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.

The menopause is that period in a woman’s life when her periods stop permanently. It’s a natural process that marks the end of a females reproductive years and the average age at which this happens is 51, although it varies from woman to woman. The menopause actually takes place when there aren’t any more eggs in the ovaries. It is these eggs that stimulate the production of estrogen, but when the levels of this hormone drop in the blood, the menstrual cycle is disrupted.

Menopause

The menopause normally takes place gradually and for a few years prior to it a woman’s periods may become more irregular; occurring every couple of weeks or every few months. Bleeding may be a bit heavier during this time as well.

Some women do not suffer any symptoms on the onset of the menopause, but approximately eight out of ten women do. These symptoms can include hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, palpitations, insomnia, dry skin, thinning hair, brittle nails, aches and pains, loss of libido, headaches, weight gain, and vaginal and urinary changes.

The lower levels of hormones brought on by the menopause can also increase the risks associated with other health issues in the long term, including osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, weight gain and weakness of the pelvis and pelvic floor.

Physical exercise and changes in diet can help in the treatments of the menopause, as does hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which is designed to replace some of the hormones after the menopause occurs.

Tuberculosis is a condition which primarily affects the lungs.  The bacteria which cause tuberculosis are slow moving bacteria and a person who has been infected might not have any symptoms for months or years afterwards.  The infection can spread to other parts of the body such as the nervous system or the bones.  Symptoms of tuberculosis include a cough that won’t go away, night sweats and weight loss but most of the time the immune system will kill off the bacteria and there will be no symptoms.  Sometimes, if the immune system cannot kill the bacteria it will build up a defense to the infection and it will stay in the body but no symptoms will be experienced, however, sometimes the body just cannot fight the bacteria and the infection spreads to the lungs and becomes known as active tuberculosis.  It can happen that in cases where the infection has lain dormant in the body in can become active at a later date.

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis was a major disease many years ago and resulted in many deaths, but the introduction of antibiotics and vaccinations helped to reduce this.  In recent years though, tuberculosis cases have been increasing again, especially in ethnic minorities who have come from areas where tuberculosis is still widespread. Areas where the disease is widespread include countries of Africa south of the Sahara desert, Eastern Europe, Central America, South East Asia, and Russia.

If tuberculosis is not treated it can be deadly as it can result in the person not being able to breath properly. Treatment with antibiotics for tuberculosis usually involves taking a course for at least six months.