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Food Allergies -- Do You Have Unexplained Symptoms?

Food allergies, which claim the lives of 100 to 200 people and send another 30,000 to the emergency room each year, are on the rise in the United States.

In fact, they’ve doubled in the last 15 years, according to this Washington Post article, and now affect 4 percent of adults, and 8 percent of children aged 2 and under.

There are many theories about why food allergies are now classified as a public health problem. Among them is the hygiene hypothesis, which contends that growing up in an overly sterile environment can cause our immune systems to overreact when they’re confronted with harmless substances.

Some also blame changes in the way food is processed, genetically engineered foods, or the age when solid foods are first given to infants.

Just eight common foods—milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (like cashews), fish, shellfish, soy and wheat (gluten)—account for about 90 percent of all allergy reactions in the United States. However, you can also be allergic or sensitive to food additives like artificial colors or preservatives.

The Washington Post July 10, 2007

 



Dr. Mercola''s Comments Dr. Mercola's Comments:

While some food allergy reactions are dramatic (like anaphylactic shock), others -- like dizziness, fatigue, headaches, or panic attacks -- can be stealthy, and much harder to link to an actual food or food additive.

If you suspect you may have a food allergy, or are having unexplained symptoms, it’s worthwhile to find out if you may have an underlying food sensitivity.

Allergies VS. Sensitivities: Is There a Difference?

The terms allergy and sensitivity are often used interchangeably, but there is a difference. Some sensitivities are not true allergies.

Allergies occur when your immune system overreacts to environmental triggers, causing tissue inflammation, organ dysfunction and an array of other symptoms. Sensitivities may include both true allergies, or reactions that do not affect your immune system.

Both allergies and sensitivities can invoke an immune system response, but allergies typically trigger immediate antibody reactions in your bloodstream, whereas sensitivities trigger slower responses within your cells.

What Causes Food and Chemical Sensitivities?

Your body is a complex system that can easily be thrown out of balance by environmental influences like foods and chemicals. Your body's ability to compensate and recover from the daily onslaught of toxic substances, chemicals and processed foods determines whether you experience sensitivity symptoms.

For instance, most all of us are exposed to exhaust fumes, pesticides, paint or carpet vapors and other environmental chemicals, and many of us eat foods like sugar and grains despite being sensitive to them. As I said above, the symptoms can be very subtle. You might not see the immediate connection between your foggy head and fatigue, and the bread you eat or the fumes you inhale while sitting in traffic, unless you are aware that these substances might play a role.

The best way to find out if you have a food or chemical sensitivity is to keep a food diary. By keeping careful and detailed records, it is possible to sort many allergies out without having to undergo expensive testing.

Tips to Resolve Your Symptoms

In terms of food sensitivities, a comprehensive nutritional approach is vital, as most people's sensitivities dramatically improve when they follow my nutrition plan. This includes avoiding sugar, fruit juices, most grains, and pasteurized dairy products. Replacing commercial milk with raw milk from grass-fed cows is usually well tolerated and highly health promoting.

Another important principle is to avoid all gluten for a few weeks. That would mean absolutely no wheat products. We are starting this approach with all of our new patients in my clinic and getting really great results. It is quite shocking how many people are actually gluten sensitive; their condition radically improves once the wheat is removed from their diet.

Making certain that enough long-chain animal based omega-3 fats (DHA and EPA) from fish or krill oils are included in your diet is also helpful.

Chemical sensitivity is a very real affliction, and those who suffer from it are not making their symptoms up. However, the causes of chemical sensitivity can extend beyond just the physical -- there are often emotional traumas, sometimes not readily apparent to the sufferer, that have set the stage for the major disruptions in the detoxification and immune systems. In these cases, emotional treatments like the psychological acupressure method known as the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) can be extremely helpful.



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Comment on This Article Community Comments (69)
 
 
Posted On Jul 12, 2007
Excellent.  Very good point about being careful of pet food if your toddler has any food allergies as they could eat the pet's food with the allergen and get sick.  (Hadn't thought about that one, but we all ate pet food on a dare when I was growing up!)

 
Reesacat
Savvy User Savvy User, Joined On 1/2007
Reesacat  
Replied

Heal Body Mind Soul
Novice User Novice User Joined On 6/2006
Heal Body Mind Soul  
 
Posted On Aug 04, 2007

You might want to check out www.bioset.net.


 
 
 
Posted On Jul 12, 2007
If anyone watched Gary Null's video they would understand that allergies are a result of a deficient immune system.  People seem to accept that allergies are a part of life, unavoidable, but I concur with Gary that by feeding your immune system you could eliminate allergies.  My entire family has allergies and they are all pill poppers, except for me.  I have seen huge improvement by including lemon in my diet including the rind and inner parts.  Anyways, it is no suprise that these emergency reactions are on the rise which just feeds our broken system.

Something I wonder about is whether or not we are passing down hypersensitive genes that would cause someone to die from peanuts or could a compromised immune system be passed down genetically?  Maybe during the formation of the immune system it can become deformed because of toxins?   Just food for thought (pun intended) 

 
LM36
Apprentice User Apprentice User, Joined On 12/2006
LM36  
Replied

Sheila C
Apprentice User Apprentice User Joined On 1/2007
Sheila C  
 
Posted On Jul 15, 2007
Hi LM36, check out this site www.doctoryourself.com and under muscular dystrophy there is an article about it being "dinner table hereditary".  So if your mother was deficient in a certain vitamin or minerals, this is passed onto the offspring.  Friends of ours son was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and there was no hope.  He has been on this protocol since last Oct., with the 3 added ingredients from the grandmother.  He is doing awesome on his 2 wheel bicycle with training wheels and he is hoping the training wheels are coming off soon.  There is hope for so many diseases on this site using megavitamin therapies.


Amanda Rose
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 6/2006
Amanda Rose  
 
Posted On Aug 04, 2007

I have a corn allergy as well and a mild gluten sensitivity. To determine the extent of my corn allergy, I went corn free for a month and then did a corn feast day. Eliminating the corn did alleviate my depression. Read the story here:

www.rebuild-from-depression.com/.../food_allergies_how_to_know_if.html

For people eliminating corn or gluten -- there are lots of corn derivatives in processed foods and some wheat deriviates as well. Educate yourself on what you can eat. The corn list is overwhelming to say the least.

Amanda



JeanS
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 7/2006
JeanS  
 
Posted On Aug 04, 2007

Hi LM36,

Some food intolerances have a genetic component.  Gluten is one of them.  You can read on www.enterolab.com about this problem.  The incidence of gluten intolerances seems to be higher among those of certain cultural background, such as Irish, Scottish, Scandanavian.  These people migrated away from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and the original agriculture communities before they had a chance to die off from disease caused by the high grain diet.  They lived for centuries on fish and seaweed.  Tabouli doesn't agree with them and it never will.  Nor does the highly processed glutne-laden American diet.  Hope this helps.



veggienut
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 9/2006
veggienut  
 
Posted On Aug 04, 2007

It's also important to vary your diet from day to day, keeping in mind you must read labels in order to do this efficiently.  So many people say "I've eliminated corn or wheat" and then they find out there is corn syrup or wheat gluten in something they didn't anticipate.  I believe part of our enormous food allergy problem is due to overexposure to a small group of foods; this is all due to over-abundance of these foods.  They are cheap, added to snack foods, health foods, even some supplements.  It may be individually in minute amounts, but over time our consumption adds up.  When our system doesn't get a break, as nature intended the seasons to allow for, the immune system goes wacky.

Once again, Louise Hay would address the emotional aspect of allergies as being a rejection of a person's immediate environment.  The emotional health must be addressed here as well as the diet and allergies can be eradicated.


 
 
 
Posted On Aug 03, 2007

You mention avoiding gluten but only refer to avoiding wheat products.

I have Celiac Disease, and it is my understanding that I have to also avoid rye, barley and oats.

I think it would be helpful if you suggested that people avoid these grains as well.

Bonnie


 
balebo_203
Novice User Novice User, Joined On 6/2006
balebo_203  
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JeanS
Savvy User Savvy User Joined On 7/2006
JeanS  
 
Posted On Aug 04, 2007

Great point Bonnie!  I am gluten intolerant.  I can't help but raise my eyebrows when Dr. Mercola speaks of wheat intolerance in many articles on his website either without acknowledging, or diminishing the importance that, it is really gluten that is the problem, not just wheat.  Buying "wheat-free" is not advisable, as those products always have gluten in them in the form of barley, rye or contaminated oats.  (Uncontaminated oats can be purchased from giftsofnature.org).  

Please let's be more clear!!!


 
 
 
Posted On Jul 13, 2007
I have noticed an increase in allergies for children who are in more western hygenic conditions than children who live more naturally. Ie those who are exposed to commercial cleaning products and all the mod cons are often sicker more often and for longer than those children who are not exposed to these cleaning agents, have not been vaccinated, are living in more natural environments where they are fed unprocessed foods and are also not exposed to the stresses of modern living. Its interesting taht the hippy philosophies of the 60s are now being shown to be the healthier way to live and those who adhere to the so called protocol of multi globalisation are sicker. Love Dom ox

 
neroli moonstone
Apprentice User Apprentice User, Joined On 6/2007
neroli moonstone  
 
 
 
Posted On Aug 04, 2007

An elimination diet is great, but let's face it.  It requires a great deal of motivation and is very difficult for people to implement much of the time.  There is also a huge mental adjustment that must be made in adhering to an elimination diet, both temporarily for trial purposes and permanently is a problem food is identified, particularly for common allergens such as gluten and casein which show up in just about everything.  Personally, it was much easier for me to commit to the lifestyle changes required after I saw the results of my allergen testing in black and white (and could show family members since their cooperation was also required!!).  Finally, good lab testing is more accurate than an elimination diet.  Sure, if someone is allergic to gluten, elimnating wheat will significantly improve their condition.  However, that won't totally fix the problem if they still occassionally eat barley or rye.  Just because someone sees significant improvement over eliminating wheat, doesn't mean wheat is the only thing they need to eliminate.

I agree with Dr. Mercola, however, that the problem is the expense.  The best testing I know of is stool testing through WWW.ENTEROLAB.COM. It is very expensive, particularly when multiple family members are involved.  I think a commendable mission is trying to explore ways to bring the cost of this testing down!!!   Children get hearing screens for free in school, but the number of children who benefit from this testing would pale in comparison to the number of children who would benefit from a simply basic food allergen screen.  Testing for gluten and casein alone would identify HUGE numbers of preschoolers!!!  My daughter's antibodies and malabsorption scores were off the charts at 3 years old and she had no real discernible symptoms!  I tested her proactively after learning of my own intolerances.  Why wait until our bodies break down later in life before we seek to identify what foods cause us distress!!


 
JeanS
Savvy User Savvy User, Joined On 7/2006
JeanS  
 
 
 
 
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