Treating food allergies is not a simple process, there is no one pill or fix for food allergies. While there are drugs that are used to treat hay fever and asthma, those with food allergies do not respond as well to these drugs and in some cases use of drugs that suppress the immune system will only make food allergies worse over time.

Treating food allergies consists of several things. The first and most important treatment for food allergies is simply avoiding the food or foods that you are allergic to. That may sound simple in theory but in practice this can be a very difficult process depending on how many allergies you have and what you are allergic to. Educate yourself of the hidden sources of your allergen are, in our industrialized society with processed foods taking the place of whole foods there will be many of them. Learn to read labels and find out other possible sources of contact for your particular allergen.

There are many medications available for the treatment and management of symptoms should you have an accidental exposure to allergens. Antihistamines can help relieve gastrointestinal symptoms, sneezing, runny nose or hives. Bronchodilators can help relieve the symptoms of asthma. These medications are only effective if the allergen has been consumed they are of no benefit before hand to prevent a reaction.

For very severe reactions there is epinephrine in what is called an EpiPen which is a self injection drug that can temporarily halt an anaphylactic reaction. Anyone with a severe food allergy should carry one of these in case of accident ingestions of the food they are allergic to.

Finally allergy shots have been around for a long time and have been used with some success in controlling environment allergies such pollens, dust or insect stings. These shots are given over a course of time to desensitize a person to the allergen. The allergy treatments have not yet been effective with food allergies unfortunately and are not considered a treatment option at this time.