The staff was extremely knowledgeable and efficient. Everyone was so happy to help.
C
Casey Whipple
a month ago
Food Allergy Treatment in Texas
Comprehensive food allergy care for children and adults.
The team at Cure Allergy Clinic is dedicated to providing high-quality, compassionate care to alleviate your allergy symptoms so you can enjoy doing what you love. With our expertise, our board-certified physicians will educate and guide you through your conditions.
Food allergies affect roughly 4% of adults and up to 6% of children, and they can range from mildly inconvenient to life-threatening. At Cure Allergy Clinic, Dr. M. Waseem Imam, a board-certified specialist in pediatric and adult allergies, provides food allergy testing, sublingual therapy (allergy drops), and food desensitization, including for unusual food allergies.
We serve patients of all ages across Arlington, Irving, Mansfield, and the surrounding North Texas communities. Call (817) 678-5575 to schedule, or request a consultation online.
Find Quick Relief: What Are Food Allergies?
A food allergy is an immune response that happens when your body mistakenly identifies a food as dangerous and overreacts to it. That overreaction triggers a protective response and produces allergy symptoms, sometimes within minutes of eating the food.
Food allergies are most common in toddlers and young children, but anyone can develop one at any age. In fact, you can eat a food for years without any problem and then suddenly develop an allergy to it. Because reactions can be unpredictable and occasionally severe, accurate testing and a clear plan matter.
Concerned about a food allergy? Call (817) 678-5575.
(817) 678 – 5575What Causes Food Allergies?
Food allergies are caused by the immune system overreacting to specific proteins in a food. Once your body flags that protein as a threat, it reacts every time you are exposed, which is why identifying the exact food is essential.
The most common food allergens include:
- Peanuts and tree nuts
- Milk and eggs
- Soy and wheat
- Fish and shellfish
Food allergies often come in related pairs because similar proteins appear in more than one food. For example, someone allergic to walnuts is very likely to react to pecans as well. This cross-reactivity is something we use to our advantage during treatment.
Food allergies that affect the gastrointestinal tract can also worsen conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diarrhea, and eosinophilic disorders.
What Are the Symptoms of a Food Allergy?
Food allergy symptoms can affect several body systems at once and can appear immediately after eating the trigger food. Reactions range from mild to severe and life-threatening.
Food allergy symptoms may involve your:
- Skin: hives, swelling, itching, or rash
- Gastrointestinal tract: stomach pain, vomiting, or diarrhea
- Respiratory tract: wheezing, coughing, or trouble breathing
- Cardiovascular system: dizziness, a drop in blood pressure, or fainting
Recognizing a severe reaction
A severe, whole-body allergic reaction called anaphylaxis is a medical emergency. Warning signs include trouble breathing, throat tightness or swelling, a sudden drop in blood pressure, and dizziness or fainting. If you suspect anaphylaxis, use an epinephrine auto-injector if available and call 911 immediately. Many food allergy deaths involve respiratory failure, which is why reducing this risk is the central goal of treatment.
How We Diagnose Food Allergies
We diagnose food allergies by combining your history with allergy testing to confirm exactly which foods are responsible. Dr. Imam reviews your symptoms, what you ate, and how quickly you reacted, then uses testing to pinpoint the trigger and rule out other causes.
Diagnosis may include:
- A detailed history of your reactions and suspected foods
- Allergy testing to identify sensitivity to specific food proteins
- Testing for inhalant (environmental) allergies, since several of these cross-react with foods and can intensify food reactions
Identifying both your food triggers and any environmental allergies that worsen them is what allows us to build a complete, effective treatment plan.
Food Allergy Treatment: The Food Program
Our Food Program is designed to lower your risk of a severe reaction and reduce your overall allergic burden, giving patients and parents real peace of mind. It is not a replacement for avoiding the food, but a safe, structured way to reduce risk.
We achieve this through three mechanisms:
Treating the environmental allergies that make food reactions worse.
Uncontrolled asthma, respiratory issues, and allergic lung conditions dramatically increase the risk of a life-threatening food reaction. We test for inhalant allergies (dust mites, trees, weeds, grasses, molds, and animals) and treat them. Because several of these cross-react with food allergies, treating them can indirectly reduce the food allergy itself, while also lowering asthma risk and easing allergic rhinitis, sinus, and skin issues. This treatment often induces long-term remission of the environmental allergies.
Food sublingual immunotherapy (Food SLIT).
We introduce the allergenic food under the tongue in very low doses, increasing slowly over time. You receive a vial with a pump containing tiny amounts of the food protein. Food SLIT is done at home, requires fewer office visits, and is much safer than oral immunotherapy for food allergies.
Using cross-reactive foods.
Because food allergies often come in pairs, we can sometimes use related foods to help make you less allergic to the main food. For instance, treating a walnut allergy can improve tolerance to pecans.
What to expect
Each person's progress is different. Some patients reach complete remission of the food, while most are able to tolerate more than they could before. The goal is to decrease the allergic burden and reduce the risk of a life-threatening reaction. The program is a complement to avoidance, not a substitute for it.
Your treatment process, step by step:
- 1
Consultation and testing with Dr. Imam for both food and environmental allergies.
- 2
Treatment of contributing environmental allergies to lower your reaction risk.
- 3
Food SLIT, gradually building tolerance at home.
- 4
Ongoing monitoring and adjustment as your tolerance improves.
Food Allergy Center
Advanced Food Allergy Care With the TIP Program
The Tolerance Induction Program (TIP) is a precision immunotherapy system that retrains the immune system’s response to food allergens — built for complex, multi-food allergic disease and delivered in affiliation with the Food Allergy Institute.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you develop a food allergy as an adult?
Yes. While food allergies are most common in young children, anyone can develop one at any age, even to a food they have eaten for years.
What are the most common food allergies?
Peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, soy, wheat, fish, and shellfish are the most common triggers.
How are food allergies diagnosed?
Through a detailed history and allergy testing that identifies sensitivity to specific food proteins, along with testing for environmental allergies that can worsen reactions.
Can I manage food allergies with dietary changes alone?
Avoidance is the foundation of food allergy management. Our Food Program adds a safe way to reduce your risk and allergic burden, but it complements avoidance rather than replacing it.
How can I help my child cope with food allergies at school?
Work with the school on an allergy action plan, ensure staff know how to use an epinephrine auto-injector, label safe foods clearly, and teach your child to avoid sharing food. Our team can help you build a plan.
Can I travel with food allergies?
Yes, with preparation. Carry your epinephrine auto-injector, pack safe foods, learn how to communicate your allergy at your destination, and research medical care along your route.
Cure Allergy Clinic
Why We're Different
More Cost-Effective Treatments
Helping our patients by offering affordable treatments.
Medications Made for Your Needs
We optimize and personalize your treatment regimen for maximum relief.
Same Day Appointments
Get the care you need, when you need it most, with flexible scheduling.
We Treat the Heart of the Problem
Via immunotherapy, we focus on the disease and not just the symptoms.
Arlington Today — Editor’s Choice 2021
We are proud Cure Allergy Clinic has been named Editor’s Choice of 2021 by Arlington Today magazine for best Allergist in Arlington, TX!
Why We're Different
Patient Experiences About Life Without Allergies
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Cure Allergy Clinic
We Can Help You Find Relief
The team at Cure Allergy Clinic is dedicated to providing high-quality, compassionate care to alleviate your allergy symptoms so you can enjoy doing what you love. With our expertise, our board-certified physicians will educate and guide you through your conditions.
You don’t have to live with your allergies! Give our office a call at (817) 678 – 5575 today or book an appointment online for a consultation with one of our physicians.