Scientists may have found a cure for peanut allergy. This is
very welcome news since peanut allergy is on the rise and can be deadly. In
children peanut allergy is the most prevalent food allergy, followed by allergy
to shellfish.
Unlike many other food allergies, many children do not
outgrow allergy to peanuts. For some people even a small amount of exposure to
peanuts can cause severe symptoms.
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| Peanut Protein |
Source: HEALTH
AND WELLNESS BLOG INDIA
Those who are allergic to peanuts have to be hyper-vigilant
to avoid contact with peanuts. This can become difficult with homemade dishes
and foods that have been exposed to peanuts but don’t contain them.
With certain allergies people can be treated to become
desensitized to the allergen. This is accomplished by injecting a series of
small amounts of the allergen under the skin. Each injection is a little
stronger until there is no reaction to the allergen at all.
This is not the case with peanut allergy. Peanut allergy is
so serious, and the reactions are often so intense, that it isn’t safe to
attempt desensitization in this manner.
To date there are no treatments to prevent peanut allergy.
It is managed by eliminating peanuts from the diet and having ready access to
an Epi-pen, which is injectable epinephrine.
There is a technique for desensitization that involves
sublingual exposure to the offending allergen. It consists of placing a small
amount of the allergen under the tongue. This method has been shown to be
effective with asthma and allergic rhinitis (continual allergy symptoms of the
nose).
Certain food allergies have been successfully treated using
this technique, including kiwi, hazelnut, peaches and milk. Researchers have
now found that peanut allergy can also be treated this way.
A small study was conducted to determine if treatment of
peanut allergy by sublingual exposure was safe and effective. The study
participants were treated daily with peanut powder for 68 weeks. At the end of
the study the participants could tolerate significantly more peanut powder than
at the beginning.
In addition, this method appeared to be safe. There were
only minor side effects such as itching in the mouth. These finding are only
preliminary; more research needs to be done before this therapy is universally
accepted and practiced.
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| Curing Peanut Allergy Treatment |
It must be stressed that this experiment was conducted in a
controlled environment under medical supervision. No one that is allergic to
peanuts should attempt to try this on their own.
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