칼럼

Earlier, it was said that the atopy can be caused and worsened by allergies and skin barrier factors. In order to maintain the strength of the skin barrier through the management, it is important to prevent the allergic reactions from rising. So, this time, I decide to plan a food column series.

1. The danger of indiscriminate food restrictions
Sometimes, there are parents who do not give all the foods that are known to be not good for the atopy. At an age when the growth and development are in full swing, the food is limited that there will not be enough kinds of food to eat. So it is not possible to eat enough and to have an even nutritional intake. As a result, there are cases in which the height or weight of child falls significantly compared to the physique of the parent, and there are some who suffer from anemia because they are not fed with meat or fish which are rich in iron.

2. Atopy, foods to avoid?
When it comes to atopy, one of the biggest concerns of parents is which foods to eat and which foods to avoid. Of course, there are some foods to avoid. In general, these are the unhealthy foods that we all know. Examples include sweets that contain a lot of food additives, various processed foods, and frozen foods. Food additives do not cause atopy. However, if you avoid these foods, you can see quicker skin improvement because it acts as a catalyst that can worsen atopy. But these foods are bad for health and cannot be said to be bad for atopy.

3. Atopy, why food restriction is not the answer
Atopic dermatitis or allergy is an adverse reaction to a substance that the body does not accept. Food may be the cause, but in many cases, there may be the environmental problems such as house dust mites, dog hair, and environmental hormones and in some cases, the skin barrier itself is the cause. If the food is the problem and you get better for not eating that food, it is good. However, it will be a very unfortunate outcome if the food which affects the growth and development, is not the cause that the skin still remains bad even after the food restriction.

4. How food restriction should be approached
When the benefits of restricting certain foods clearly overweigh the losses, it is time to restrict food. Determining which foods to limit is not 100% reliable for the allergy testing. You may refer to the test, but make sure that the food is really the cause. The parents should carefully observe the reaction and record it. With the result, you need to consult with the doctor thoroughly through the medical diagnosis before restricting the food. When you restrict a certain food, you must pay attention to whether there is an alternative food that can fill the nutrients that will be lacking by restricting that food and to get help from the alternative food or nutritional supplement.