General 概論

1. What is allergy? An allergy is an inappropriate response by the body's immune system to a vegetable or animal substance that is normally not harmful. Substances which cause the body to react is called allergens. The most common allergens include pollen, animal fur, dust and foods such as strawberries, dairy products, wheat, egg and shellfish. When an allergen enters a body of an allergic person, the body produces antibodies to help defend itself which are designed to neutralize the allergen. It is the reaction between the allergen and the antibodies which then produces the symptoms of an allergic reaction. The main symptoms of an allergy include watery eyes, nasal congestion, wheezing, itching, headaches and skin rashes. No one knows why some people are allergic to particular substances but allergies are probably influenced by genetic, emotional, physical and environmental factors. Common diseases associated with allergies or with a malfunctioning immune system are food allergies, arthritis, eczema, asthma, diabetes, hay fever, inflammatory bowel disease, infections and hives.2. What are food allergies and food intolerance?For centuries it has been known that consumption of certain reactive foods can have profound effects on physical and mental health. Foods are one. Of the most common causes of allergies, but there is often confusion as to whether you are suffering from a food allergy or food intolerance. Food intolerance is defined as an abnormal physiological response to an ingested food or food additive which is not proven to be immunological in nature. A person with a food intolerance cannot process or digest that food correctly, often due to a lack of certain enzyme. Symptoms of food intolerance include fatigue, bloating, headache, depression and nausea. The reaction to food intolerance can be a latent one, i.e. the symptoms may only appear hours or even days after taking the concerned food. Food allergy is defined as an immunological reaction resulting from the ingestion of a food or food additive. The symptoms of a food allergy include skin rashes, nasal congestion and in severe cases anaphylactic shock. An allergic reaction tends to be more severe and is quite rare and may occur after only a small amount of the food has been ingested and it is unrelated to any physiological effect of the food or additive. 3. How can allergy be treated and what is an elimination diet? The easiest way of treating food allergies and intolerances is to avoid the foods that are causing the problems. This can be achieved by using an elimination diet. An elimination diet has two main points. The first is called the exclusion phase in which any food which might be causing the allergy is avoided. If the symptoms do disappear, the next stage is to reintroduce foods, one at a time, to discover which ones produce the symptoms. This is known as the reintroduction phase. Foods which often cause allergic reactions and therefore should be avoided include: * Dairy products such as milk and cheese* Cereals such as wheat. These foods are often found as components of many processed foods.* Gluten ( a protein found in cereals such as wheat, rye, oats and barley).This allergy is known as coeliac disease and sufferers must avoid all foods which contain gluten.* shellfish* nuts* strawberriesIt has also been widely documented that by avoiding certain foods that may cause allergy, the conditions of eczema, asthma and arthritis and other immune disorder-related problems may improve significantly. 4. How can supplements help combat allergy ?Taking appropriate supplements to boost the immune system is also a good way to reduce allergies/intolerances. For example, most eczema sufferers are unable to process fatty acids normally, which can lead to low levels or a deficiency of gamma-linoleic acid (GLA). GLA is found in Evening Primrose oil, Starflower oil and blackcurrant seed oil. GLA helps to control the immune system and therefore allergic responses. Fish oils are also an important source of the essential fatty acids. Vitamin A and zinc are also two other important skin nutrients. Vitamin A is critical to the proper development and maintenance of the skin and zinc aids healing and enhances immune function. Last but not least, chemicals and detergents found in many household products can irritate the skin and worsen the eczema. Sufferers should always use sensitive skin products.5. What other treatments are available ?There are also other alternative treatment which is getting increased acceptance, for example, homeopathy, Namburdripad's Allergy Elimination Techniques (NAET)which is a drug free, non-intrusive way of treating allergies. 6. How can I find out which food I am allergic to?Food intolerance is particularly difficult to investigate because the symptoms are separated in time from consumption of the food. The symptoms often persists for decades and patients often report that multiple visits to their doctor have not resolved the problems. It is now possible to have a food allergy test--- the more reliable one is Food IgG ELISA Test (Enzyme Immunoassay method for IgG antibody detection). By taking a small blood sample, over 90 commonly encountered foods can be tested against the sample. Usually the results can be obtained in a month's time.1. 甚麼是過敏症? 過敏症是身體免疫系統對某種植物或動物的正常和無害物質的一種不恰當反應。引起身體反應的物質稱為致敏原。最普遍的致敏原包括：花粉、動物毛、塵埃及食物，好像草莓、乳製品、小麥、蛋及貝殼類食物等。當某種致敏原進入一個過敏症患者的身體，身體便會產生抗體去保護自己，目的是將致敏原中和。正是由於致敏原和抗體之間的這種關係，產生出各種過敏反應。過敏症的主要症狀包括：流眼水、鼻塞、喘氣、痕癢、頭痛及紅疹。沒有人知道為何有些人會對某種物質過敏，個中原因也許是基因、情緒、體質或環境因素的影響。一般與過敏或免疫功能失調有關的疾病是食物敏感、關節炎、哮喘、糖尿病、花粉過敏、腸胃炎、感染和痳疹等。2. 甚麼是食物過敏和食物不耐性?多個世紀以來人們都知道進食有某種反應的食物，可能會對身體和精神健康做成深遠的影響。食物是其中一個引發過敏的常見原因，不過，人們通常弄不清楚自己到底是患上食物過敏症還是食物不耐性？食物不耐性的定義是指對吃下了的食物或食物添加劑產生不正常的生理反應，這在本質上未證實與免疫系統有關。食物不耐性患者通常是由於缺乏某種酵素，以致無法正常消化處理某種食物。病徵包括：疲倦、浮腫、頭痛、情緒低落及噁心。患者對食物的反應可能是潛在性，例如徵狀可能在吃下食物後的數小時以至數天之後才出現。食物過敏則被定義為身體的免疫功能對吃下了的食物或食物添加劑出現反應。食物過敏的徵狀包括：皮膚紅疹、鼻塞，嚴重的更可導致休克。食物過敏的嚴重性可謂更大，不過較為罕見，患者即使只進食了少量的食物也會發病，其原因與食物或食物添加劑的生理影響無關。3. 如何治理過敏症及甚麼是清除性的飲食? 對付食物過敏症最簡單的方法是避免進食會引起過敏的食物，方法是採取清除性的飲食。所謂清除性的飲食包括兩項要點，首先是回避的階段，避免進食任何會引致過敏的食物。假如過敏病徵就此消失，下一步便是逐步吃回先前避免的食物，每次只限一樣，從而發現到底是甚麼食物引發過敏；這被稱為回溯的階段。患者應該避免那些經常會引起過敏的食物，包括: *乳製品好像牛奶和芝士*穀物好像麥。很多加工食物都含有這些食物成份*谷膠(一種存在於穀物中的蛋白質，好像小麥、黑麥、燕麥和大麥都含有) 有一種稱為乳糜瀉的過敏症，患者必須避免進食任何含有穀膠的食物，包括:*貝殼類*堅果*草莓有很多文獻提出透過避免進食某類引致過敏的食物，很多病症的患者都會有所改善，好像濕疹、哮喘、關節炎及其它免疫功能失調有關的問題等。4. 補充劑如何有助對抗過敏症?進食適當的補充劑去增強免疫系統是有效的途徑去減輕過敏或不耐性。舉例來說，大部份濕疹患者都無法正常地處理脂肪，以至體內的酸伽瑪亞油酸(GLA)水平偏低或不足。GLA存在於待宵草油、七瓣蓮油、及黑加侖子的籽油中。GLA有助調節免疫系統從而控制過敏反應。魚油是必需脂肪酸的一個重要來源。維生素A 和鋅酸是另外兩種重要的皮膚營養成份。維生素A對皮膚的健康發展和保持良好狀態至為重要，而鋅酸則發揮治療及促進免疫功能的作用。最後，很多家居使用的化學品和清潔劑都會刺激皮膚及使濕疹情況惡化。故患者須小心使用皮膚用品。5. 有沒有其他治療方法?有一些另類治療方法正愈來愈多人採用，例如順勢治療法，Namburdripad 的過敏杜絕方法(NAET)是一種毋須藥物、不干擾式的過敏治療方法。6. 怎樣可以找出令我過敏的食物?食物不耐性是甚難偵測的，原因是進食後可能相隔一段時間才出現病徵。患者的症狀通常持續數十年，期間多次看醫生仍無法將問題解決。現在已有食物過敏的測試 - 較常使用的是食物與免疫球蛋白抗體測試(Food IgG ELISA Test)。通過抽取小量的血液樣本，可以驗測出對90種常見食物會否過敏，通常可以在一個月內知道結果。