Conventional Of Treatment Of Food Allergies And Intolerances
Diagnosing Food Allergy
The doctor will first take a careful history to determine what the offending food might be and whether the time between eating the food and the onset of symptoms suggests an allergic response. Possible investigations include skin prick tests, in which dilute solutions are made from foodstuffs. A drop of each solution is put on the skin, which is pricked with a needle; the skin is then monitored for a reaction. These tests are not always reliable because a significant number of people who test positive to a certain food will not have allergic symptoms when they eat it. However, negative results are more reliable and virtually rule out the possibility of allergy to the food tested.
In some cases of suspected food allergy, blood samples are taken and antibody levels to certain food proteins measured. Known as RAST tests, these investigations are less reliable than skin tests.
If a skin test or a RAST test for a particular food is positive and the diagnosis is backed up by the symptoms described, the food should be tested using a double-blind food challenge. In this test, responses are monitored to the food and to a placebo. These are presented in such a way that neither the patient nor the investigator knows which is which. Read the rest of this entry »
Natural Help For AIDS Patients
Unlike the traditional medications employed during the treatment and prophylaxis (prevention) of AIDS that cause a wide range of side effects, medical marijuana causes no harm and this is the main reason why medical marijuana dispensaries are advocating its use to help patients improve their quality of life. Patients who contract any of the 30 diseases that are listed under the life threatening condition called AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) are known to succumb to this illness. They not only experience a variety of problems due to the characteristic symptoms of the disease but also suffer from the side effects of the drugs that are utilized in the treatment of the disease. HIV/AIDS has serious physical as well as psychological and side effects and doctors or licensed medical practitioners who carry out a patient’s Medicinal Marijuana Evaluation are well aware of it. Though antiretroviral therapy holds some promise in the treatment of AIDS, many patients stop using their medications because of the side effects associated with this form of therapy and treatment.
There is new hope for AIDS sufferers through the use of medical marijuana that is virtually the only known medicine that has proven to be effective in the treatment of the entire spectrum of the observed side effects like disorientation, nausea, vomiting headaches, upset stomach, depression, loss of appetite, nervousness, pain, general weight loss, and fevers. Medical cannabis is a natural antiemetic (stops vomiting) and addresses the problem of CINV (Chemotherapy Induced Nausea and Vomiting). Read the rest of this entry »