Food intolerance.
To: herb.franklin.oit.unc.edu
Subject: Metabolism, was Re: Ear rash
From: Henriette Kress <hetta.saunalahti.fi>
Date: Sun, 02 Jan 2000 09:17:40 +0200
"Thomas Mueller" <tmueller.bluegrass.net> wrote to herb.franklin.oit.unc.edu:
>>I have waited to see what other more knowing contributors would come up with. I also have an itcy rash in one of my ears. My ear specialist said it was excema(sp?). I notice it bothers me whenever I eat too many tomato products-I guess the acid. Perhaps you should look at her diet. Robin
>Tomatoes are a fairly frequent food allergen. I read that only 1% of adults have food allergies, which seems to me like a case of lies, damned lies and statistics. Are you also allergic to peppers (Capsicum), eggplant and potatoes?
There are two basic types of metabolism. Those who have a strong liver, and those who don't. (Sure, this is a gross oversimplification. Sue me.).
People with strong livers just don't get allergies.
Those who don't are prone to allergies, rashes, eczemas, and food cravings. And some digestive problems.
So basically about half the population could get an allergy some day, and most of them do. Lifestyle then affects the severity of the allergy, and the scope of allergens you succumb to.
Food allergies? Hmmmm. So they don't consider gluten, lactose, and milk protein intolerances as allergies, then. Nor the Solanaceae (potato family), which is the third big group to cause food sensitivities.
So you have diarrhoea all the time?
Be completely gluten-free for three weeks. Feel better? No? Be completely milkfree for three weeks. Feel better? No? Be completely potato/tomato/paprika/chili/auberbine/etc. -free for three weeks.
Feel better? Well then AVOID those foods.
Cheers
Henriette
From: "Graham White" <hendongreen.gn.apc.org>
Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2000 16:19:47 -0000
It's a question of terminology again (as with my rants about 'systemic candidiasis'), the orthodox medical community only count allergies as being where there is mast cell degranulation with IgE release, whereas the complementary/alternative world tends to use the term 'food allergy' for anything from anaphylactic shock to a slight transient tummy upset. The
number of quacks around encouraging people to starve themselves on the basis of spurious 'allergy' testing only compounds the problem.
As you say the liver/digestion is the key.
>Food allergies? Hmmmm. So they don't consider gluten, lactose, and milk protein intolerances as allergies, then. Nor the Solanaceae (potato family), which is the third big group to cause food sensitivities.
I would recommend Brostoff, J. and Gamelin, L. 'The Complete Guide to Food Allergy and Intolerance', London:Bloomsbury, 1992, parlicularly for its list of alternatives to common foods, and how to do a dietary exclusion test properly.
Cheers
Graham White B.Sc. (Herb. Med.), MNIMH.
Medical Herbalist
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hendongreen.gn.apc.org
From: Henriette Kress <hetta.saunalahti.fi>
Date: Mon, 03 Jan 2000 11:58:45 +0200
"Graham White" <hendongreen.gn.apc.org> wrote to herb.franklin.oit.unc.edu:
>anything from anaphylactic shock to a slight transient tummy upset. The number of quacks around encouraging people to starve themselves on the basis of spurious 'allergy' testing only compounds the problem.
; ) are you calling me a quack?
Thing is, that three weeks totally off all milk (and milk products) -works-. For lactose (or milk protein) intolerants.
Or three weeks off all gluten. For gluten intolerants.
Or three weeks off all Solanaceae foods. For people who have problems with those.
I tell them to do one at a time. If one of those three is not the culprit, well -then- it's time to do a more detailed sensitivity check. But more often that not removing one of those does the trick. And more often than not, this being Finland, it's milk and milk proteins.
>I would recommend Brostoff, J. and Gamelin, L. 'The Complete Guide to Food Allergy and Intolerance', London:Bloomsbury, 1992, parlicularly for its list of alternatives to common foods, and how to do a dietary exclusion test properly.
Right, I'll check it out.
Cheers
Henriette
From: "Graham White" <hendongreen.gn.apc.org>
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 15:10:57 -0000
>; ) are you calling me a quack?
Moi?? certainly not. You know the people to whom I refer - they probably have offices in the Helsinki equivalent of Harley Street and charge 500 Euros (which conveniently is presently 500 USdollars) per consultation and send their patients out with such a long list of 'allergic' foods that they promptly develop malnutrition.
<snip>
>>I would recommend Brostoff, J. and Gamelin, L. 'The Complete Guide to Food Allergy and Intolerance', London:Bloomsbury, 1992, parlicularly for its list of alternatives to common foods, and how to do a dietary exclusion test properly.
>Right, I'll check it out.
The book above uses pretty much the same protocol as you, main difference being they do a reintroduction of the excluded food group after three weeks to see if symptoms return.
Cheers
Graham White B.Sc. (Herb. Med.), MNIMH.
Medical Herbalist
