by Erin Lewis

Created on: May 04, 2009   Last Updated: May 11, 2009

At twenty-six years old I awoke in the intensive care unit of a hospital with a tube down my throat, intravenous fluids being pumped into my body, and a frightened family at my bedside. I awoke after having experienced an anaphylactic reaction to peanuts. I had known my whole life that I was allergic to nuts and had several minor reactions which were immediately treated but this was my first full anaphylactic reaction. It was at this moment that I fully recognized the terrifying reality that is a food allergy.

With the prevalence of warnings in restaurants and on food labels saying "food cooked in peanut oil" or "processed in a facility that manufactures wheat and soy products", one might believe that an incredibly large portion of the population suffers from food allergies. You might even believe that the stomach cramping you get every time you consume eggs is a food allergy when in reality it is a food intolerance. While the result of food allergies can be severe, their prevalence is far less than most think, approximately 1-3% of the population.

A food allergy is caused when the immune system mistakes a food for a dangerous pathogen and in turn responds to the threat. To understand an allergic reaction, we must first understand the function of the immune system. The immune system is the part of our body that responds to infections. Its job is to protect us from germs and other pathogens that try to harm our bodies. In some people, the immune system mistakenly recognizes certain foods as invaders so it responds by causing an allergic reaction. The result is hives, itching, swelling, narrowing of the airway, wheezing, difficulty breathing, decrease in blood pressure, and in some cases, if untreated, death. The reaction that causes the airway to become restricted and difficulty breathing is called anaphylactic shock which can lead to death.

The difference between a food allergy and food intolerance is that an intolerance merely creates a negative symptom such as diarrhea, stomach ache, or gas whereas the allergy creates an immune response. Many people experience bloating and gastrointestinal symptoms when they drink milk and this is considered lactose intolerance, not a milk allergy.

Diagnosing food allergies is typically done by self diagnosis or by a parent recognizing allergy symptoms when they give their child a food for the first time. When this occurs, they can take their child to their doctor to be allergy tested for other foods and environmental elements.

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