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.

An anxiety disorder can loosely be described as a condition where feelings of anxiety can get in the way of normal, everyday life. Many things can cause or even be classed as an anxiety disorder, and these can include phobia, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic attacks and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

Anxiety attacks can be caused by a variety of conditions, both mental and physical. On the mental side of things, problems such as alcohol dependence, depression, substance abuse (including drugs, nicotine and caffeine) and medicine withdrawal can all cause anxiety. Physically, a person could be affected due to illnesses or cosmetic reasons such as appearance. It can also be brought on by stress due to traumatic events like bereavement.

Anxiety

There are some physical symptoms attributed to being anxious and these occur due to the body’s natural “fight or flight” response due to the release of adrenaline. These can include dry mouth, diarrhoea, tightness in the chest, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, shortness of breath, shaking, the need to urinate more frequently and swallowing difficulty.

A few psychological symptoms associated with anxiety include uneasiness, insomnia, irritability, tiredness, lack of concentration and a fear of “going mad”. Sometimes, when anxiety disorders and other conditions such as schizophrenia, depression or bipolar disorder occur together, suicide or self-harm can often be the regrettable outcome.

Kidney stones are described as stone-like lumps which can form in either one, or both kidneys. They are quite common, but to understand what they are, we have to discuss the function of the kidneys.

First of all, the kidneys are approximately four inches long and are shaped like a bean. There are two of them in the body and they are located near the back of the abdomen area, one on each side of the spine. The job of a kidney is to remove waste products from our blood and then pass this waste into the bladder along with excess fluids to be disposed of in the urine.

Kidney stones can be categorized into four main types. Calcium stones which are made up of calcium and phosphate or oxalate; struvite stones which are made of ammonia and magnesium (these ones can often be quite large); uric acid stones (the smallest and softest type of kidney stone); and cystine stones which are normally yellowish in color and look like crystals as opposed to stones. All kidney stones can come in different shapes, colors and sizes – from the size of a grain of sand to (in some extreme cases) the size of a golf ball.

Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are formed when the waste products collected by the kidney do not dissolve properly in the fluid that will make up the urine, which then forms little crystal-like substances that can accumulate in the kidney. Over time these can form a hard lump that looks like a stone – the kidney stone.

When kidney stones are formed, they will very often try to leave the body via the urinary system, which can create problems, especially if they become blocked.