Food Allergy Triggers

[Prosecco6247]

As someone who has multiple food allergies and sensitivities myself, I was interested in this Web MD slide show of some common (and uncommon) food allergies.  It makes the point that an adult can be suddenly stricken with a shellfish allergy and it will remain with him for life...nothing to play around with as shellfish allergies can cause life-threatening anaphylaxis.  It also distinguishes between allergies, sensitivities and food intolerance.  I was only vaguely aware that a wheat allergy did not necessarily mean that someone would automatically have a gluten sensitivity.

It's good information presented in a quick, interesting format and a good "refresher" for all of us. How many of you have allergies yourselves or, even if not, have dealt with food allergies suffered by children and grandchildren?

http://www.webmd.com/allergies/ss/slideshow-food-allergy-triggers

[8strts]

When, I was buying at the Farmers Market in Hawaii, one day, I was talking a to a man and he told me that he had a bad case of itchiness and realized it came from the vegetables they sold at the market. He talked to the farmer and the farmer told him, they spray to keep the bugs away.

The man decided to buy organic and realized all his itchiness disappeared. After that, he knew that whatever the farmers spray on the food is so bad, because the vegetables absorb it and you eat that chemical, over time your body reacts violently, scabs, patches, itchiness, dryness and scaliness.

I was shocked when he told me that because I too had itchiness but thought it was the soap I was using. So, I too began buying organic vegetables and fruits and have never gone back to the sprayed toxic food!

[8strts]

One day, my oldest son was cooking steak and eggs and I became extremely ill with a horrible headache and nausea. I felt if I didn't get out of the house I would probably vomit so bad.

I ran out and stayed till they ate their breakfast.  I realized that this same very thing happened to me when I was staying at my parents friends house when I was very young.  My parents had left us there and they went on a trip.  I couldn't eat anything they served so my parents had to come back. So, that smell has always triggered my senses.

Now, I've become more aware of aromas and figured out what triggers it, childhood fears, cafeteria food, schools, you name it Im trying to figure out the problems. 
Dont give up- keep searching is my motto.

[CarryAnne]

Gosh - FLUORIDE! It is an inflammatory drug and adjuvant, something that intensifies the allergic reaction. 

For decades, I wanted to know why all of a sudden my manageable allergies became so impossible during my 2nd pregancy. I coined the term 'allergic storm.' It took me almost 2 years to figure out it was something in the water. The city had started fluoridating while I was pregnant, but doctors told me they added a lot of other chemicals with the fluoride and fluoride was perfectly safe. Both my kids had rashes, stomach aches, etc. like me, too. 

I was better, but not well, for ten years while on spring water delivered in glass jugs - then made the ill fated decision to get a high quality filtration system. I was then diagnosed with 'chronic Lyme' and arthritis, in addition to gastrointestinal problems I called 'allergies' but which were also labeled as IBS. Kidney and liver trouble followed. Took me decades to go back to inconvenient spring water, but this time even to rinse my mouth after brushing my teeth with natural toothpastes ....but within a couple of weeks - no more 'allergic storms' or any of those other symptoms. 

After having artrhitis in my 30s, 40s and 50s - I don't have it in my 60s. Angry much? There is actually a term in immunology, 'cytokine storm' that describes an immune system in crises. Plus, a 1956 Public Health Service sponsored study of pregnant women advised the powers that be that a percentage of the allergic population had to be dropped from the study because of acute symptoms that matched my experience. I was textbook, but the doctors hadn't read that book because it was banned by dentists who believe in tooth fairy tales?!

There are tons of studies, but let me just share these three recent items: 
2019 from Children's Health Defense & environemntal attorney, Robert F. Kennedy Jr: 

2018 Open Letter signed by leadership at 8 organizations: 

2017 Position paper opposed to any fluoride use from IAOMT on its website 

And an image from that old study that describes my symptoms. 

[MrH875554]

I'm allergic to a lot of normal food. I went to many places but could not treat it. If you have any method to improve this problem, please let me know. Thanks you very much!

[CarryAnne]

“The current system in the United States for evaluating scientific evidence and making health-based decisions about environmental chemicals is fundamentally broken,” - Project TNDR (Targeting Environmental Developmental Risks) 2016

Been there and have the tee shirt. My hell began in 1981..... and although I realized it was all about diet and allergies in 1982, I didn't put the missing pieces together until the past couple of years. It's not as much about the foods as the poisons in our foods, waters, and medicines..... they cause and worsen leaky gut and all resulting mayhem. 

Moreover, I suggest the solution requires political action and should include AARP acting as our spokesman, as we Baby Boomers have been lab rats since 1950 and our grandchildren have horrific health. 

Item 1

Fluoride, even in "optimal" concentrations in water, is an inflammatory drug and "adjuvant" - a substance that intensifies the immune response in the presence of an antigen. See citations in this 2015 letter signed by the president of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, consumer advocate Erin Brockovich, Attny David P. Matthews, et al.:  https://www.aaemonline.org/pdf/LetterIOM_2015.04.27.pdf

Item 2

There are way too much and too many pesticides in our food. Since glyphosae (RoundUp) was introduced about 1990, the tonnage has increased exponentially. Not only have genetically engineered foods (GMOs) been developed to produce their own insecticide, they are "RoundUp resistant" which means farmers can use this poison in much larger concentrations than any other poison plus they spray it on wheat in particularly heavy concentrations before harvesting in order to dry the wheat.

The IARC classified glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen in 2016, which is what the US EPA said in the 1980s before Monsanto convinced the EPA otherwise. The EPA has fought the IARC classification as carcinogenic. Incidentally, glyphosate is registered as an "antibiotic" and we all know that antibiotics aren't good for gut health. Regardless of any classification, eating this stuff every day is not good for your gut. See 2017 NY Times expose on most recent collusion between EPA and Monsanto: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/14/business/monsanto-roundup-safety-lawsuit.html?emc=eta1&_r=1 

Item 3 

Most of us Baby Boomers had between 3 and 5 vaccines as a kid, although we've been convinced we need annual flu shots and all sorts of other vaccines now. Today's vaccines all contain adjuvants and a recent study showed they were all contaminated with glyphosate. A 1986 law gives Big Pharma and doctors immunity from any vaccine injury claim. Consequently, quality control isn't a priority. Moreover, doctors are financially incentivized to administer vaccines while the CDC holds 57 patents on adjuvants and vaccines and so makes a profit on each dose over and above their $4.6 billion budget for vaccine distribution.

BTW: Our grandkids get 25 vaccines by age 6 months. Robert Kennedy, Jr. is an environmental attorney very involved in the vaccine battle. Don't write this off. It's complicated and it's corporate - and it's harming us and our grandkids.

2017 from Pediatrician Dr. Paul Thomas:  https://www.facebook.com/jbhandleyjr/videos/1534834943223322/ 

[a249605a]

A leaky gut develops after exposure (typically years) to foods that are not properly digested by the gut. These food particles irritate the villi of the small intestine - wearing down these villi like the nap of short shag carpet. Each time that the offending food irritates the villi, the gut tries to repair the damage. This can go on for years until the tight juctions of the intestines are separated (the villi become completely worn down) allowing larger food particles to enter the bloodstream. This "invasion" causes inflammation and can lead to Celiac disease where the small intestine can no longer repair itself.

As an Integrative Health and Nutrition Coach, I see clients with food allergies and sensitivities all the time. I have heard "it's growing older" but the truth of the matter is that the quality of food we eat makes the difference how we age. Years of eating poor quality food, high sugar content, and other poor nutritional habits eventually catch up with many people. When I discovered that I had Celiac disease, in addition to over 20 food allergies, I turned around my eating habits and studied nutrition. These don't happen overnight. It take years of our body trying to continually repair the damage from the foods we eat. For those of us who have Celiac disease, eating gluten destroys our small intestines slowly until we can no longer tolerate these foods without discomfort or worse.

The reason to think age is a factor is that our body is so resilient, that for many of us, it takes years, maybe decades, for the damage to cause symptoms. Others are not as fortunate. I work from a functional nutrition perspective and look for root cause. Typcial conventional medicine will prescribe a medication for each symptom that a person would present. Those medications will only mask the underlying issues. With an integrative perspective, I work with clients to reduce or eliminate those medications while finding the root cause of the issue - whether it is a specific food, a poor diet or enviromental toxins. All of these things can lead to a leaky gut and possibly other autoimmune conditions.

[Prosecco6247]

@a249605a Thank you for joining the conversation and giving us such an informative response.  I know that there are a lot more people who "browse and read" than actually post, so I feel your words will reach a lot of people out there who have been researching material specific to "gut issues" they may be suffering.

I wonder if you could speak to the "blood test" used to determine titers to gluten antibodies?  I know the "gold standard" for diagnosis of celiac disease is biopsy of the small intestine.  Is there a similar test for "leaky gut syndrome?" 

What sorts of supplements and vitamins do you recommend for persons who have been diagnosed with either of these conditions?  What nutritional deficits can they expect to have as a result of their diagnoses?  Are there similar deficits found in those with food allergies and sensitivities?

Thanks so much!

 

[SaraL218963]

 " What sorts of supplements and vitamins do you recommend for persons who have been diagnosed with either of these conditions?  What nutritional deficits can they expect to have as a result of their diagnoses? "

I would start with healing the gut. This means PROBIOTICS initally from raw fresh sources like Sauerkraut, Kombucha, Kefir or any FERMENTED FOODS. Good natural soups with BONE BROTH.

In addition I would highly recommend VITAMIN C, at least 3,000 mg per day, spread out with every meal ( look up Andrew Saul Vitamin C on youtube).
A good B-Complex would also help. Get plenty of sunlight too.

Cut processed foods and sugars, and eat plenty of fresh veg and greens.

This will heal your body and restore your immune system.

-Sara

[EveRH]

@a249605a - Good points! It's a shame that few conventional doctors talk to patients routinely about eating habits, starting when we're children. And that's an even bigger problem when an adult goes to the doctor with an actual problem!

[8strts]

Well, I recently found out I'm allergic to yeast, it causes tumors to grow so fast and erratic, and eventually become cancerous.  I found out so many foods contain yeast- even hot dogs.  So, read the labels and if you can't pronounce the word- don't buy it!

Another one is honey, I found this out by accident- I bought a small vial, took it and suddenly my throat closed and found it hard to breathe.  After, a few minutes of staying calm, My throat opened up.  One lady at the farmers market told me I must have taken a one flower honey and you were allergic to that flower.  She said to take multiple flowers and now I can eat honey with no problems.

Also am allergic to pesticides, they give me headaches, rash, and hives so I went organic.  So, if you like Tofu, eat the organic kind.

Im also allergic to Siamese cats, found out his when I babysat them when I was a junior in high school.  When, I walked in the door, I began sneezing, coughing

and didn't stop till I left.  I never went back.

the last one I found was - Acai fruit- it's called Allergic Purpura- blood vessels burst- blood pools under skin- purple colored- small dots to large patches.  What can be done, nothing that I know of now but I'm still researching.

Never give up till you find what is ailing you, even if it takes years, you will discover it.

[EveRH]

Reading material about Leaky Gut Syndrome:

"Leaky Gut Syndrome"

From WebMD

And the connection to Allergies

[amcoffiebean]

Thanks for those links Astraea, I have not heard of leaky gut until you posted here. Very interesting and passing along to a few people who will be interested in reading this also!

[EveRH]

@amcoffiebean - I took a product by Designs for Health "GI Revive - L-Glutamine" for 2 months. Powder goes into plain water or a cold beverage (I thought it tasted yummy in water), twice a day on an empty stomach (before meals). I also recommend seeing a Functional Medicine practitioner, to find out what's really wrong!

[jb62345]

I agree, Astraea, that finding a functional medicine practitioner would be helpful.  That is how I found out I was intolerant of gluten.  She's been very helpful.

[EveRH]

@Prosecco6247, @amcoffiebean - There is also something called "Leaky Gut Syndrome", which results in allergy/sensitivity tests showing a person has a reaction to a lot of things (or in my case EVERYTHING) .. although the person may not have any allergy/sensitivity at all! There are natural supplement that can heal Leaky Gut.

[Prosecco6247]

That's another important issue to think about and possibly merits another investigation in people with multiple food allergies and "sensitivities," @EveRH.

Do you have any interesting links you might share with the rest of us?  It might be helpful for us to compare/contrast the two as we are researching the causes of our symptoms.

[amcoffiebean]

What I am absolutely sure of is that as I age, I'm adding to my list of allergies, most recently I now have pollen issues and peanuts seem to give me problems when I go overboard.  Since I was a child I've been allergic to peaches, apples, cherries and walnuts, tho something when apples are cooked is eliminated because I can eat anything like applesause or apple pie (thank goodness!) I spent years trying to find the association and finally read an article that those sensitivities mean I'm likely allergic to birch.  

Most recently I've discovered that there is something in Tums that causes me to break out in a rash.  It was a complete accident to discover that, I've had this off and on rash for many years and never figured out the cause, nor has a dermatologist without going thru all those tests, which I am not going to do.  I'd been taking Tums since my 40's for a source of calcium and just recently stopped taking it for no other reason than I ran out and didn't get replacement for quite some time.  Never had the rash until I started taking again, so the lightbulb went on so some ingrediente in Tums or combination of likely is the culprit.  There is a good book, Total Renewal by Frank Lipman, that makes perfect sense to me.  It suggests an elimination fast then reintro of foods, etc which frankly was too disciplined and tough for me to even think about trying.  But, he made a long lasting impression by stating allergies are so often unique that you will never get to the bottom of many of them  Like, you can install new carpet that may give off formaldehyde and be fine until you eat a banana one day and bingo, your body has a reaction to the combination.  

[SaraL218963]

Tums and most anti-acids are no good.
Many sites expose this 

[Prosecco6247]

@amcoffiebean said this (in part)..."There is a good book, Total Renewal by Frank Lipman, that makes perfect sense to me.  It suggests an elimination fast then reintro of foods, etc which frankly was too disciplined and tough for me to even think about trying.  But, he made a long lasting impression by stating allergies are so often unique that you will never get to the bottom of many of them  Like, you can install new carpet that may give off formaldehyde and be fine until you eat a banana one day and bingo, your body has a reaction to the combination."  

Thanks to all who have responded so far...you have given us so many interesting comments to think about and explore in our search for answers and tactics to avoid our likely allergens.

A couple of you have commented on the rigors and limitations of food allergy testing...suggesting that it wasn't something you felt was worth the information you might glean from it.  I totally agree with that theory.  

There is also the probability that continued exposure to a substance will end up in a future allergy if your personal physiology is so inclined...it can turn out to be a never-ending struggle...akin to the Greek myth of Sisyphus <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisyphus>

@amcoffiebean also brings up "combination" and "cross-over" types of allergies.*..which can sometimes be fairly complicated to track down.

In point of fact, it's all complicated.  My hat is off to each of you who are aware of the problem and are educating yourselves and others to the possibilities of what is lurking "out there" for the potential and unsuspecting "food  allergic" consumer.

*  <http://www.foodallergens.info/Facts/Facts.html>  This is an interesting reference.  Look to the list in the upper left-hand corner and go down to the topics that list food allergens associated with pollens and food allergens associated with latex.

[amcoffiebean]

Thanks for the links Prosecco6247. Reading up on allergies is an on-going project for me as food and pollen allergies are definitely within almost all my family members. Most recently, my 7 year old grand daughter started breaking out in a rash out of the clear blue and we are on a mission to figure it out.......so far, the standard food, pollen and even latex reactions do not provide any consistency and it's not the same food allergies I have. The mission is underway.

[jb62345]

I have allergies to hazelnuts and peach skins; they both make my lips tingle and throat swell.  Several years ago, after having a few years of bloating, abdominal pain,and morning nausea, I underwent tests and was told I have an intolerance to gluten and casein.  After about 6 months of no gluten or dairy, I no longer had the morning nausea and the other symptoms diminished.  I now am able to eat goat or sheep milk products and a little cow dairy, but eating gluten (as has happened accidentally a few times) still triggers all the symptoms.  It is inconvenient, but I am lucky I'm not celiac and can tolerate some cross-contamination, and that there are now so many gluten-free options.  I do miss a really good pie crust though.

[pagardener]

I guess I am lucky considering the other posts. The only thing I am allergic to food wise are artificial sweetners. I have to check labels on some things to make sure it does not contain any of them.

[Smilinglady]

Years ago I was diagnosed with multiple allergies, but was warned that food allergy testing wasn't foolproof.  I was given a list of foods to avoid and over time worked my way through checking them out.  Milk was the number one issue, though cheese and yogurt were fine.  And no, lactaid type products didn't help.  I found citrus gave me hives, but most of my reactions were gut related.  Then I was diagnosed with IBS, for which my triggers are mega-multiple and cross every food group.  I have a very limited, boring diet - and then I became lactose intolerant which eliminated yogurt and cheese (and no, lactaid is no help).  I've recently begun taking a Sam's club probiotic which actually does help, but doesn't allow me to add anything to my diet. 

It's almost impossible to travel or eat out, and any social activity that involves food is just no fun.  But hey, I'm up and about and active and every day is a gift. 

[EveRH]

I thought this was a very interesting topic, because I've read a lot about food sensitivities in the past year. I also had a battery of tests for food allergies/sensitivities, and tested positive for everything under the sun .. although I've never had a reaction to anything I've eaten. So the doctor & other experts in the field say those test results are probably due to "leaky gut syndrome" (AKA "increased intestinal permiability"). Fix that, and the sensitivities/allergies may go away or lessen.

[pf6783]

My 30'ish daughter suddenly developed a life threatening allergy to soy which it seems is everywhere.  The vast majority of prepared foods at Whole Foods contain soy.  She's read it is the number one cause of food allergy in the US.  Interestingly Europeans do not add soy to everything.   Frightening when we fly.  She brings her own food to all flights and on trips to avoid a nasty journey to the ER.

[8strts]

Maybe those allergic to soy is because of what the growers spray on their crops.  I eat Organic Tofu and have no reaction. I've been eating it for over 10 years.

I always buy organic vegetables!  It's expensive sometimes and when they have a sale, stock up, make stews,soups and enjoy!

[EveRH]

@pf6783 - I can empathize with your daughter! Although I'm not allergic to soy, I avoid it (along with a lot of other things) due to a bout with cancer. One major problem with soy .. which people think of as healthy .. is that a lot of it today is GMO (genetically modified), so everyone should avoid that. It makes me something of a PITA having a meal out!