‘Allergies On The Rise’
Chemists Ajit Gharbude & brother Ajinkya
“The number of customers buying anti-histamines for allergy and antacids for acidity and related problems has increased multi-fold in the last few years…it is an alarming situation that needs to be addressed,” says Ajit. Food additives that are now commonly used in packaged and processed foods are known to cause a slew of health problems and adverse reactions in human body.
One of the best ways to learn out about ‘general’ health or illnesses people face in an area is by looking at the demand of medicines. Ajinkya and Ajit Gharbude, who run a chemist shop in the heart of the Karmala in Maharashtra’s Solapur district, are regularly visited by customers looking for medication for food allergies and gastric disorders.
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| Ajit and Ajinkya Gharbude |
Additives, basically, are substances added to food as preservatives, food-colouring agents, flavouring agents, taste enhancers, emulsifiers and stabilisers, etc. These chemicals can cause problems in the digestive tract, in respiratory processes and on the skin. Common reactions caused by these chemicals in the human body include rhinitis, cough, anaphylaxis in the respiratory system; hives, itching, atopic dermatitis, flushing, etc. on the skin; and abdominal pain, diarrhoea, nausea, acid reflux in the digestive tract.
“A lot of times, people come with complaints such as stomach-ache, chest pain, acid reflux, itching, hives, etc., which are common symptoms of gastritis and allergy. Most are unaware of the cause and many are swift to conclude it’s ‘nothing’. I feel it is important for members of the public to know how food is causing these reactions in their body. Information is the biggest tool that can help them,” adds Ajinkya.
This is part of the media-legal think-tank DraftCraft International's The Food Report - Jan 2023 (Maharashtra) that was generated as part of The Public Health Project.
