the child.

Accidental exposure can happen. It’s a good idea to educate class members on the food allergy and what needs to be done if an accident happens. You can also make a laminated chef card listing all food allergens and synonyms for the student to show the cafeteria chef. You must read labels when shopping and beware of ingredients.

LABELS 101

The Food Safety Modernization Act has increased importance on controlling major food allergens and making sure labels are not confusing. It’s important to recognize different terms for the same type of food because a dairy or peanut allergy can be deadly. For example, manufacturers can use synonyms for milk like whey for the watery part of milk. You should also look out for these words on labels: “may contain,” “manufactured in shared facility” and “processed on the same equipment.”

Act Quickly

Even a trace amount of a food allergen can be life threatening. You should have two EpiPens ready at all times to give you epinephrine. While waiting for the ambulance to come, give yourself an Epi-Pen shot, and have the second EpiPen ready for someone else to administer the shot, in case the ambulance takes too long. Then, you can take an antihistamine and use an albuterol inhaler if you still have breathing problems.

Book your appointment at Johnson Medical Associates for food allergy help here or call us at (972) 479-0400.

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Reconnect with Nature

Even though it’s January weather outside, we can always benefit from fresh air (whether cold or warm). This new year, bundle up and hit the trails. An outdoor walk can naturally increase endorphins, improve the functioning of your brain, lower your blood pressure and stress hormones, and bring you a sense of joy and motivation. Not only movement, but simply being outdoors can give you a much-needed refresher. From the soothing sounds of the birds to the fresh, open air, experiencing what’s outside your front door can give you a new outlook on life.

Center Yourself Through Sound and Silence

The benefits of calmness, mindfulness, and centering the self are underrated, as there are many ways to achieve an improved state of mental wellness, which affects your physical wellness. An approaching trend in 2019 utilizes the power of sound, much like those soothing birds on an afternoon walk; some employ the use of singing bowls, sound machines, relaxation videos, and more. Harvard Medical School finds sound has been shown to help improve your cardiovascular health along with your endocrine and immune system. On the other hand, silence can have a similar effect on you through meditation or yoga, which can help you focus on just one of your senses, concentrate on deep muscle relaxation, or reconnect with your physical core.

If You Don’t Snooze, You Lose

We spend so much of our lives sleeping, something incredibly vital to our health. When you’re running on empty, it can increase irritability and make it hard to concentrate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found in 2017 that sleep disorders are so pervasive in the U.S. that it’s classified as a public health epidemic. Lack of sleep can even interfere with daily tasks and situations like driving or job performance. You can contact us at Johnson Medical Associates to get an overnight sleep apnea screening.

If your resolution for 2019 is to catch more z’s, check out these pro-sleep tips:

1. Make your bedroom an oasis. (Don’t watch tv in your bedroom, and designate it as the place where you sleep only.)
2. Turn the tech off 1 to 2 hours before turning in.
3. Stick to a schedule, and hit the hay at the same time every night.
4. Make sure you have the right temperature in the bedroom, anywhere from 60 to 68 degrees.
5. Cut down on caffeine.

Learn Something New in 2019

Expand your horizons and learn something new in 2019. Whether it’s a new language, how to knit, or perhaps playing an instrument, challenging yourself to a new skill can do wonders. It improves your mental well being, critical thinking, and can slow cognitive aging. Music is a great example, as it can alter your mood and be an emotional outlet. Turn your joy or sadness into a piece of art by expressing yourself, while improving how you think and mentally perform. Playing an instrument can also help sharpen your reading, listening and concentration levels as you recognize different notes. Meanwhile, it can better regulate your breathing, directly benefiting your respiratory system.

Check Yourself Before You Check into 2019

2019 is a chance to start new, which means you want to be sure everything’s working right from the start. Visit your doctor or contact us at Johnson Medical Associates to get that baseline checkup before making your 2019 health and wellness plans.

The post 5 Healthy Ways to Start the New Year Right appeared first on Johnson Medical Associates.

Sinus allergies are a beast of their own. Why do we also have to have food allergies? (Especially when we’re allergic to something we love to eat — that’s just not fair.) Unfortunately, it’s the way of allergies, and while food allergies cannot be cured, they can be avoided.  

Are You Allergic to One of these Eight Foods?

More than 160 foods can cause allergic reactions in individuals, but the FDA identifies 8 of the most common, which are as follows:

• Milk
• Eggs
• Fish (e.g., bass, flounder, cod)
• Crustacean shellfish (e.g., crab, lobster, shrimp)
• Tree nuts (e.g., almonds, walnuts, pecans)
• Peanuts
• Wheat
• Soybeans

Did you check any of these on the list? If you’re not sure, we can help.

Feast on the Facts

It’s estimated that up to 15 million Americans have food allergies, including nearly 6 million children under the age of 18. While many allergic reactions to food may not be serious, there are some that can be dangerous or even life-threatening, like those that cause anaphylaxis, which is a “severe, whole-body allergic reaction to a chemical that has become an allergen.” For children, it can be hard to avoid certain foods at school, so it’s important to recognize symptoms for yourself, take necessary allergy tests, and then know what to avoid and plan for it for you and your kids.

Food Allergy Symptoms are Fickle

Food allergies sometimes show themselves immediately and sometimes hours after a person has eaten the food. Some common symptoms include:

• Hives
• Tingling or itching inside the mouth
• Swelling of the face, tongue, or lips
• Swelling of throat and vocal cords
• Abdominal cramps
• Vomiting or diarrhea
• Dizziness
• Drop in blood pressure
• Coughing or sneezing
• Difficulty breathing
• Flushed skin or rash

Control Your Allergies and Be Prepared

Since we cannot cure allergies, we have to live with them and avoid the foods that trigger them. Before eating anything, especially if given to you as a gift or brought to a family dinner, ask about the ingredients. Even ask if your specific allergy-inducing ingredient was used. Read food labels before purchasing or using certain items, as manufacturers are required by law to list the ingredients in prepared foods.

Allergy-Free Cooking for the Holidays

Food allergies aren’t fun, and the holidays (and all their delicious treats) are meant to be. Pinterest and various cooking sites, like Food Network, have recipes for fun appetizers, bread substitutes, and other side dishes so that you’re not left out at the table. Find the right recipes that fit your food allergies, and maybe whip up one of your favorites that you know you’ll love.

Happy holidays from Johnson Medical Associates!

Allergic to certain foods and aren’t which ones? Dr. Alfred Johnson can help through the Johnson Medical Associates diagnostic testing.

The post What to Know About Food Allergies this Holiday appeared first on Johnson Medical Associates.

Allergy season is here, and it’s not just your typical allergies; it’s what can come from them: asthma. Around 25 million people in the US have asthma, with allergic asthma being the most common, affecting around 60% of people with asthma.

Telling the difference between allergic and nonallergic asthma is difficult, as they have similar symptoms: wheezing and shortness of breath. However, allergic asthma takes place when certain allergens set off your asthma symptoms, which happens because your immune system senses something potentially harmful.

With asthma specifically, the immune system fights potential harm by releasing something called immunoglobulin. Too much of this, though, can cause the airways of the lungs to swell. That’s where difficulty breathing comes in–sometimes even an asthma attack.

Common Symptoms of Asthma

• Coughing
• Wheezing
• Shortness of breath
• Rapid breathing
• Chest tightness or feeling “heavy”

Communicating Your Symptoms

It may seem odd, but some people have a difficult time relating what’s happening to them or knowing exactly how sick they really are. That’s why we have tools to help, like a Peak Flow Meter, which you can use to test your ability to breathe over a period of time. It measures the peak of your breathing–i.e. the best of it. Simply take a deep breath in, blow it out as hard and fast as you can, and it will tell you what your peak flow is. That way, you know your max and can set a marker for next time when you’re feeling not so great. If you hit near a critical point, seek help. Doctors usually have it in office, or you can purchase at the pharmacy.

Most Common Irritants

The most common allergens that act as asthma irritants, creating an environmental asthma, include mold, pets, pollen, or even something as odd as seafood exposure, which can cause an anaphylactic response. For these more serious responses, an epipen is the best way to go, while an inhaler is better for the more mild situations.

Determining Your Seasonal or Year Round Asthma

Visiting your doctor is really the best way to go about finding out your situation. It’s important to know if you’re dealing with seasonal allergies or year round allergies that get worse each year.

The post Allergies and Asthma: What To Know This Season appeared first on Johnson Medical Associates.