5 Allergy Myths Debunked

Most people have some kind of an allergy or would have had one sometime during their childhood or might even develop one later on in their lives. A large number of allergies develop during the persons childhood and in rare circumstances people develop them during their adult life. Some allergies even get better as the person gets older, but it only depends on the kind of allergy a person has developed.

There are a lot of questions, answers and doubts that people usually have when it comes to food and it is vital to know what is right and what isn’t. This can help you recognise an allergy when you see one.

Lets talk about some of the most common allergy myths that pertain to food.

Food allergy? Not real! Food allergies involve a human body’s immune system and are extremely real. The immune system mistake the food as a harmful entity and starts releasing histamine(Histamine is an organic nitrogenous compound that involves the local immune system of a human body and it helps regulate the psychological function of the gut) and a few other chemicals to protect the human body from distress. A few common symptoms to look out for would be vomiting, diarrhoea, respiratory distress and skin rashes.

All food allergies get worse with time.
This is not entirely true. Every human body is different, that said the seriousness of the allergic reaction is based upon the amount of food consumed and depending on this, the reaction and its effects might be mild to severe.

Peanut allergy is supposed to be the most common food allergy. Peanuts are extremely common when it comes to food allergies, except they are not the most common. They come under the top 8 common food allergens only beaten by milk and egg allergies in kids and milk, egg and shellfish allergies when it comes to adults.

Cows milk allergy v/s Lactose intolerance. They're both different, very very different. Milk allergy can be caused by one or more milk proteins. It is a reaction by the human body’s immune system and can be life threatening even if only a little amount of milk or the milk product is consumed. Whereas, lactose intolerance is not usually life threatening. People with lactose intolerance might feel irritated or might feel uncomfortable after consuming milk or its bi-products.

Eat some local honey while travelling and you will never have hay fever. Up until now, there have been no concrete studies that prove this. Bees make honey from the local flowers available in the region. Most allergens that cause hay fever don't just come from flowers but they also come from weeds, grasses and trees.