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Wellness
Today: Have you ever thought that perhaps you may have a food allergy? Perchance you thought, "I've eaten these foods before, sometimes every day, and I've never had a problem. Why should I consider being tested for food allergies?" References to food allergies date back almost 100 years to 1905.
Dr. Frances Hare, a British psychiatrist who practiced environmental
medicine, linked certain ailments, such as Gout and Eczema, with
food. He also found that when eliminating problematic foods, symptoms
eventually resolve! Many pioneers have followed Dr. Hare's path.
In fact, food allergies continue to be an area of great interest
today. Foods are known to cause a variety of disturbances within the
body. These disturbances arise due to different mechanisms. For
example, you have most likely known someone who is unable to digest
milk products. This is called lactose intolerance and occurs when
the body has a deficiency or absence of the enzyme lactase. Other
foods, like chocolate, have chemical substances that possess the
ability to alters one's mood. You have probably heard of chocoholics;
you may even be one yourself. These are not food allergies. Food
allergies are the only food-induced disturbance directly related
to the immune system. Let us speak briefly of the immune system, a marvelous and intricately
complex component of the human body. Begin by envisioning your
immune system as if it were a sentinel standing guard, protecting
your body from foreign invaders. With allergies, the foreign invaders
are called allergens. Allergens are so called because they induce
an allergic reaction, or an exaggerated immune response. The sentinel
has a variety of attack methods, including antibodies. Antibodies
function to neutralize toxic materials and commence reactions that
lead to removal of the allergens. The symptoms you experience are
your body's way of telling you about these reactions that are occurring. The body has five different antibodies. The two most often associated
with food allergies are called IgE and IgG. IgE is the antibody
that binds to cells of the immune system, specifically mast cells
and basophils, and consequently causes a release of histamine.
Histamine then causes the capillary dilation and smooth muscle
contraction that eventually result in your individualized symptom
picture. IgE is fast acting and quickly leads to symptoms such
as a runny nose, difficulty breathing, or hives. IgG, on the other
hand, is slow acting. Symptoms can take up to three weeks to develop
and are therefore sometimes referred to as delayed reactions. Furthermore,
IgG can bind directly to the allergen. These antigen-antibody complexes
subsequently deposit within tissues of the body and cause a myriad
of symptoms, such as knee pain. Recent studies have even suggested
that IgG can, at times, act in a similar fashion to IgE. Food allergies are of great concern because most people, and many
practitioners, still do not attribute symptoms of poor or degenerating
health to food. Without knowing the cause of the illness, the body
continues to suffer. The incidence of food allergies is widely disputed. Almost ten
years ago, 10% of the United States population was estimated to
be affected by immune-modulated food sensitivities. The number
of food allergens continues to flourish. With this growth, clinical
indications are evolving into more complex symptoms. Unfortunately,
food allergies are difficult to approximate due to the fluctuation
of symptoms from person to person, dissimilar settings between
cross samples, and different testing procedures leading to varied
test results. For those of us plagued with a single symptom, a
multitude of symptoms, or beleaguered with suffering, it matters
not the prevalence, but instead the resolution. The symptoms of any food allergy can be so diverse and so multi-dimensional that they almost boggle and confound the mind. Each individual, being individuals unto themselves, may exhibit symptoms far different from any other individual with the same food allergy. The following are lists of symptoms designed to assist you in your new awareness of the possibility that your symptoms may be a result of an allergic reaction to food. However, it is important to remember that these symptoms can also be associated with other medical maladies and only careful clinical history, exam, and laboratory testing can differentiate between the two.
As you can clearly see, nearly all symptoms can be related to
a food allergy. These lists are even abbreviated and do not include
every conceivable possibility. So, if your symptoms do not appear
here, by no means does this indicate that your symptoms are not
due to food allergies. Now you may begin wondering how you would know if your symptoms
are actually the result of food allergies. As I stated previously,
clinical exam and history taking, as well as laboratory testing,
are all very important. Your practitioner's role is integral for
understanding, prioritizing diagnoses, ruling-out possible underlying
causes, interpreting test results, and filtering information. Your
practitioner can then help direct treatment that will prevent further
outbreaks. ELISA is a common lab analysis used when evaluating food allergies
due to one or both of the antibodies IgE and IgG. ELISA stands
for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. This is an impressive
sounding test, but actually simple and quite definitive. ELISA
is referred to as a quantitative test, meaning that the number
of IgE and IgG antibodies in your blood can in fact be counted.
After the blood is drawn, the tube is set aside to clot and then
spun with a centrifuge. The clear portion (or serum) containing
the antibodies is removed from the tube and sent to the lab. At
the lab, the serum is added to numerous vials, each containing
a single food to be tested. After a period of incubation, an enzyme
is added to each vial. This enzyme identifies any antibodies that
have reacted with the food. Enzymes that have not identified the
antibody-food reactions will be washed away. Last, a color agent
is added to each vial. This color agent will bind with any enzyme
that is left in the vial. The degree of color in each vial, measured
with an optical density reader, determines the degree of antibody
activity. The darker the vial, the more antibodies. The more antibodies,
the stronger the possibility of that food causing an allergic reaction
in your body. Once you have been tested and the offending foods discovered,
your practitioner will assist you with the next stages, elimination
and challenge of allergenic foods. The elimination phase is the
actual elimination of all foods to which you have reacted. The
challenge phase occurs after elimination. It is the period of time
when you reintroduce foods back into your diet. Elimination is at the least, difficult. Careful decision-making
with an open-mind is rudimentary to success. You will undoubtedly
require patience of yourself. The process can be tedious and time-consuming.
Lifestyle and dietary changes will be necessary. It is not simply
eliminating a specific food, or foods, but learning to read labels
and choosing your dining out meals with deliberate care. When cooking,
you many need to learn to prepare your meals differently or even
devise new menus and recipes. Moreover, working with family members
who do not want to participate could become wearisome. Importantly,
no matter what the difficulty, the end result will ultimately be
worth the process. Soon, the tasks will become second nature and
you will look forward to the end in sight. In fact, in a few months,
your entire life will be changed. You will be a new person: healthier,
stronger, happier. The struggle, the investigation, the diet, the
blood draw, and the waiting time will all have been worth the effort. The best method of elimination utilized by most practitioners
is the quick and immediate elimination of all foods in question.
Some refer to this as going, "cold turkey". Beginning
the changes in your diet at a slow pace will only prolong the whole
process. Discipline is the most aspect in this early stage of altering
one's habits. One must be accustomed to reading labels. Problematic
foods are oftentimes hidden within the multitude of ingredients
of processed foods. An obvious example of this is milk. Milk is
the key ingredient in ice cream. Therefore, logical reason says
that if one is allergic to milk, then ice cream should also be
avoided! Always be mindful that allergenic foods are hidden everywhere.
Carrying snacks or nibbles with you always may also behoove you,
just in case, and for those times when you simply cannot determine
if a food item is safe. The time frame for elimination differs with each individual. Times
range from three weeks to six months, or until symptoms have regressed
or ceased. No matter how long the time frame, be sure to replace
any nutrients you would usually get through your eliminated foods
with our sources. Be ever vigilant. Remember this is your well-being
and you are at the helm. The challenge phase is next. Choosing foods for the challenge,
or reintroduction, phase, should be done carefully and methodically.
Gradually these foods will be reintroduced into your diet one-by-one.
First bring back foods of greater nutritional value, and believed
to be unlikely candidates for allergy. Only after introducing those
foods should more allergenic foods be tested. This is important
because with each new allergic uprising a period of time is lost
while your system returns to normalcy. Moreover, challenging foods
should be done in their most simplistic whole forms. For example,
if you are challenging cow's milk, drink a cup of cow's milk; do
not have hot chocolate. If challenging corn, eat corn on the cob
without butter, salt, or pepper; do not have chips and salsa. Reactions
can be delayed, as mentioned earlier, due to the differing reaction
times of IgE and IgG, so waiting a few days between foods is recommended.
No foods should be reintroduced while in the throes of the reaction,
otherwise the reaction to that food will be masked. Instead, wait
until you symptoms subside, and then reintroduce the next food.
When symptoms do arise after ingesting a certain food, do not continue
to eat that food through the remaining challenges. Again, this
will mask your results! One important thought, if you have a known
adverse reaction to a specific food, such as shrimp causing hives
or anaphylaxis, do not challenge the food, unless supervised within
a clinical or hospital setting! The process of challenge is fun and exciting. As an added bonus,
you will learn more about food, your body, and your health. Now,
rewards are actually within reach. Once you have identified your food allergies through the process
of testing, elimination, and challenge, the next step for you and
your practitioner is to choose a treatment protocol that best suits
your symptom picture and is directed at alleviating the underlying
cause of your allergies. Your specific treatment may involve diet
changes, supplementation, and even allergy shots. Although, injection
therapy is rarely prescribed for food allergies. The search for the underlying cause can be a lengthy process and
sometimes bewildering. Often, a direct association with the onset
of allergies is not identified or remembered. This is when a thorough
investigation may be required by you and your practitioner. You
will need to be on high alert, listening carefully to your body
and its symptoms. Much akin to an espionage novel, you may find
yourself investigating and thinking of where you were, what you
were doing, and under what conditions you ate a particular food
item. Optimizing digestive and immune functions are oftentimes
the perfect places to start treatment. With treatment, you may
be able to once again eat the foods for which you were found to
be allergic. Searching for the underlying cause of your allergies
is the key to long-term health. As you have undoubtedly come to realize, food allergies are not well known, not well investigated, and are therefore, oftentimes overlooked as a possible causative factor to illness. Fortunately, laboratory testing is available and lends to easier identification. Feeling as well and as strong as one can be is the best reward. Ultimately, you will be the victor and you can take total satisfaction and delight that you have accomplished a great deed. Your health and well-being will be in your hands. US BioTek Laboratories Takahashi T, Kitani S, Nagase M, Mochizuki
M, Nishimura R, Morita Y, Sasaki N. IgG=mediated histamine
release from canine mastocytoma-derived cells. Int Arch
Allergy Immunol. 2001 Jul;125 (3):228-35. Opper FH, Burakoff R. Food allergy
and intolerance. Gastroenterologist. 1993;1(3)211-220. |
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