A Mom's Guide to Understanding Cross Reactivity in Food Allergies

Food allergies can be very scary. My son was diagnosed with several food allergies and I didn't know what this meant for his future. I was worried that this might always make him be different to his peers. Most of all I was worried about keeping him safe.

I knew since he had some food allergies, he would be more likely to have other food allergies. It was also very confusing at first because sometimes it would appear that he was allergic to things that he had never had a reaction to before. I didn't know what cross reactivity was, but I soon learned all about it. I knew that I had to make sure my son was safe even though he had to deal with food allergies.

I made sure I learned everything I could about food allergies and how they worked. I asked my doctor a lot of questions, I read books, and I did as much research as I could. I wanted to make sure I knew everything that I could know that might hep my son. Hopefully this article will help you understand food allergies and how cross reactivity works.

Cross reactivity is that when you have an allergy to something in certain group you are more likely to be have reactions to foods in that group. The most common cross reaction is birch. If you are allergic to birch you are more likely to be allergic to other things in that group including many nuts, celery, carrots, and different fruits. Acenta is a great site that lists the most common cross reactions.

The most confusing part about cross reactivity is that it will not always occur. Different situations can cause someone to react differently. For example carrots ad birch are a cross reacting allergy. You might normally be able to eat carrots without a problem, but if you are already having a reaction to birch, you might have a severe allergy to carrots.

Cross reactivity with allergies isn't something that people normally think about. If you are having a problem figuring out what you are allergic to, cross reactivity is something to look into. Often if you are dealing with cross reactivity allergies can get confusing because it will seem like you are only allergic to a food sometimes.

When you or your child has allergies or a food allergy working with your doctor is the most important factor in making sure you are safe. Your doctor can do testing to find out exactly what allergies you have. Understanding allergies and cross reactivity can be confusing, but if you take the time to read a little about it and ask your doctor questions it will make dealing with allergies much easier.