Food Allergies And Sensitivities
Food allergies
Although a lot of food allergies start in childhood, you can develop them as an adult too.
Some of the most common food allergens are gluten , shellfish, eggs, milk, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, and soya.
Some food allergies, such as allergies to milk and eggs, are more common in children.
People with food allergies need to be strict about avoiding certain foods. Allergic reactions to food can happen very quickly. A severe allergic reaction can be life-threatening.
Reactions to food can quickly bring on asthma symptoms too, like wheezing, coughing and breathing difficulties.
An anaphylactic reaction and an asthma attack can look similar. If you have both a food allergy and asthma, and are in any doubt about your symptoms, use your auto-injector pen and get help straight away.
You can also find out more about particular food allergies on the NHS website.
you’re having a severe allergic reaction or
you’re having an asthma attack and your blue reliever isn’t helping or
you’re not sure if your symptoms are an allergic reaction, or an asthma attack.
Food sensitivities
Being sensitive to certain foods is not the same as a true allergy. Theres less clear-cut evidence to show a link to asthma symptoms. However, it could be that some of the chemicals and ingredients in food and drink products trigger asthma symptoms.
The most common food sensitivities that can trigger asthma symptoms are:
Symptoms Of Food Allergies And Asthma
For most people, the usual symptoms of food allergies are hives, rash, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. If you have food allergies that trigger symptoms of an asthma attack, you will likely have these allergy symptoms, followed by coughing and wheezing. And if not caught quickly, anaphylaxis — swelling of the throat, cutting off your airway — may result.
If you suspect certain foods are asthma triggers for you, talk to your doctor. They can give you allergy skin tests to find out if youâre allergic to these foods.
Work With Your Healthcare Team To Control Your Asthma
Asthma is variable your asthma symptoms can get better or worse. If you know how to take care of your asthma every day, you can avoid getting asthma attacks.Your health-care team can teach you how to manage your asthma symptoms. They can help you fill out a written asthma action plan. Your asthma action plan tells you exactly how to treat your symptoms, and what to do when your symptoms get worse.
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Too Much Caffeine Is Linked To Psychiatric Disorders
Its been recognized for decades that the symptoms of too much caffeine are very similar to those of many psychiatric disorders.
Enough caffeine can even create symptoms of anxiety in a healthy person that are indistinguishable from those experienced by anxiety disorder sufferers.
Some psychiatrists recommend that routine psychiatric assessments should include examining caffeine consumption since removing caffeine can be more beneficial than prescribing anti-anxiety drugs.
For now, the preferred term is caffeine use disorder.
Its been included as a condition for further study in the DSM-5.
Can Coffee Control Asthma
First, and perhaps most obviously, hot coffee gives off steam. During an asthma attack, air passages swell and narrow, making it harder to breathe and causing wheezing or shortness of breath. Steam from hot liquids, hot showers, or saunas can help open the airways. Steam also helps with complications such as bronchitis and coughing by loosening up mucus.
The second benefit of coffee is probably why most people drink it: caffeine. Caffeine, while not as strong as asthma medication and inhalers, can also open up the airways and keep your muscles from working too hard. Even low amounts of caffeine can improve lung function, and the effects can last up to four hours.
Finally, brand new research out this month confirms previous findings that compounds found in bitter foods may actually help respiratory cells relax. Researchers have long thought that only our taste buds sensed bitter compounds, but it seems that several other cells in the body also recognize them, including muscle cells in the lungs which cause breathing difficulties when they contract. Interestingly, these muscle cells contain receptors for no other types of tastes.
However, on this last point, coffees healing powers remain limited. Simply drinking a cup wont get you all the benefits of the bitter compounds, although your throat may feel better and more relaxed! The good news: scientists are currently working a way to capture these compounds and deliver them to the lungs in an aerosol, like an inhaler.
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What Types Of Asthma Are There
Healthcare providers identify asthma as intermittent or persistent . Persistent asthma can be mild, moderate or severe. Healthcare providers base asthma severity on how often you have attacks. They also consider how well you can do things during an attack.
Asthma can be:
- Allergic: Some peoples allergies can cause an asthma attack. Molds, pollens and other allergens can cause an attack.
- Non-allergic: Outside factors can cause asthma to flare up. Exercise, stress, illness and weather may cause a flare.
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Make Them A Hot Drink
A hot drink, like a cup of coffee or tea, can help to open the airways, providing some short-term relief, and giving you time to seek medical assistance.
If you or someone that you know has experienced symptoms of asthma or has been diagnosed and needs further help, you can learn more by contacting Allergy and Asthma Center, P.C.
The Allergy and Asthma Center, P.C. is committed to offering a friendly and relaxed approach to treating asthma patients of all ages, from all walks of life. Firmly believing that all patientsâ needs are unique and that everyone deserves a fully personalized consultation and treatment plan. Get in touch with our friendly and knowledgeable staff today at 920-969-1768, for more information and help.
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Who Can Get Asthma
Anyone can develop asthma at any age. People with allergies or people exposed to tobacco smoke and secondhand smoke are more likely to develop asthma.
Statistics show women tend to have asthma more than men, and asthma affects Black Americans more frequently than other races.
When a child develops asthma, healthcare providers call it childhood asthma. If it develops later in life, its adult-onset asthma.
Children do not outgrow asthma. They may have fewer symptoms as they get older, but they could still have an asthma attack. Your childs healthcare provider can help you understand the risks.
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How To Avoid Asthma Triggers
If you know what your asthma triggers are, then where possible, its beneficial to try to avoid them.
If theres a particular allergen culprit you know of, then keeping your home clean and dust-free can help. For example, you could consider swapping carpets for wooden floors to reduce the amount of dust build-up or hiring a cleaner so youre not personally exposed to dust when cleaning.
It can be more difficult to avoid asthma triggers completely when youre at work, especially if your asthma is occupational and linked to your working environment. In an ideal world, you could simply change jobs to something more suitable for your health, but in reality this isnt always feasible.
Let your employer or the HR department know about your asthma. You should be able to discuss the options available for optimising your work environment to be more suitable to your needs.
Keeping on top of your asthma management plan, working alongside your doctor or asthma nurse and making sure you take your inhalers or other asthma medications should help to control your symptoms. Making practical lifestyle choices is important too, like eating healthily, exercising and not smoking.
It can also be beneficial to learn an asthma breathing technique. There are various breathing techniques that can help asthma and knowing how to breathe properly could help if something unexpectedly triggers an attack.
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How Do I Manage Stress
Learn to change thought patterns that produce stress. What you think, how you think, what you expect and what you tell yourself often determine how you feel and how well you manage rising stress levels.
Reduce stressors . Identify the major stressors in your life: money problems, relationship problems, grief, too many deadlines, busy schedule and lack of support. Get professional help for problems that are too difficult to deal with by yourself.
Try to avoid situations that trigger stress for you. Practice effective time-management skills, such as delegating when appropriate, setting priorities, pacing yourself and taking time out for yourself.
Practice relaxation exercises. Relaxation exercises are simple to perform and combine deep breathing, releasing of muscle tension and clearing of negative thoughts. If you practice these exercises regularly, you can use them when needed to lessen the negative effects of stress. Relaxation exercises include diaphragmatic and pursed lip breathing, imagery, repetitive phrases and progressive muscle relaxation. Many commercial audiotapes and books that teach these exercises are available.
Exercise! Its an excellent way to burn off the accumulated effects of stress.
Get enough sleep. If you are not sleeping well, you will have less energy and fewer resources for coping with stress. Developing good sleep habits is very important. Here are some tips:
Summary Of Main Results
For all dose strengths, caffeine compared to placebo was found to significantly improve lung function measured in terms of FEV1, FEF2575 and Gaw/VL for up to two hours post ingestion. This effect was sustained for FEF2575 for over four hours. Improvement was also seen in FEV1 up to this time, however this effect did not reach statistical significance. No data were available for Gaw/VL after two hours. Bronchodilation was also seen after ingesting caffeine even following a ‘low’ dose . For FEV1, the difference between the caffeine and placebo groups was not significant after two hours. In contrast, for FEF2575 the effect was clear at all times, even over four hours. A clear increase following a ‘high’ dose of caffeine compared to placebo was seen in FEV1, FEF2575 and Gaw/VL at up to two hours only. Gaw/VL outcomes were not recorded beyond two hours. At two hours, at all doses, there was an improvement in lung function after ingesting caffeine, and when reported as % increase in FEV1 this showed an average difference of 5% change . However when the study on patients who were asymptomatic and on no treatment was excluded, the change in FEV1 was higher after caffeine .
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Why Might Someone With Asthma Be Without An Inhaler
However, this doesnât mean that everyone with asthma has an inhaler with them at all times. Often when someone has been living without symptoms for a long time, they may assume that their asthma has gone, and so get out of the habit of carrying one. Some people might develop symptoms suddenly for the first time as an adult, with no preparation. Others might just sometimes forget. Unfortunately, not having an inhaler wonât stop an attack.
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Green Tea Side Effects
While drinking tea is considered mostly safe for adults, there are a few side effects to keep in mind. Most of the side effects of green tea consumption can be avoided by consuming only moderate amounts. Many of these side effects only occur when consumed in massive amountssomething most tea drinkers donât do. For most people, it would be a challenge to consume the amount of green tea required to trigger these side effects. However, certain individuals with sensitivities to ingredients in green tea should also avoid this beverage. The main compound in green tea that causes reactions in sensitive individuals is caffeine. Itâs important to recognize that most of these side effects can be attributed to the mild amount of caffeine in green tea. In general, if you drink a cup of coffee without these symptoms, youâre unlikely to experience negative side effects from drinking green tea.
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Paying For Your Medicines
Most adults with asthma will need to pay a prescription charge for their medicines.
If you need to take a lot of medicines, paying for each item individually could get quite expensive. You may find it cheaper to get a prescription prepayment certificate. This is where you pay a one-off charge for all your prescriptions over a 3- or 12-month period.
You will not need to pay for your medicines if you do not normally pay prescription charges. For example, all under-16s are entitled to free prescriptions.
Read more about prescription costs to find out if you’re entitled to help with your prescription charges.
Search Methods For Identification Of Studies
Electronic searches
We identified trials using the Cochrane Airways Group Specialised Register of trials , which is derived from systematic searches of bibliographic databases including the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials , MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED and PsycINFO, and handsearching of respiratory journals and meeting abstracts . We searched all records in the Specialised Register coded as ‘asthma’ using the following terms:
caffeine* or *caffeine or coffee or tea or chocolate or cola.
We did not exclude trials on the basis of language. We searched the CAGR up to August 2011.
Searching other resources
We reviewed reference lists of all primary studies and review articles for additional references.
We contacted authors of identified trials and asked them to identify other published and unpublished studies.
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Contact Doctor During Office Hours
- Dont have written asthma action plan from your doctor
- Use an inhaler, but dont have a spacer
- Miss more than 1 day of school per month for asthma
- Asthma limits exercise or sports
- Asthma attacks wake child up from sleep
- Use more than 1 inhaler per month
- No asthma check-up in more than 1 year
- You have other questions or concerns
Tips From Other People With Asthma
If your asthma is keeping you awake at night, youre not alone.
In our recent sleep survey, 45% of people told us they have difficulty sleeping because of their asthma at least once a week, and nearly 50% said theyd had an asthma attack at night.
Here are some of the things that people tell us help them get a good nights sleep, which our nurses agree might be helpful:
- Ease a dry throat with a glass of water
- Try a nasal saline rinse or use decongestants to unblock a stuffy nose
- Take regular exercise
- Relax in the evening using mindfulness, meditation, breathing exercises or yoga
- Avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening.
If you find reading about other peoples experiences useful, or have some advice to share, join the conversations on our HealthUnlocked forum.
Is your child disturbed by symptoms at night? Read our advice on asthma and your childs sleep.
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How Can Occupational Asthma Be Prevented
Avoidance of triggers is the best prevention against asthma. Ifoccupational asthma symptoms do occur, you may need to change jobs toavoid exposure. However, certain steps taken in the workplace can helpreduce the risk of occupational asthma:
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Change the work process to better handle irritant exposure
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Use industrial hygiene techniques that are appropriate for the type of irritant you are exposed to and that will keep exposure levels to a minimum
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Have regular medical checkups to identify possible damage that may be occurring to the lungs or other medical conditions specifically related to the irritant exposure
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Be aware of any personal and/or family medical history of asthma which may put you at greater risk for occupational asthma in certain industries
The degree to which cigarette smoking contributes to occupationalasthma is not known, but smokers are more likely than nonsmokers todevelop lung problems in general.
Is Coffee And Tea Good For Asthma
Caffeine is a mild natural antihistamine. It is similar to the Theophylline, which was commonly used to control asthma before, at times when effective treatments were not discovered.
Because the caffeine relaxes the bronchial tubes and helps them to open more, it eases the breathing for asthma patients. And for this reason doctors usually suggest consuming caffeine-rich drinks to ease the mild asthma symptoms.
If no coffee is available, two chocolate bars can have a similar effect of caffeine and thus can be taken for getting the relief.
Care that although caffeine or coffee can be a good viable option for easing asthma trigger attacks, it cannot be used as a top-line treatment option. This is due to the fact that it does not go and treat directly your lungs, as treated by inhalers during an attack.
Drinking a cup of coffee does not actually helps by making an immediate reaction which can be done by using medications and inhalers.
It is therefore not recommended to take caffeine as a regular treatment for asthma, but can be taken as a stop-gap measure when the patient does not have an access to their rescue inhaler or medications, for whatever reason may be.
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Important Tips And Advice
Asthma if left untreated for more days, can cause severe problems later. It is therefore best to consult your doctor , specially if you are suffering from severe asthma conditions.
Following your doctorâs advice and getting the prescription is a sure shot method to control your asthma symptoms.
For daily use, it is best to take asthma medications such as Bronchodilators, Inhaled corticosteroids, Leukotriene modifiers, Long-acting beta-agonists, Combination inhalers, Theophylline and inhaled corticosteroids.
Asthma caused due to infection may also need a dose of antibiotics which can be taken after consulting with your doctor.
You can of course take 1-2 cups of coffee daily in addition to your regular medications which can make you feel much better!