Dori Zook wrote:

> I think Ray touches on this in "NeanderThin" but I've once again loaned out
> my copy (gotta get some paperbacks, dammit).  Question: can food allergens
> lead to hives?  Long/short, a friend has developed hives and saw them
> disappear thanks to a prescribed antihistamine but he prefers not to use
> prescription medications.  He's also under some heavy stress.  I wonder if
> the stress is the proverbial straw on his immune system's back and, kablamo,
> hives.  Oh, he also noticed an end to his indegestion when he took the
> antihistamine.  Could be serendipity... Ennyhoo, if you've seen hives come
> when you eat a "forbidden fruit" or leave when you follow the path, lemme
> know!  Send it to the list or to me, personally, whichever you prefer.  I'm
> going to do some searching and see what I can find.

I get hives from strawberries as well as tomatoes when eaten in excess.
And I've noticed that if I cheat on gluten-containing food, I get what I call
"itchy bumps", not
fluid-filled, but intensely itchy, at joint areas like knees, ankle, elbow,
feet.
I think this is dermatitis herpetiformis, which is a known symptom of
celiac disease.  Some celiacs don't ever get the intestinal problems but just
the rash, and doctors usually have a heckuva time figuring it out.
Going paleo (strictly) certainly solves this problem.

I'm not sure if an antihistamine would help if the problem was celiac; it
is not an IgE problem.

Lynnet