| Are you allergic to people? Probably not, but there | | | | symptoms including fatigue, irritable bowel |
| are rare, documented cases that exist of allergies | | | | syndrome, joint pain, sleep disturbances, mood |
| to other people! Allergies can occur to anything | | | | and behavioral changes, slugging metabolism (easy |
| imaginable. You can react to external things by | | | | weight gain) and headaches. Food allergies can also |
| whatever means you are exposed to them, | | | | worsen the severity of airborne allergies. The |
| through your lungs, skin or intestines. | | | | really rotten thing about IgG reactions is that they |
| As a child, I had numerous allergies. The very | | | | may not cause any symptoms for as many as |
| worst one was to horses. Being near one would | | | | 10 days after exposure. Because of this you can |
| send me into an epileptic seizure! After undergoing | | | | have symptoms for years and never see a clear |
| scratch testing, which is torture for a child, my | | | | cause even if you suspect food allergies as a |
| parents were told I was allergic to every animal | | | | culprit. |
| with hair or feathers and 75% of all foods. My | | | | Most Common IgG Allergens: |
| parents must have been overwhelmed by this | | | | Dairy foods |
| news, because I don't remember any food | | | | Egg whites |
| restrictions being imposed upon me (and we | | | | Wheat products |
| always had a dog). Now that I'm older, my | | | | Almonds |
| allergies aren't so severe. And when I'm off of | | | | Kidney beans |
| my food allergy triggers, my airborne allergies are | | | | Soy |
| minimal and tolerable. (And I still have a dog). | | | | But any food can be an allergen. Some of the |
| Do you lament your weak immune systems as | | | | rarest foods to be allergic to are rice, buckwheat, |
| the cause of your allergies? Actually, the opposite | | | | pears, apples, turkey and pork. |
| is true. If your immune system didn't work you'd | | | | Who has food allergies? Anyone with other allergic |
| never have allergies! Allergies are not weaknesses | | | | conditions such as airborne allergies, asthma or |
| but errors in one of your immune systems. Yes, | | | | eczema, can be more at risk for food allergies. |
| you have two. As we humans evolved and | | | | Also fairer complected people have a higher risk |
| adapted, older biological systems were more | | | | factor. But in reality, allergies are common in all |
| commonly added to rather than replaced. Your | | | | population groups. If you have some of the IgG |
| older "innate immune system's" primary function is | | | | symptoms that are not explained by other |
| to protect the body's openings and react to | | | | causes, you should consider food allergies. They |
| invaders quickly. The second or "adaptive immune | | | | may be an easy solution to troubling symptoms. |
| system" learns what microscopic things are | | | | How do I find out if I have food allergies? Several |
| dangerous and which are not. The adaptive | | | | options exist. The most direct method is |
| system keeps a "memory" of how an invading | | | | Avoidance and Reintroduction. With this program |
| cell looks so it can respond quickly if it sees such | | | | your diet is carefully structured to avoid one of |
| a cell again. So, if you fought off mumps once as | | | | the common allergens completely for three |
| a child, your system retains the memory of how | | | | weeks. During this "time off" of a particular food, |
| to do so for the rest of your life and can squelch | | | | day to day symptoms are carefully logged and |
| any future infection of the same organism even if | | | | given scores. After this the food is reintroduced |
| you don't show any symptoms. | | | | and symptoms are monitored for three more |
| Any point at which your body interacts with the | | | | weeks. When doing this Avoidance and |
| world around you is a possible point of entry for | | | | Reintroduction program I advise starting with the |
| allergies. This includes your respiratory tract (as | | | | food at the top of my Most Common IgG |
| discussed in our previous newsletter), your skin, | | | | Allergens list above and work your way down |
| and your intestinal tract. Thankfully most skin, or | | | | over the weeks. The list is in order of which |
| contact, allergies come on quickly so they are | | | | foods are most likely to cause reactions. This |
| easy to identify. Because your intestines have | | | | method requires patience since it can be |
| different immune mechanism than your | | | | complicated and time consuming. |
| respiratory system or skin, the allergies are | | | | Medical tests also exist for food allergies, but be |
| different. They can take longer to manifest and | | | | careful, not all tests are equally reliable! Since I |
| they can cause or contribute to symptoms | | | | know my allergies so well, I am my own guinea |
| literally anywhere else in your body. | | | | pig for allergy testing. Skin tests are miserable and |
| There are two types of intestinal allergies. IgE and | | | | although they can be accurate for IgE allergies |
| IgG. IgE reactions are immediate, (think E for | | | | they are completely inaccurate for IgG allergies. |
| Emergency Room) they are very quick in onset | | | | Conversely, most blood tests are poor indicators |
| and cause severe symptoms like hives, | | | | for IgE reactions but excellent in finding IgG |
| congestion, swelling, or worse. You may know | | | | allergies! Here's where it gets tricky, the accuracy |
| someone who can't have even one peanut | | | | of allergy testing can vary tremendously from lab |
| without a dangerous reaction. We call this an | | | | to lab. Early on in my practice, I'd use my own |
| anaphylactic reaction, meaning severe and | | | | blood or a consenting patient's blood, to test |
| sometimes lethal. In the mid 1900's, scientists | | | | various labs. I would divide the samples in half and |
| were trying to build on the success of vaccines, | | | | put fake names on them, in other words one |
| also called prophylaxis, meaning to prevent. | | | | person's blood with two different names. The first |
| Scientists gave animals small doses of poisons to | | | | hoop a lab had to jump through for me was to |
| see if this would protect them against the same | | | | not give two different reports on the same |
| poisons in larger doses. The prophylaxis worked | | | | person's blood! Sadly, most labs did not pass this |
| so poorly the term ana-phylaxis was coined | | | | test. The second test a lab had to pass was to |
| meaning a fatal toxic reaction. | | | | correctly identify the allergens and the severity of |
| Most Common TRIGGERS for IgE Food Allergens: | | | | allergic responses I knew myself and other |
| Peanuts | | | | volunteers to have. Through this process, I have |
| Shellfish | | | | found the best Food Allergy labs to use, and |
| Tree nuts | | | | although I've stuck with them over the years, I |
| Soy | | | | still keep 'testing' them! |
| By in large, if you have IgE allergies, you figure | | | | Will eliminating reactive foods from my diet really |
| this out during childhood. It usually takes repeat | | | | help me? Yes! Many of my patients mention |
| exposure for this kind of reaction to develop, so | | | | experiencing easier weight loss, better digestion, |
| we are rarely reactive to a food the first time | | | | less skin irritations, and decreased aches and |
| we have it. It seems that over the last few | | | | pains- all due to cutting out foods that their bodies |
| decades IgE reactions are on the rise in both the | | | | do not tolerate. |
| US and Canada. | | | | Never assume you have to live with your |
| IgG (think G for Gradual) allergies are very | | | | symptoms! If you don't feel well and have not |
| different from IgE. Along with classic allergy | | | | found explanations for your symptoms, the |
| symptoms of itchy eyes, skin rashes and | | | | answer could be as close as your dinner plate! |
| wheezing, they can cause a huge variety of other | | | | |