When you become a parent, a huge focus of your life becomes loving your children and protecting them, and part of that protection is from food allergies. A recent study found that an alarming 5.6 million U.S. children have food allergies, and that one-third of those children are allergic to more than one food. With intensive repercussions, including life-threatening allergic reactions, it is important to be educated on common food allergies, prevention tactics, causes, and treatment options available. For detailed information from the expert allergy doctor in New York, get in touch with Dr. Shukla today!
Common Food Allergies
Food allergies can be difficult for anyone, especially children and their families. While many kids are running around care free, there are a lot that must deal with the daily struggle of coping with food allergies. It is important to get tested by an allergy doctor in order to get the most accurate information regarding specific allergies; however, in the meantime here are a list of common food allergies facing the population:
- Peanut allergies affect 1.6 million children
- Milk allergies affect 1.4 million children
- Shellfish allergies affect 1 million children
- Tree nut allergies affect 900,000 children
- Egg allergies affect 600,000 children
- Fin fish allergies affect 400,000 children
- Wheat allergies affect 400,000 children
- Soy allergies affect 400,000 children
To get tested for the most common allergens, along with others, contact Dr. Shukla, who is a renowned allergy doctor in New York.
Allergy Prevention Tactics and Causes
Although extensive research is still being conducted regarding prevention tactics and causes of food allergies, there have been leaps and bounds of new information available on food allergies in the past few years. In fact, a recent study from LEAP (Learning Early About Peanut Allergy) delved into whether feeding babies a specific food at an early age was likely to affect their risk of an allergy to that food. In one of their studies, children who regularly ate food that contained peanuts before the age of 1 had a lower chance of developing an allergy to peanuts, and those who avoided it had a higher chance of developing it. However, it is important to note that this information is not bulletproof and all encompassing, it is merely an observation and possible explanation. There are still many tests and research projects being done to find a definitive cause of children food allergies. To get detailed information on recent food allergy studies and how it relates to prevention tactics, contact Dr. Shukla, who is the expert allergy doctor in New York.
Allergy Treatment Options
Perhaps one of the most common, and most obvious, treatment options is avoiding the allergen all together. There is no way for you to suffer from symptoms if the allergen is not present in your life, but this can sometimes be extremely difficult and inconvenient to accomplish depending on the allergen. It’s especially more difficult for kids to entirely avoid an allergen because they are not always aware of what they are eating. Additionally, there are both holistic and synthetic options available in case avoiding the allergen all together is not entirely effective. The treatment options are largely based on how mild or moderate the symptoms are, so it is of the utmost importance to consult with a professional to ensure that a treatment plan is created for what is best for your child.
To speak with Dr. Shukla’s office, contact our team. With the number of children living with food allergies steadily rising, it is important now more than ever to be educated on allergies, prevention tactics, and treatment plans.
