Allergy is disease

I was at a BBQ the other day where there were lots of kids. One of the kids had eczema on his cheek. It was very tempting to tell the mother that her son likely had a food allergy. Eczema can be exacerbated by certain fabrics or cleaning products, but it is not caused by them. This encounter made me realize that many people may not know when they or their children are exhibiting signs of allergy.

To paraphrase Lucretius circa 99 B.C., “One man’s food is another man’s poison.” Insert woman and the same holds true. This truth lies at the very core of holistic nutrition, which is fundamentally oriented towards the individual. It is also at the core of what makes so many people sick: allergies! Foods that are good for the many, may be quite harmful to the few.

Definition

The definition of allergy has changed over the course of the twentieth century, but the most recently accepted definition is simply altered reactivity. An allergen is any substance capable of initiating an allergic reaction. The body recognizes the substance as foreign and induces an immune response with the production of antibodies. The body produces antibodies to counteract the effects of the allergen.

The distinction between food allergy, food intolerance and food sensitivity is mainly in proving the involvement of the immune system. The symptoms may be identical. The most accepted diagnostic test for allergy, the elimination diet and subsequent reintroduction of suspected substances, does not differentiate between the two terms, allergy and intolerance. "Food sensitivity" is simply a catchall term for food allergy, food intolerance and other adverse reactions to food.

Healing

There are numerous drugs on the market to help people deal with allergies, the most common being antihistamines and amphetamine-like products. But using drugs to manage and control allergy does not get you well. It simply masks the symptoms. Yet many people have become well by using alternative methods which promote the body’s natural healing response and help to remove conditions in the body which are stressing the immune system.

Allergic reactions to foods and environmental chemicals:

Neurological symptoms

• Amnesia
• Apathy
• Aphasia
• Blackouts
• Coma
• Delusions
• Depression
• Disorientation
• Dizziness
• Emotional instability
• Epilepsy
• Fainting
• Fatigue
• Feeling of indecision
• Hallucinations
• Headache
• Hyperactivity
• Impaired comprehension
• Impaired coordination
• Insomnia
• Irritability
• Lethargy
• Melancholy
• Mental lapses
• Moodiness
• Nervousness
• Neuralgia
• Paranoid thinking
• Stammering
• Violent behaviour
• Withdrawal

Joint Symptoms

• Arthralgia
• Arthritis
• Swollen ankles

Circulatory Symptoms

• Anemia
• Angina pectoris
• Chest pain
• Edema
• Hypertension
• Irregular pulse
• Phlebitis

Other Symptoms

• Bed-wetting
• Cataracts
• Diabetes
• Failure to thrive (in infants)
• Fever
• Hoarseness
• Low blood sugar
• Multiple sclerosis
• Obesity
• Otitis media
• Swelling around the eyes
• Tinnitus

In addition to the lists mentioned, there are numerous gastrointestinal symptoms, skin symptoms, muscle-skeletal symptoms, and hormonal symptoms that can be brought on by allergy. I include this long list of specific symptoms to point out some complaints that, maybe surprisingly, are likely connected to allergy.

Any symptom or condition, anywhere in the body, at any time, can be allergy, particularly when that symptom cannot be explained in other terms. Very often with food allergy, the reaction is not immediate making it difficult to associate the response to the food you ate. But it is evident that symptoms like PMS, epilepsy, bloody diarrhea, backache, and swollen joints can be produced by common everyday foods.

Foods can harm and foods can heal. Our job is to find the right ones for our own individual health. It is up to each one of us to learn what our body needs. Staying healthy means giving our body what it needs and not negatively interfering with it. This could mean we have to make changes to our lifestyle, diet or beliefs. Disease, allergy included, is very often the result of a lifetime of destructive habits. Because the body is self-healing, the power to be healthy is within you! Make a change and feel the change – feel better!