How can I heal my food allergy?
Dec 13, 2005
DEAR Doctor,<br>I get allergic reactions to fish, pork, mutton, chicken, eggs and goat’s meat. Before, I was only allergic to mutton and nile-perch. Now, the list is growing longer. I am tired of being told to avoid the trigger substances.
DEAR Doctor,
I get allergic reactions to fish, pork, mutton, chicken, eggs and goat’s meat. Before, I was only allergic to mutton and nile-perch. Now, the list is growing longer. I am tired of being told to avoid the trigger substances. Sometimes I eat them and suffer itching and swelling! Where can I get de-sensitisation treatment in Uganda or East Africa?
Merab
Dear Merab,
I understand your frustration with the restrictions allergies put you too. It is tough to avoid so many good things. Allergy is an irritating problem that may be life long.
Nevertheless, it is important to keep on avoiding those foods because the allergic reaction can kill you. When the reaction occurs, it is an emergency that needs quick treatment.
You get moderately severe reactions. It is not predictable that they will be limited to itching and swelling. They can become worse, so you should work out a plan of emergency with your doctor.
Hypo-sensitisation treatment aims at introducing into your body very small quantities of the trigger substance over a long period of time (one to two years).
The aim is to have your body accustomed to the substance, so that it stops reacting. It would be a ‘cure’ for the allergy.
The first thing that is done is identifying the exact substance causing the allergic reaction. This can be done at Mulago Hospital. Facilities are also available in Nairobi. The treatment may not be successful if you react to a wide range of substances.
It is a potentially dangerous procedure, which needs to be done under a specialist’s care.
My sister’s athlete’s foot has lasted for two years
Dear Doctor,
My sister has been having obugeregere; that disease, which attacks in between the toes. She has been treating it in vain for almost two years now. What should she do?
Nassali
Dear Nassali,
Obugeregere is athlete’s foot or tinea pedis. It is a fungal infection.
The fungus loves the warm and moist conditions between the toes, which is strongly associated with closed shoes.
Athlete’s foot is usually without pain, though sometimes, bacteria may enter into the cracks in the skin and cause a very painful condition.
Drugs can cure this condition, but we must make sure that the environment suitable for the fungus to grow is removed too.
Theses include;
All your sister’s footwear needs regular cleaning and airing in the sun to remove the fungus .
Dead skin between the toes should be removed carefully.
The area between the toes should be dry all the time.
You should dry your toes thoroughly after bathing and don’t wear shoes immediately after washing the feet.
Use absorbent cotton socks, which should be changed regularly. They absorb sweat and keep feet dry in shoes.
Avoid closed shoes if you can, wear open ones. This will create dryness between the toes and make the fungus less likely to come back.
Change shoes every day to allow them to dry out.
In addition, use an anti-fungal cream or powder. A powder helps maintain the toes spaces dry. Use it on a daily basis and, may be, for weeks.
Stop using the powder two weeks after the feet have healed completely.
There should be a visible response to the drug within two weeks of starting regular treatment. If not, there is resistance, ask your doctor for another drug.
This condition is treatable. You have to persist, but the results are well worth it.
Dr Paul Semugoma
semugoma@hotmail.com
Write to
Ask The Doctor,
Box 9815, Kampala
or health@newvision.co.ug
I get allergic reactions to fish, pork, mutton, chicken, eggs and goat’s meat. Before, I was only allergic to mutton and nile-perch. Now, the list is growing longer. I am tired of being told to avoid the trigger substances. Sometimes I eat them and suffer itching and swelling! Where can I get de-sensitisation treatment in Uganda or East Africa?
Merab
Dear Merab,
I understand your frustration with the restrictions allergies put you too. It is tough to avoid so many good things. Allergy is an irritating problem that may be life long.
Nevertheless, it is important to keep on avoiding those foods because the allergic reaction can kill you. When the reaction occurs, it is an emergency that needs quick treatment.
You get moderately severe reactions. It is not predictable that they will be limited to itching and swelling. They can become worse, so you should work out a plan of emergency with your doctor.
Hypo-sensitisation treatment aims at introducing into your body very small quantities of the trigger substance over a long period of time (one to two years).
The aim is to have your body accustomed to the substance, so that it stops reacting. It would be a ‘cure’ for the allergy.
The first thing that is done is identifying the exact substance causing the allergic reaction. This can be done at Mulago Hospital. Facilities are also available in Nairobi. The treatment may not be successful if you react to a wide range of substances.
It is a potentially dangerous procedure, which needs to be done under a specialist’s care.
My sister’s athlete’s foot has lasted for two years
Dear Doctor,
My sister has been having obugeregere; that disease, which attacks in between the toes. She has been treating it in vain for almost two years now. What should she do?
Nassali
Dear Nassali,
Obugeregere is athlete’s foot or tinea pedis. It is a fungal infection.
The fungus loves the warm and moist conditions between the toes, which is strongly associated with closed shoes.
Athlete’s foot is usually without pain, though sometimes, bacteria may enter into the cracks in the skin and cause a very painful condition.
Drugs can cure this condition, but we must make sure that the environment suitable for the fungus to grow is removed too.
Theses include;
You should dry your toes thoroughly after bathing and don’t wear shoes immediately after washing the feet.
In addition, use an anti-fungal cream or powder. A powder helps maintain the toes spaces dry. Use it on a daily basis and, may be, for weeks.
Stop using the powder two weeks after the feet have healed completely.
There should be a visible response to the drug within two weeks of starting regular treatment. If not, there is resistance, ask your doctor for another drug.
This condition is treatable. You have to persist, but the results are well worth it.
Dr Paul Semugoma
semugoma@hotmail.com
Write to
Ask The Doctor,
Box 9815, Kampala
or health@newvision.co.ug