DR Sarbjeet K Sran MD

Information may not be reliable

Allergy & Asthma Associates, PA specializes in diagnosing, testing and treating asthma, allergic disease and associated disorders. We treat patients with the care and respect we would expect for ourselves. After helping patients discover what is causing their problems, we develop individualized programs of treatment designed to address their needs.
Our mission is simple, we will partner with our patients for healthy tomorrows. We are committed to educating our patients and imparting current information that will help them better enjoy each day of work and play.
Our staff will gladly help you find answers and sources of information for all your allergy and asthma related questions. We encourage educational conferences with our patients, their families and other concerned individuals, such as teachers. Our trained asthma educators are available for group lectures and discussion.
Just call us at 828-327-0600, we're happy to answer any questions you might have.

Food allergies affect between 6 and 8 percent of kids and nearly 4 percent of adults and rates appear to be climbing. The incidence of peanut allergies doubled between 1997 and 2002.
Many people think any reaction to food is an allergy, but his is not so. Between 50 and 90 percent of people who think they have an allergy to a food actually don't. Symptoms such as headache, fatigue, bloating, gas, nausea, and mental fog are often mistaken for a food allergy. These may be signs of a food intolerance but are not a true allergic reaction. Allergic reactions occur shortly after eating a food and happen every time the food is eaten, no matter how small the amount. They cause the immune system to attack a food protein by mistake and produce a food- specific antibody called IgE. The antibody then triggers the release of chemicals like histamines causing symptoms ranging from hives, redness, and itching to diarrhea and vomitting. These may also cause more serious effects such as throat swelling, difficulty breathing and even anaphylactic shock or death. Eight foods account for nearly all food allergies in the US: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat. Common food intolerances include:lactose in milk-based dairy products, sulfites in red wine, and MSG.
Many people also feel a positive test means your definitely allergic to the food. A negative test nearly rules out a food allergy, but positive tests are less than 50 percent accurate. Many people have IgE antibodies to foods but they have no allergic reaction and therefore no true allergy.
Eighty five percent of children will eventually outgrow their allergies to egg and milk. Nearly all outgrow allergies to wheat and soy. Unfortunately allergies to peanuts and other nuts are apt to persist for life.
There is not a cure for food allergies. Many Internet sites talk of cures with diets, herbs, etc. None of these have been shown to be safe or effective. Some alternative health practitioners offer immunotherapy or desensitization to the allergen through regular exposure. This has been successful if a few trials but is strongly warned against at the present time. Most people reacted again to the food as soon as the trial was stopped. Some of the treatments listed out there are potentially deadly and do not work.