This is the one area where tracking down the source of the problem is unlikely to be difficult, except in the case of babies and small children, where some detective work may be necessary.
What is hard is living with such an allergy. In the vast majority of cases, a food allergy of this type is lifelong and irreversible, and for highly sensitive individuals it can be life-threatening. Assuming that you know which food or foods you are allergic to, the best policy is to avoid them scrupulously. This means being very cautious about eating in restaurants and cafes and religiously reading the labels on packeted food. Labels can be deceptive, however, because they often use unfamiliar words to describe a potentially allergenic food component – such as actalbumin’ for one of the proteins found in cow’s milk.
If you wish to eat out, it is a good idea to telephone the restaurant in advance and discuss the problem with them – say that you need to know exactly what is in the food you are eating. You should be able to judge how helpful they are prepared to be from this initial contact. For the person who is sensitive to milk, Chinese or Japanese food is a good bet because there is no tradition of using milk in Oriental cuisine.
Anyone who has had a severe reaction to food in the past should be aware that a further exposure can sometimes precipitate a worse reaction. If you have ever experienced swelling of the tongue and lips, difficulty in breathing, or generalized urticaria, then you should be very cautious indeed about trying the food again. If you have ever collapsed after eating a food (anaphylactic shock) then under no circumstances should you eat it again, however small the amount.
An initial test that can be done at home, is to apply a small amount of the
food to the face, making sure that none of it goes anywhere near the mouth. If this produces a rash, then the food should certainly not be eaten. If it does not, then it is worth approaching your doctor to see about skin-prick testing, which should show if the food is now safe to eat.
For those who have had a severe reaction of this type, it may be advisable to carry a syringe containing emergency medication, in case the food is inadvertently eaten again. The syringe can be used only once, and contains adrenaline, which counteracts the effects of the mast-cell mediators by causing the blood vessels to contract. It is-still necessary to avoid the food of course.- the contents of the syringe will only be effective if a very small amount has been eaten.
*63\180\8