The Uncommon Tea Allergy

There are many people that suffer from "food allergies". Yearly, it is one of the top ranked illnesses diagnosed by physicians. Some are extremely common while others, such as a tea allergy, occur less frequently. When suffering from an uncommon food allergy (such as tea); less information is available to help sufferers. In this article we will cover what suffering from this allergy entails, the tea allergy symptoms you may endure, and why the intolerance occurs.

When searching for information, you're not likely to come up with much. You will more than likely find page after page about tea for allergy relief and how green tea will help calm your allergies (and symptoms) that come along with them. However, if you are one of the few that suffer from a tea allergy- you are unable to reap the benefits of green tea healing; because often you are allergic or sensitive to green tea as well.

Definition:

Many people discuss food allergies, but what are they exactly? A food allergy is when a food is ingested and seen as an "invader". Your body responds to it by sending antibodies to stop the invader (treating it like an infection). This is generally referred to as hypersensitivity to an allergen. In this case it is the body's hypersensitivity to tannin or caffeine, which is a common ingredient in tea. There are two types of tea allergies that occur more frequently than others: chamomile and linden.

Symptoms

In most cases, tea allergy symptoms will clear up within a few hours to a few days.

Symptoms Include:

- Runny Nose
- Swelling: It can cause swelling of the face, cheeks, limbs, and/ or throat. In the case of throat swelling, if it causes trouble breathing, this can be more severe.
- Eye Irritation: This will be the first sign. This can range from watery eyes to itchy, red eyes. This should last no longer than a few days.
- Sneezing
- Skin Irritation: Hives (raised bumps on the skin) can appear and stay on the skin for up to a few days.
- Headache: This is very similar to a sinus headache (troubling the front and back of the head).

There are a few extremely rare cases where people can go into anaphylactic shock (life threatening allergic reaction). In these cases, the throat swells, blocking the airways and causing suffocation. If this happens, you can call 911 or have someone rush you to the hospital immediately. Death is possible, so take proper precautions.

Finding relief is similar to that of soothing any other allergy. There are many over the counter allergy medicines (such as Benadryl), that you can purchase. There are also many natural herbal remedies that you can try. However, these may interfere with your current health plan. Do not start any new medicines without first consulting a doctor. Some people are only allergic to certain types of tea, but reading the labels of all teas will help to ensure you do not ingest any items your body will treat as an allergen. Avoidance of all kinds of tea is often the most effective way to treat a tea allergy.