Stop Fearing Food Allergies!

Food Allergy Specialist in New Orleans

Dr. Reena Mehta is a board-certified food allergy doctor in New Orleans that specializes in food allergy testing and treatment for adults and children. Overcome food allergy symptoms! Schedule your appointment today.

“I’m the parent of a son with multiple food allergies. When our son was first diagnosed, my wife and I consulted with multiple nationally know allergists. We were frustrated with the care we received and our lack of progress. We were then referred to Dr. Mehta who has been a godsend…Since our son has been seeing Dr. Mehta, he’s overcome several of his food allergies. There really is nothing like being able to eat out at restaurants with your child after packing all of his meals for a year.“

– Ravi Legha, 19-month old son Gavin, December 2018

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About Food Allergies

Overview

Symptoms

Diagnosis

Management

A food allergy reaction occurs when your immune system overreacts to a particular protein found in that food. Common food allergies are triggered by the following foods:

Shellfish
Peanuts
Wheat
Soy
Cow’s milk
Eggs
Fish
Tree Nuts
Sesame

A food allergy can be life-threatening, so individuals with food allergies must be very careful to avoid their food triggers. Food allergies are usually diagnosed in young children, but they may also appear in older children and adults.

Oral Allergy Syndrome

Sometimes food allergy reactions are caused by being allergic to a similar protein found in something else. For example, if you are allergic to birch tree pollen, you may have allergic reactions triggered by peaches, apples, pears, kiwi, plum coriander, fennel, parsley, celery, cherries, and carrots. This is called oral allergy syndrome (OAS), also known as pollen fruit syndrome (PFS).

Allergy or Intolerance?

If you suspect that you have a food allergy, it’s important to receive food allergy testing and a proper diagnosis from a food allergy doctor. Symptoms of food intolerance and food allergy can be similar, so individuals often suspect that they or their children have an allergy to a certain food when they actually have a food intolerance, or vice versa. This distinction is important because allergic reactions can be life-threatening.

Food Allergy Symptoms

A food allergy reaction normally occurs within minutes of eating the trigger food, but symptoms may also appear a few hours later. The most common food allergy symptoms are:

Hives or red itchy skin
Stuffy or itchy nose, sneezing or itchy, teary eyes
Vomiting, stomach cramps, or diarrhea
Swelling, also called angioedema

Anaphylaxis

When a food allergy reaction is especially severe, it is called anaphylaxis. In some cases, a food allergy can cause anaphylaxis. Signs of a severe reaction include:

Hoarseness, throat tightening, or a lump in the throat
Wheezing, chest tightness, or trouble breathing
Tingling in the hands, feet, lips or scalp

Itchy hives caused by allergic reaction to food

If you or your child is experiencing any of these symptoms, call 9-1-1 immediately or go to the nearest emergency department.

Food Allergy Testing & Diagnosis

The first step to overcoming food allergies is to receive a proper diagnosis from a food allergy doctor. Dr. Mehta can provide you with food allergy testing to help you identify the foods you’re allergic to so you can learn to live comfortably with your food allergies.

Skin & Blood Tests for Food Allergies

Following a detailed medical history, your allergist will typically order skin and/or blood tests for food allergies to help determine what food is causing your reactions.

Food Challenge for allergies

Your food allergy doctor may also perform an oral food challenge for allergies in the office, in which you are exposed to increasing amounts of a suspected food trigger to confirm an allergy, or prove that you have outgrown an allergy.

Allergist performs blood test to diagnose food allergies

Food Allergy Treatment & Management

There are steps you can take to minimize exposure to trigger foods and effectively manage allergic reactions if they occur. Be sure to discuss any medications with your food allergy doctor prior to using them.

Avoid Trigger Foods

The most important part of managing food allergies is to carefully avoid trigger foods (foods that you’re sensitive to). If you’ve been diagnosed with a food allergy or oral allergy syndrome, be sure to read food labels and always ask about ingredients when eating at restaurants or when eating foods prepared by family or friends.

Mild Reactions

Antihistamines might help relieve symptoms in cases of milder food reactions.

Severe Reactions

If you have severe allergic reactions to food, ensure that you have an anaphylaxis action plan and carry autoinjectable epinephrine (an EPI Pen) with you at all times in case of a severe reaction. Dr. Mehta provides training on how to navigate a serious allergic reaction.

Epinephrine injection for severe food allergy reaction

Oral Immunotherapy

Oral immunotherapy (OIT) is an emerging food allergy treatment in which gradually increasing amounts of an allergen are fed to an individual with food allergies. The goal of OIT is to increase the amount of exposure to an allergen that the individual can tolerate. For example, someone with a peanut allergy may be given a very small amount of peanut protein to build up a tolerance to peanuts over time.

Palforzia peanut allergy oral immunotherapy was recently approved by the FDA. So far, OIT has not been shown to cure peanut allergies. However, OIT can help reduce the severity of allergic reactions.

See a Food Allergy Doctor in New Orleans

If food allergies are complicating your life, see a food allergy doctor in New Orleans, LA. Doctor Mehta has a reputation for developing strong relationships with her patients and being exceptionally attentive to their needs and concerns.