A food allergy occurs when someone’s immune system reacts adversely to a particular type of food. When this happens it causes inflammation in certain bodily tissues and can even be life threatening. A food allergy should not be confused with food intolerance because, although in both situations the body can react to even a very small amount of food, food intolerance is not caused by an individual’s immune system; rather, it’s the digestive system.

Although actual food allergies are very rare and tend to run in the family, some people avoid consuming specific foods because they are under the mistaken assumption that they’re allergic to them. On average, only one in hundred adults and three in a hundred infants have food allergies. An individual would be more at risk if they or their family suffer from any allergic conditions such as asthma, eczema or hay fever. Only a medical professional will be able to diagnose somebody as having a food allergy.

Food Allergies

In principle, people could be allergic to any type of food, but the most common ones appear to be the following: milk, fish, shellfish, eggs, wheat, soya beans, peanuts and certain fruit and veg.

Food allergies are usually diagnosed by blood or skin tests, or a going through a food elimination program.

Many women suffer changing emotions after giving birth.  One minute they can feel happy and excited and the next they can feel upset or depressed.  Some women experience sleeping problems and can lose their appetites.  These symptoms can be put down to the hormones present after giving birth and usually disappear within a few days but for some unfortunate women they don’t go away and it is necessary to get medical help.  Many women feel ashamed to admit to having postpartum depression so they will delay seeking medical help. The symptoms of postpartum depression can last for months if left untreated thus harming relationships between mother and child or mother and partner.

Postpartum depression can occur from between one month to one year after the child is born.    Symptoms of postpartum depression include, difficulties sleeping, tearfulness, loss of libido, sadness, guilt, depression and weight loss or gain.  In the worst cases though, the woman can suffer with feelings of paranoia, or wanting to hurt the baby or themselves.  They can find it difficult to bond with the baby and may require hospitalization.

Causes of postpartum depression can include, stress, extreme changes in hormone levels, fatigue, or responsibility involved in the care of the new child.  Postpartum can be treated with antidepressants or with counseling.

Postpartum Depression

A tapeworm is a parasite that lives in the intestines of animals and can sometimes infect humans.  These tapeworms can be passed via infected food or water or through contact with stools.

Treatment is required to rid the body of the adult tapeworm.  If the tapeworm lays eggs and they settle outside the person’s intestines, other illnesses can occur.  Often though, people do not realize they have been infected with a tapeworm as they might not have any symptoms.  Sometimes any symptoms which may appear such as stomach pain can be contributed to something else.  Symptoms of a tapeworm could include, nausea, weight loss, stomach pain, diarrhea, loss of appetite, dizziness, insomnia or malnutrition. These symptoms depend on the type of tapeworm and the part of the body which is infected.

Soil can become contaminated by animal stools which can then result in other animals ingesting the tapeworm eggs when grazing.  These eggs then develop inside the animal and can be passed to humans through the infected meat from the animal.

Tapeworm

Tapeworms are diagnosed by finding the eggs or larvae in the stools.  A sample of stools should be provided in order for diagnosis to be made and the doctor would need to examine the anus to inspect for any evidence of tapeworms.

Treatment for tapeworm infection involves medication prescribed by the doctor.  Good hygiene can prevent tapeworm infection as can proper handling of food.