Replied by Ladymars (Florida, Us) on 11/15/2014

The reason for this is that each food contains thousands of different chemical compounds and you may only be allergic to one or two. This is why you can get a shot for many allergies, but not for food allergies. This scientist said that the only food that had been studied intensively was soy, and that they had still only scratched the surface.

My husband gets a severe anaphylactic reaction to raw apples, for example. His throat would start to swell almost immediately and very shortly he would not be able to breathe at all. Instead of the runny eyes and nose you might get from hay fever, food allergies can have a life-threatening reaction. As time went on, his reactions to a certain food would get stronger. If he ate a piece of apply by mistake, his throat would swell quicker.

In my husband's case, he can eat the foods he is allergic to if they are thoroughly cooked. The researcher said that that was because the cooking process had destroyed whatever was in the apple that he was allergic to. He can eat apple sauce or apple pie with no problem.

My stepdaughter is allergic to shellfish and must avoid them cooked or raw. I know children with peanut allergies must avoid all peanut products. It doesn't work the same for everyone.

IMPORTANT: Keep a bottle of liquid (children's) benadryl handy at all times. In the event of an allergic reaction, the liquid works much faster than tablets, directly reducing the throat swelling. More than a normal dose would be necessary. It has saved his life more than once. My stepson also has allergies and always keeps epi pens in his house, car and at work.

It seems so unfair that a child must give up so much and I wish that I had some remedy that cured the allergy. The reaction can be so severe, so quickly, that it can be dangerous to experiment.

There are many good suggestions for remedies that can help, such as Vitamin C and immunotherapy, on this website.

http://www.food-allergy.org/page2.html