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And it's going to be a long one, for there is no other way to even begin to tackle the topic of food allergies.
Though generally not life threatening, food reactions are among the most consistent factors I have seen interfering with the quality of life for the majority
of my patients over
32 years of medical practice.
FOOD ALLERGY/SENSITIVITY SYMPTOMS
There is a popular misconception that allergy symptoms only cause such effects as skin rashes, hay fever, asthma, or gastrointestinal symptoms.
Nothing could be further from the truth. We don't find "NO TRESPASSING" signs forbidding inflammatory responses from occuring in off limit areas of the
body. Any part of the body may be the "target organ/area" for an inflammatory response, producing corresponding symptoms consistent with the
affected area. Different allergens have different & unique target organs with symptoms varying from individual to individual but usually specific &
repeatable in a given person. Wheat may give me muscle pain, eggs may fatigue me, milk may give a headache. Whereas wheat may give you an upset
stomach, eggs may agitate you, & milk may depress you, & so on.
Allergy/hypersensivity reactions can mimic numerous other conditions as well. There are many predisposing factors for allergy, such as a family
history of allergies, untoward exposure to chemicals triggering a hyperimmune response, chronic yeast overgrowth or other infections, mercury or other
toxic metal overload, digestive malfunction of many varieties, prematurity at birth, auto-immune disorders, to name only a few.
The following symptoms occuring chronically, but usually waxing & waning in severity & not clearly caused by another specific illness can be caused by foods, chemicals in foods or the air, other inhalants, or chemicals naturally occuring in our bodies. You may be surprised at the extent of possible symptoms.
FOOD ALLERGY SYMPTOMS/GENERAL ALLERGY SYMPTOMS
- Head:
- Headache, neckache, fullness, pressure or tightness in the head, dizziness, imbalance, vertigo, blackout.
- Eyes & Ears:
- Sneezing, runny or stuffy nose; puffy, watery,nose, throat: or itchy eyes, blurred vision, excessive mucous formation; ringing, popping or fullness in the ears, fluid in the middle ear, earache, hearing loss; sore throat, hoarse, weak voice, gagging, itching in the roof of the mouth, difficulty swallowing, canker sores, excessive thirst, frequent yawning, sinusitis,increased sensitivity to light & sound.
- Lungs, heart:
- Coughing, wheezing, reduced air flow, tight congested feeling in the chest, shortness of breath, chest pain, rapid pulse, palpitations, heart irregularities, sudden changes in blood pressure.
- Gastro-intestinal:
- Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, bloating after meals, belching, passing gas, feeling of fullness in the stomach long after finishing a meal, abdominal pains or cramps.
- Skin:
- Hives, rashes, eczema, itching, sweating, flushing, chilly, cold or hot flashes.
- General:
- Insomnia.Chronic fatigue, faintness,clumsiness, excessive drowsiness or sleepiness soon after eating, muscle pains, cramps, spasms, weakness, twitching, jerking, or tics, joint aches, warmth, or redness, backache, neuralgia, swelling of the hands or feet, urinary frequncy or urgency, vaginal itching, excessive hunger or binge eating.
- Emotional:
- Emotional instability or hypersensitivity, crying jags, stuttering, excessive daydreaming, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, withdrawn, listless, seizures, aggressive behavior, anger, irritability, hyperactivity, silly, tense, restless, excited, agitated, learning problems, difficulty concentrating, memory loss, poor comprehension, confusion, impaired attention, Obsessive thoughts, compulsive behavior feelings of unreality, disorientaion, false beliefs or delusions, hallucinations, suicidal, feel like hurting self.
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- If you have a number of these symptoms previously unexplained, you may be having reactions to foods.
HOW CAN YOU TEST FOR ALLERGIES?
- The traditional skin tests are not that useful in testing for foods, only inhalants. A number of labs have blood tests for food reactions.Some test
immediate & delayed responses, while others only test delayed responses feeling a person will be aware of their immediate reactions. I prefer the tests
which measure both the IGE (immediate) & the IGG(delayed).
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- Some of those labs are listed in our alternative health related links under laboratories. You may also see
MeridianValleyLab.com or ALCAT.com or call Serammune Physicians Lab at 800-5535472
WHAT IS AN ALLERGY ROTATION DIET? ANTI-CANDIDA DIET?
If it is not feasible to do the testing, it is helpful &
diagnostic to follow an allergen rotation diet for at least 4-6 weeks & look for any kind of improvement in your symptoms. The greater the improvement,
the more likely are allergies the culprit. If you have many & severe allergies, you may actually feel worse the first 3-5 days as you have withdrawal
symptoms from the allergens, after which you will improve.
Below is an allergy rotation diet you can follow which excludes the most common problem items which are dairy, wheat, gluten, eggs, sugar, yeast,
coffee, alcohol, dried fruits, diet & regular sodas. This diet will also work as an anti-candida (yeast overgrowth) diet, if you know or feel that applies to
you.
With this diet, eat only the allowed foods on each day, day 1-4, then start over again continuing the rotation. Should you feel decidedly better on this
diet, carefully & gradually introduce foods ( only one new food every several days) when you finish the diet to see which foods provoke the old problems.
At this time it will be helpful to keep a food-symptom diary.
ALLERGY ROTATION DIET
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO BE WELL HYDRATED, SO DRINK AT LEAST THE EIGHT GLASSES OF WATER DAILY. LOW WATER INTAKE IS
ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED ALLERGIC RESPONSE.
Please feel free to forward this to anyone you feel would be interested.
- BE HAPPY!!
- Priscilla Slagle M.D.
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- "Take every opportune moment to be the friend who sees through the transforming eyes of love."
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--Linda Watson
Science Of Mind Feb 2000
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