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Dangerous Bites

A Food Allergy Primer

By Teri Brown

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Then it's time to take a good look at the child's diet. With toddlers who are slowly being introduced to foods, it is often easy to pinpoint the problem. Otherwise it may be more problematic.

"Some clues may point you toward obvious allergens, however it is much easier to simply get tested," says Dr. Herrscher. "Foods can be very difficult except when the allergy is severe and immediate. With mild food allergy, reactions may not occur every time and can vary depending on amount of food ingested and even how the food was prepared. Trial-elimination diets are not recommended on their own. It is best to get tested first, identify possible food allergens then systematically eliminate these foods from the diet to see effects."

Some common troublemakers are cow's milk, eggs, peanuts, soybeans, wheat, fish and shellfish. According to Dr. Herrscher, these foods account for 80 percent of the food allergies seen in children.

Advice from the Experts
Dr. Herrscher says it is an allergy expert's job to help the parent put all the pieces of the puzzle together. This includes the present history with context or circumstances surrounding the symptoms, past medical history, family history, environmental history and physical exam.

"Depending on the child's age and type of allergy being investigated, testing may or may not be recommended," says Dr. Herrscher. "Food allergy will show up early (first year of life) and typically needs to be confirmed."


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