Nut Allergies: Information and Treatment

Nut allergies are an unpleasant challenge. When you have allergic reactions to nuts, you have to be so careful of what you eat. This can be exhausting.

Nut Allergies Are Stressful

When you have nut allergies, it may feel like you are always reading food labels. Many prepared food items include nuts, so you have to be careful. Even if nuts are not part of the food item, it might have been prepared on machines that also process nuts.

If your nut allergies are severe, you have probably experienced the stress and inconvenience of having to tell people about your allergies when you attend events where meals or snacks are served. You may need separate condiments that have not been exposed to nut products. You may need to tell the event organizers to ask people not to bring snacks with nuts. It’s a lot of work, and then you have the added worry of whether people have taken the necessary precautions you requested.

Living with nut allergies creates a lot of stress. But being unprepared and unaware of your specific allergies is even more stressful. An allergist can help you diagnose your nut allergies for the best possible allergy management and treatment.

What Causes Nut Allergies?

As with other types of allergies, nut allergies occur because your immune system has identified nuts as being “a problem.” When protein particles from nuts enter your system, your body goes into full-scale fight mode, trying to get rid of the “enemy.” It is this complex immune reaction that causes your allergic symptoms.

The protein in nuts is the common trigger. In severe allergies, it doesn’t take much of the protein to set off a chain reaction in the immune system. This is why it is so important to read prepared food labels. If a nut protein is included in a prepared food in even a trace amount, it can still be enough to set off an allergic reaction.

Symptoms of Nut Allergies

With nut allergies, you may start sneezing and develop the nasal and throat irritation common to other types of allergies. You might also experience skin discomfort like rashes and hives. As with other types of food allergies, nut allergies can also upset your digestive tract. Remember, your body is doing everything it can to get rid of the allergen. So you might feel stomach cramps or nausea.

Each of those symptoms can make you feel distressed. But possibly the scariest symptom of nut allergies is the way they might affect your breathing. Severe nut allergies can cause anaphylaxis, and this can be very dangerous. This is the reason it is so important to be careful of what you eat and what you are exposed to. As exhausting as those precautions are, they can save your life.

Different Kinds of Nut Allergies

Two different kinds of allergies are associated with nuts. One is an allergy to tree nuts, and the other is an allergy to peanuts. While peanuts are not actually nuts (they are legumes that grow underground), the allergic symptoms can be similar to the symptoms of tree nut allergies.

Because peanuts are different than tree nuts, being allergic to one doesn’t necessarily mean being allergic to the other. However, sometimes people who are allergic to tree nuts may also be allergic to peanuts, and vice versa. And people who are allergic to one type of tree nut, like walnuts, often have allergies to other types of tree nuts like almonds or pistachio nuts as well.

Which Nut(s) Are You Allergic To?

Obviously, it is important to know which type of nut(s) you are allergic to. This is not only to help you avoid your trigger foods. This knowledge will also allow you to enjoy eating foods you aren’t allergic to.

When you don’t have the right information, it is tempting to restrict all of your eating because of fear. That’s not a fun way to live. Wouldn’t it be great to know your specific nut allergies, so you can enjoy everything else?

Treatment of Nut Allergies

Our allergist, Dr. Hadjiev, located right here in New York City, can diagnose your specific nut allergies through a medical exam and allergy testing. Then he will devise a treatment plan to help you manage your allergies.

There Is a Treatment Plan for You

While there is currently no cure for nut allergies, our allergist can diagnose your specific triggers, so you know exactly what you are reacting to and which foods to avoid. This way, you aren’t guessing. It’s safer for you, and it allows you to enjoy foods you aren’t allergic to.

Our allergist will help you make an eating plan that is right for you. He will show you how to carry out that plan so you can have less stress.

An important part of your treatment plan is knowing how to handle your allergic reactions quickly and effectively. Our allergist will make sure you know what to do and have the medicines on hand that you will need in case of an allergic reaction. There is no reason to live in constant fear.

Many people are able to effectively manage their nut allergies and enjoy life. If you are tired of letting nut allergies control you, Dr. Hadjiev is ready to help you find answers and benefit from effective treatments. Contact us Today!

Sources:

https://www.webmd.com/allergies/nut-allergies-food-labels
 https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/peanut-allergy/symptoms-causes/syc-20376175
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_nut_allergy#Signs_and_symptoms
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_nut_allergy
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/peanut-allergy/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20376181  

Leave a reply

Serving all of New York City and the Tri State Area including Zip Codes: Top Allergist NYC Midtown, Chelsea and Clinton: 10001, 10011, 10018, 10019, 10020, 10036 | Gramercy Park and Murray Hill: 10010, 10016, 10017, 10022 | Greenwich Village and Soho: 10012, 10013, 10014 | Lower Manhattan: 10004, 10005, 10006, 10007, 10038, 10280 | Lower East Side: 10002, 10003, 10009 | Upper East Side: 10021, 10028, 10044, 10128 | Upper West Side: 10023, 10024, 10025