Little Insects, Big Allergic Reactions
June 16, 2011 — Insect stings are little more than painful nuisances for most people. But for others, the venom from insects can cause severe allergic reactions and even death. That’s according to a joint task force of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, and the Joint Council of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, which has updated practice guidelines for diagnosing and treating stinging insect allergies.
Serious allergic reactions to insect stings cause at least 40 deaths each year in the U.S. Experts estimate that life-threatening reactions to insect stings occur in 3% of adults and up to 0.8% of children.
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Tags: allergic, asthma
Woman is free of rice diet after 12 years of allergies
A former caterer who survived on meals of rice after developing acute food allergies 12 years ago said her diet was finally changing for the better.
Micaela Stafford, from Normanton-on-Soar in Leicestershire, said the pain caused by her intolerances had left her desperate and “wanting to die”.
With help from a nutritionist the 53-year-old is now gradually widening her diet, and already feeling the benefits.
“I just feel like [she] has given me my life back,” she said.
Ms Stafford said doctors had been unable to understand what was causing her migraines and sickness.
“I just felt that anything else made me feel so poorly and in a desperate, desperate struggle to try and have any quality of life whatsoever I lived on rice,” she said.
Tags: allergic, Diets
Allergic Cascade
The immune system is very specific and goal oriented. Although you may be allergic to a number of substances, allergic reactions are directed at specific allergens. For example, you may be allergic to Bermuda grass, but not oysters. At times, however, two or more foreign substances might appear similar in nature to the immune system, which may mistake one for the other and react to both.
Tags: allergic
Allergy facts