Don't suffer in silence with food allergies, ask an expert!

NHS Choices and talkhealth have teamed up with patient support charity Action Against Allergy and The Allergy Academy to present an ‘Online Clinic on Food Allergy’  from 21 – 27 February 2012.

The clinic will be hosted on all talkhealth sites, talkhealthpartnership.com, with leading food allergy experts on hand throughout the whole of the week to answer your questions. You will be able to communicate directly with the experts who include Dr Adam Fox, Dr Helen Brough, Dr Rubaiyat Haque and Dr Stephen Till.

Food allergies are common, but they are not as widespread as many people think. A Food Standards Agency (FSA) report estimated that 5-8% of children and 1-2% of adults have a food allergy. Although a number of surveys have found that 20-30% of people believe they have a food allergy. It is thought that some people mistake their intolerance to certain types of food for a food allergy.

Any food can potentially cause an allergic reaction, but the most common foods to cause a reaction are eggs, milk, soya, wheat and peanuts in children and shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts and fish in adults.

If you have a question about food allergy or are unsure whether you might have a food allergy why not visit our clinic and ask an expert? Hope to ‘see’ you there!