Food Allergies

A food allergy is an immunological reaction to a given food. It must be differentiated from a toxic food reaction, a digestive enzyme deficiency, a food related infection, or a food aversion. An immunological reaction is one where the immune system is stimulated by the food, usually in the form of an antibody binding to the food. This results in the symptoms of the allergy. A toxic food reaction is the result of the food acting as a poison on cellular metabolism (i.e. various types of wild mushrooms). A digestive enzyme deficiency is when the body cannot digest a certain food, resulting in gastrointestional symptoms (i.e. lactose intolerance). A food related infection is commonly referred to as food poisoning (i.e. Salmonella or E. coli from improperly prepared or spoiled foods). A food aversion is an extreme nausea caused by eating or sometimes even thinking about certain foods (i.e. vanilla ice cream with ketchup). Only a true food allergy will stimulate the immune system and thus create positive skin testing results.

Only 5% of food allergies are "fixed", in that they will create symptoms every time the food is eaten regardless of the amount. 95% of food allergies are "cyclic", in that the symptoms vary depending on how often the food is eaten, how much is eaten, what other allergenic foods are eaten at the same time, and whether an inhalant allergen (i.e. pollen, mold, dust or dander) is encountered at the same time. Because of these variables it can often be difficult to determine if food allergies are present. Further compounding the problem is the fact that food addictions can develop, where eating the food in regular, small quantities may actually improve the allergic symptoms. Allergies are most likely to develop to those foods eaten daily, such as milk, corn, egg, wheat, soy, and yeast, all hidden components of many processed American foods.

Because of the reasons stated above, most persons with food allergies will not be aware of them. They may present with classic allergy symptoms, such as nasal congestion, runny nose, post-nasal drip, sneezing, sinus headaches, watery eyes, middle ear pressure, sore throat, hoarseness, cough, or recurrent infections of the sinuses or middle ears. In addition, other symptoms may be present such as vertigo, eczema, hives, fatigue, diarrhea, cramping, vomiting, or constipation. The classic allergy symptoms are usually attributed to inhalant allergies, and the foods often go unrecognized. Indeed inhalant allergies are more common than food allergies, and most persons with food allergies will also have inhalant allergies. If, however, the inhalant allergies are being treated with desensitization (allergy shots) and the person is not improved by the time he has reached his maintenance dose, then food allergy testing should be considered. In these cases, the inhalant allergies may indeed be improving, but the food allergies mask any improvement in the symptoms. In addition, persons who complain of gastrointestional or skin symptoms should have food testing sooner.

Foods may be tested through oral challenge tests or through skin tests. Oral challenge testing is inexpensive and accurate, but difficult to perform and time-consuming. Skin tests, on the other hand, will reveal the allergenic foods immediately, and are just as accurate as oral challenge testing. Once the allergenic foods are known, they may be treated with the elimination-rotation diet or through neutralization. The elimination-rotation diet is very effective, however, like the oral challenge test, it is difficult to perform and time-consuming. One of these difficulties lies in the fact that hidden foods (milk, corn, egg, wheat, soy, and yeast) are extremely hard to avoid. The other treatment method is neutralization. This method relies on the principle that regular, small doses of an allergenic food actually improve the symptoms of the allergy. Daily injections of the neutralizing dose of such foods will allow the individual to eat those foods in moderation without provoking the allergy symptoms.