Debra asks:
Hi Doug,
Why is it so difficult to find treatment info. on food/drinks that cause skin reactions? When I drink coffee, tea, or certain red wine my skin itches and gets bumpy. I look for relief and all of the overcounter meds. say Itchy eyes, runny nose, etc. nothing refers to “itchy skin”. What helps for it?
Doug’s Allergy Answer…
Note: This is my opinion and is not to be taken as qualified medical advice.
You are right, Debra, this is very frustrating!
I will take some work and research to confirm this, but I suspect that allergy relief medicine concentrates on the symptoms that are most easily managed. The skin is a very complicated organ, and probably is harder to manage with allergy medication.
There is also the issue of over the counter medicine vs. prescription allergy medicine. The medication that addresses skin may tend towards prescription medicine.
An over the counter antihistamine may help with your symptoms. I also suggest you talk to your doctor about what allergy medication may be appropriate for your symptoms
Having said this, I would like to suggest that you address the root cause of your allergies rather than the allergy symptoms. Taking allergy medications and drinking more coffee is a band-aid solution that may not serve you well. Countering some allergy symptoms does not necessarily eliminate all the symptoms.
For example, one common allergy symptom is fatigue. As much as coffee may wake you up, it may also cause fatigue if this is one of your symptoms.
A better approach is to cut down or eliminate the foods that cause your allergies. Try cutting out coffee, tea and red wine for three months, then try yourself an just a little occasionally and see how you do. Providing your body with this kind of allergy relief may eliminate the problem. Or you may find you can do without these foods and therefore skip on the allergy symptoms.
In the end, it is up to you to decide if you would rather live without the food that cause trouble, or live with the allergy symptoms.
I hope this helps!
Comments welcome if anyone has further advice or for elaboration.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
After a nervous breakdown,i spiralled into a severe depression an became sucidal I tried amphetamines the next day my scalp was covered in a mushy rash an score is not the word for it ,it swells an Bursts liquid, that was 2011 an has been happening ever since,I have been diagnosed with a few mental illness issues but I have noticed if I eat bread ,cornchips things with wheat I become so itchy on my scalp it almost sends me mad I have been to hospital three times seven GPS an two skin speaclsts,I’m at my wits end,my stomached is always,bloated an I tire easy ,sometimes my bowel movements are full of blood, could the iv of amphetamines if cut with gluten could that of coursed this? I have not touched the drug since .But the symptoms are esqualating. I’m so scared an worried as all the quacks of seen think I’m nuts . I have a golf ball lump in side of my neck an two lumps the Size of five cents behind my right ear. Which cause me pain I have just gone thru another course of antibiotics by two ,an endless shampoos an antibiotic cream nothing is working,thanks for listening back toGPS number eight tomorrow.
It sounds like you suspect gluten as being a possible cause of your skin problems. This is possible. The only way to know for sure it to cut out all gluten (lots of information about that on this website), and cut it out for at least a month, or even two, and see if things clear up.
Good luck. Feel free to report back here.
I am allergic to both fish and yeast . Fish of all sorts d most severe I take 1 periton most days but saying that I try my best to avoid most products that contain added yeast and all fish and fishoil products completely. It’s not easy.
yes why are we having skin allergy?
why are we having skin allergy??
It isn’t so much a “skin allergy” as an allergic reaction seen on the skin. Why this happens is hard to say since different people have different reactions to the same allergen.
What is important is that you use skin reactions as a way to gauge your allergic reactions and use this to learn what you are allergic to so that you can avoid the allergen or take different types of therapy to get better.