By Michael Roizen, M.D. on Apr 4, 2023
Food allergies to everything from milk and eggs to shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts and sesame affect 16 million adults and four million kids in the U.S. And every year, 200,000 of them end up with emergency medical treatment because of an allergic reaction to food they ate. Forty percent to 50% of the time the response is severe, causing problems such as anaphylaxis, which triggers difficulty breathing, lack of blood flow to vital organs, and shock.
Why does that happen? One reason, according to the Food and Drug Administration, is that if you suspect you or your child has a food allergy and you go to the allergist to get a skin test to diagnose the condition, there's a good chance you'll get a (very risky) false negative. That's because none of the allergenic extracts for the diagnosis of food allergy using a skin test have to meet a standard of potency! The result is that folks can get anaphylaxis after eating a food they were told was "safe."
As nuts (or peanuts) as that seems, the FDA is now saying if you think that a negative skin test result might be "off," you should get a serologic test for peanut-specific IgE or a medically supervised oral food challenge to double check. (I'm thinking, "Get those tests under any circumstance so you know you have the right diagnosis from the start.") And, if the tests come back positive, carry -- and teach your buddies about -- injectable epinephrine (an Epipen) so you or they can stop an anaphylactic reaction.
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Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. His next book is "The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow." Do you have a topic Dr. Mike should cover in a future column? If so, please email questions@GreatAgeReboot.com.
(c)2023 Michael Roizen, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
(c) 2023 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
