In severe food allergy reactions reactions, it is also important to protect your airway (breathing) and your blood pressure. Your health care provider will make sure that your airway is open and that you are getting enough oxygen.

• Oxygen may be given through a tube into the nose or by face mask
• In severe respiratory distress, mechanical ventilation may be required
• In rare cases, simple surgery is performed to open the airways

For less severe, localized types of reactions (such as hives or other mild skin reactions) some of the following treatments are appropriate:

• Take cool showers or use cool compresses
• Wear clothing that doesn’t irritate your skin
• Apply calamine lotion or take over-the-counter antihistamines to alleviate itching

For all other reactions, especially severe reactions, self-treatment is not recommended.

For the study, led by Dr. Andrew T. Clark of Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge, 47 children with cashew allergy were matched up one-to-two with 94 children with peanut allergy. Children with cashew reactions were eight times more likely to suffer wheezing, and nearly 14 times more likely to have potentially severe cardiovascular symptoms, like heartbeat disturbances or a drop in blood pressure.

Overall, 10 of the children with cashew allergies had what the researchers defined as a severe reaction — extreme difficulty breathing and/or loss of consciousness. That compared with just one child with peanut allergy.

The findings appear in the current issue of the journal Allergy.

It’s known that tree nuts, such as cashews and walnuts, can trigger serious allergic reactions. However, this is the first study to show that children’s allergies to cashews may be more severe than peanut allergies, according to Clark’s team.

     Formaldehyde is classified as a human carcinogen and has been linked to nasal and lung cancer, and with possible links to brain cancer and leukemia. Short-term exposure to formaldehyde can be fatal. Long-term exposure to low levels of formaldehyde may cause respiratory difficulty, eczema, and sensitization.

     Soil and Health spokesman Steffan Browning said formaldehyde produced in children’s bodies as a by product of the aspartame, a low energy sweetener in diet drinks, chewing gum, cereals and many processed foods, was likely to be an even greater health hazard than that in clothing.