Wine is definitely a popular drink in almost countries around the world. It is commonly a part of celebrations and occasions. But how will you celebrate and enjoy such parties if such allergies are bothering you?

There are those people who suffer from wine allergies which keep them from enjoying this amazing drink. Wine allergies have rare cases as compared to other cases of food allergies. But like any other food allergies, if not given enough attention, may lead to life-threatening effects. People experiencing wine allergies can have extremely mild or very acute symptoms.

It is possible to have a wine allergy without you being aware of it due to the symptoms you experience. For instance, after having a sip of wine, you may feel like nauseating or severe rashes suddenly appear in your body. In case you have neither experience these symptoms immediately, you will not be able to relate one from another. Several other symptoms may include headaches, irritation in the eyes, or hives and there are chances of wine causing an attack of asthma as well.

What causes wine allergies?

It is hard to determine what exactly causes wine allergy. Ingredients used in manufacturing wines are in various numbers; thus, determining which one is causing the allergy to the individual can be complicated. There are also additives and preservatives that are included in the process of making wine that should be taken into consideration. Some of the ingredients present in wines are brewers –yeast, corn, eggs, grapes, molds, and sulfites.

Most of the time, people suspect alcohol to be the cause of the allergic reactions they experience when they consume wines. But there are many other ingredients of wine that are likely culprits in this type of allergic reaction.

The production of wine undergoes complex processes. There are ways of producing the wine itself and ways of preserving it. In both processes, many additives and chemicals are added to it. In case of wine allergies, red wine is responsible for most of them. Red wines have a variety of ingredients in comparison to white wines like histamines that can produce scratchy, runny eyes and sneezing.

Sulfur dioxide, a common element found on growing plants like grapes is naturally found in wines. This compound is added by winemakers to prevent organisms from growing in the wine. It also slows down the growth of yeast to keep the wine from turning into vinegar. This ingredient may be the cause of wine allergies for many.

How to diagnose wine allergies?

A patient can go through a skin-prick test to find out exactly which component is causing the wine allergies. If there is no reaction to any of the ingredients, the patient may probably suffering from wine intolerance, not wine allergies. With diagnoses of intolerance, further steps can be done to learn how to eliminate that ingredient from your diet.

How to prevent and treat wine allergies?

Like any other prevention and treatment for allergies, avoidance of the offending food is the best. Focusing on the contents of the food will likely keep you from getting allergic reactions.

When you recognize which ingredient present in wine makes you allergic but still you want to enjoy a glass of it, then it is time for you to find wines that you can consume safely. Fortunately, there are already alternatives available for people who are allergic to wine. Organic wines can be a way of enjoying a favorite beverage and this time – allergy-free wines!

Determining what ingredients can cause wine allergies as well as the possible ways to avoid these offenders can enable people to enjoy a glass of wine occasionally. You may now have a refreshing sip of it. Indulge!

Chocolate can be said as one of the most delicious foods that are made ever. Not all may have a sweet tooth but many people, from kids to adults, definitely love sweets especially, chocolates. They are perfectly chocolate lovers.

Sad to say, for those who believe they have chocolate allergy, they cannot enjoy bites of the delightful chocolate bars. But before you get depressed about it, it is necessary to get informed about chocolate allergy as well as its diagnosis, causes, symptoms, and possible treatments.

You may be avoiding the food without you really having enough knowledge of what really causes your adverse body reactions. As a result, you still get allergic reactions from eating foods you are unaware of containing allergens.

Here are the facts that you should know about chocolate and chocolate allergy.

Potential Causes of Chocolate Allergy

The primary ingredient of chocolate is the cocoa. Cocoa is made by fermenting, roasting, and then grinding seeds from the cocoa tree. It is in rarely cases wherein a person gets allergic reactions because of cocoa. Many people believe they are allergic to chocolate but not to its main ingredient but to the other ingredients or food additives in it.

Chocolate allergies are more commonly caused by sensitivity to another ingredient often found in chocolate. Several of the most common triggers of food allergies are common ingredients in chocolate products. They include:

• Cow’s milk (including components such as casein and whey)
• Corn (including corn syrup)
• Soybeans including components such as soy lecithin. Soy lecithin is an additive in many lower quality chocolates.
• Nuts. In some chocolate products, both peanuts and other tree nuts are found.
• Wheat or gluten. These are added to mass-produced chocolate-based products. Generally, these products are sold as “candies” and not as premium chocolate. Wheat is a common food allergen and gluten is a major source of food intolerance.

People can have sensitivities to particular food additives as well. These food additives are substances added to foods that are not part of its basic ingredients. They are used to achieve better preservation, texture, taste, color, or nutrition. Cases of additive sensitivities are less common than whole food allergies.

A number of chemicals can also be found in chocolate products. There are different side effects of chocolates reported such as headaches. Others suspect it as an allergic reaction to chocolate but it is not. It may only be caused by reaction to one or more of these chemicals. Chemicals often found in chocolate products that may cause reactions include caffeine (causes anxiety, sleep problems restlessness, and heartburn), theobromine and tyramine (may cause headaches), and phenylethylamine (causes mood swings).

Signs and Symptoms of Chocolate Allergy

A variety of different symptoms and reactions to chocolate that are caused by an intolerance or allergy to one or more of the other ingredients or food additives in chocolate include:

• Headache
• Heartburn
• Hives
• Confusion
• Breathing Problems
• Rectal Itching

In severely allergic people, chocolate allergies may trigger asthma effects in asthmatic people, who are sensitive to one or more chocolate ingredients; and anaphylaxis – an allergic reaction involving two or more body systems that can lead to the potentially life-threatening anaphylactic shock.

Treatment and Prevention

Focus on the ingredient to which the person is sensitive can be the primary step to treatment and prevention of any food allergy. For those who have allergies to cocoa, it means complete avoidance of chocolate products. However, people who are only allergic to certain chocolate ingredients may safely enjoy some chocolate products. If for example you are allergic to milk, you will avoid milk chocolate and will eat premium dark chocolate instead.

Careful inspection of food labels is involved in avoiding the offending ingredients in chocolate. You need to pay enough attention to its contents and even how they are prepared. Remember, food allergies can be triggered by even the tiniest amount of allergy-causing food.

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With a scientific name, Arachis hypogeal, peanut is a legume and one of the foods that commonly cause allergies. A peanut allergy is a very serious condition that is most potentially dangerous and can cause death, especially to young adult, adolescent and those people with asthma.

Peanut allergies are the most common food allergy for school age and adults. They are said to be one of the allergies that can be outgrown. It is also said that such common foods are the ones frequently cause food allergies. Peanuts are common to westernized diets and therefore make peanut allergies common to America. Although peanuts are also common to Asia, their way of cooking it like boiling and frying makes peanut less allergenic compared to the method used by America, which is dry roasting.

Though it is possible for adults to develop peanut allergy, it tends to be less severe in these cases.

Sometimes, tree nuts also cause cross-reaction to patients with peanuts with food allergy. In addition, sometimes tree nut products are actually made from peanuts, because peanuts are often used as a substitute to tree nuts.

Peanut allergies just like any other food allergies are caused by the mistake made by the immune system. Allergic cascade is what we call to the body’s response of allergic person to peanut protein. At first encounter of the human body to peanut protein, no allergic reaction will take effect. During the eating of peanuts though sometimes just by skin contact or inhaling peanut fumes, the body or the immune system recognizes the peanut protein as a harmful substance. To be able to overcome the suspected harmful substance, the body will produce IgE or Immunoglobulin E against the peanut protein. Once the second encounter occurs, the Ige from the mast cells will produce chemicals including histamines that cause the allergic reaction. For peanut-allergic patients, the peanut itself is not harmful, but the way the body reacts to the peanut protein.

Peanut allergies are triggered very easily. For some reason, a very small amount of peanut protein, less than any other protein causing allergic reactions, triggers the allergic reaction. That is why peanut-allergic persons often experience allergic reactions due to cross contamination. Other products that are made in the same processors or machines where the peanuts are processed may cause patients with peanut allergy have an allergic reaction. For sensitive patients, peanut allergy reactions can also be triggered by direct contact to a person who just has eaten a peanut product.

Peanut allergies can be diagnosed by the same process the other food allergies are diagnosed. While eating the products with peanuts, the patient may experience itchiness or swelling around their lips and inside the mouth. Itchiness or swelling of throat may happen after swallowing the food. Abdominal pain, cramps, and bloating may occur once it reaches the stomach. After the digestion and after the body has absorbed the peanut protein, the allergen will then wander around the body through blood, causing skin rashes or hives, and may cause anaphylactic reaction.

Cross contamination of foods to peanuts are common to western countries because peanuts now are already part of westernized diets. Peanuts belong to the legume family, so other legumes may also trigger allergic reactions to peanut-allergic persons though this rarely happens. Unlike any other legume except peanuts, lupine frequently causes allergic reactions to patients. Tree nuts are different to peanuts, but tree nuts like macadamia, almonds, and cashews also cause allergic reactions to a person with peanut allergy. Therefore, peanut allergic person should also avoid eating tree nuts and lupines.

Just like any other allergic person, people with peanut allergy must bring EpiPen or TwinJect in case of anaphylactic reaction. Patients with peanut allergy may also bring antihistamines so that they may counteract the symptoms of the peanut allergy.

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People who have allergies live a difficult life. Itching eyes, sneezing and coughing are so inconvenient. Allergies are no joke for such may cause sudden death to people with serious allergy.

The primary treatment for allergies is mere avoidance of allergens. For patient that has food allergy, the food of which he is sensitive to must be determined first. To do this he must read a lot of books and articles about allergies; he must always check on the ingredients of the food he eats; and most of all, he should seek professional and medical attention. 90% of the food allergies come from milk, eggs, peanut, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat and soy. As much as possible, patients should read the labels of their food and if in the restaurant, avoid foods that may contain ingredients to where they are allergic.

Here are simple guidelines to know the signs and symptoms of the possibly life-threatening reaction on a specific area of the body:

• Face – an itchy nose and eyes, runny nose, swelling of the face particularly around the lips and the mouth due to contact with the allergen and swelling of tongue may be experienced.
• Respiratory system (airways) – sneezing, difficulty in breathing, speaking and swallowing may occur. Where as, asthmatic symptoms are wheezing, breathlessness and coughing.
• Stomach – nausea, cramping pains, bloating, diarrhea, and vomiting might be experienced.
• Total body – skin rashes such as hives, itching, swelling, weakness, paleness, chronic skin reactions such as scaly patches, and even loss of consciousness may occur.

What merely causes these symptoms is food protein or just protein. Allergies on dogs and cats are actually allergy on their saliva that contains protein. It is just that cats and dogs lick their body, thus making skin contact on them can cause allergic reaction. These proteins are also called allergens. Most frequently, food-causing allergies are milk, egg, soy, wheat, peanut, nuts, fish and shellfish. Immunoglobulin E is normally produced to make antibodies against virus, bacteria or parasites. However, due to unknown genetic reason, it produces antibodies to normally not harmful protein. The chemicals produced are the one causing the reaction, not anything else.

An allergic reaction to food can take place within few minutes to an hour after such intake. However, severe allergic reaction may just take a matter of seconds to few minutes after the exposure to the allergen. Anaphylactic reaction is a severe allergic reaction that may be triggered by severe allergic reaction to foods, insect stings, medication, and latex. To counter act anaphylaxis, people with allergies must always carry a strong antidote like epinephrine or the synthetic version of it (raceme epinephrine). It comes in the form of a pen and often called EpiPen. Or the dual pen, needle and syringe kit that is called the Twinject.

To be able to treat the other symptoms of allergy, a patient may take antihistamines to relieve gastrointestinal symptoms, hives, sneezing, and runny nose. Bronchodilators can relieve symptoms of asthma. However, they should be taken after the ingestion of the food. In addition, there are no medications yet that can prevent the symptoms before ingestion.

Try to avoid foods that may contain allergen as much as possible. To make it simple for the people to know whether a product contains an allergen or not, the government has made a policy on labeling products. According to allergen-labeling law, manufacturers must state if their products contain allergen. Manufacturers have two options. First, they may state it directly that their product contain allergen. Alternatively, they may list the allergic reaction-causing ingredient and its common name in parenthesis after the list of ingredients. If ever there are no labels in the food product, it is better not to take it. This is to extremely be safe.

Symptoms and signs may take a lifetime of treatment. However, there are occurrences of allergies that have been outgrown. Therefore, allergic patients must not lose hope.

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