Should You Visit a Food Allergy Doctor in Newhall CA?

Learn about the common signs of a food allergy as opposed to food intolerance.

The symptoms of a food allergy can be confusing. Some gastrointestinal symptoms seem to mimic food poisoning or food intolerance, while eye, nose, and throat symptoms can be misattributed to hay fever. While the best way to find out for certain if you or your child has a food allergy is to visit a food allergy doctor in Newhall CA, reviewing the information in this blog can also help.

Food Allergy Symptoms

The timing of the onset of symptoms is one very telling aspect of the condition. While food intolerance or food poisoning symptoms take up to 12 hours to appear, symptoms of a classic food allergy will appear much more quickly—typically within 2 hours of consuming or having contact with a trigger food.

You may have symptoms affecting your:

Eyes: In some cases food allergens can trigger allergic conjunctivitis, which is an itching, redness, swelling, or watering of the eyes.

Stomach: Eating a trigger food may cause nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, or vomiting. However gastrointestinal symptoms are often linked to a food intolerance rather than a food allergy. For example a person might be lactose intolerant and not actually have a milk allergy.

Skin: Hives, eczema, or swelling may affect the skin after eating. While skin reactions may appear anywhere on the body, swelling of the lips or tongue are especially clear signs of a food allergy.

Airways: In severe cases, food allergies can cause swelling and constriction in the throat and lungs that affect an individual’s ability to breathe. You may experience difficulty swallowing or feel like your throat is irritated like you need to cough.

Blood pressure: When a food allergen causes a sudden drop in blood pressure, this is known as anaphylactic shock. This condition is typically heralded by symptoms such as dizziness or loss of consciousness. Anaphylactic shock requires immediate emergency medical attention.

Common Food Allergy Triggers

Up to 90 percent of food allergies are caused by the following 8 foods:

• Milk
• Eggs
• Soy
• Wheat
• Fish
• Shellfish
• Peanuts
• Tree nuts

If you suspect you have a food allergy, be sure to read food product labels carefully to make sure these ingredients are not getting into your diet.

Managing Food Allergies

Unfortunately, there is no cure for food allergies. However, you can learn how to manage your symptoms with help from a food allergy doctor in Newhall CA. Your doctor can help confirm which foods you may be allergic to and provide advice on how to avoid these foods. Your doctor may also be able to prescribe medications to help manage the symptoms from your food allergy.

Please call 805-658-9500 today to set up your appointment with a food allergy doctor in Newhall CA.