<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
Many doctors have discussed how the body makes adaptive responses to repeated
exposure to allergens. One of them, who was the first doctor who told me to
stop eating wheat because of its effects on my skin (before I ever heard of
the term "celiac") was Dr. Theron Randolph. He pointed out that there is
often a relationship between allergy and addiction in susceptible persons:
ironically, they are likely to become addicted to the very things they are
allergic to if exposed often enough. People who crave wheat-based products,
for example, are often "allergic" (have immunological or non-immunological
responses) to wheat proteins without even realizing it, particularly because
the most common food allergens are in the overwhelming majority of our
processed foods. Moreover, the symptoms of allergy/addiction/sensitivity may
be so non-specific in some people that physicians have a difficult time
determining what is causing the problem. What may cause a rash in one
individual may cause headaches in another or digestive upsets in a third--or
all the above in a fourth. As a result such persons are as likely to be
considered "mental cases" as taken seriously, and as they become desperate
for relief, their relief-seeking behaviour--which can include insisting on
the reality of their misery and going from one doctor to another until they
find an answer--is often used as a justification for the "mental case" label.
Coffee (caffeine) addicts, for example, often develop powerful headaches
(withdrawal symptoms) when they intentionally or inadvertently reduce their
caffeine intake; they often crave coffee and colas, and since coffee and
colas are legal, it's relatively easy to keep the withdrawal symptoms and
cravings at bay. But when a person quits coffee and colas and has been
"clean" for a long period of time, ingesting a small amount of it can be
sufficient to provoke a serious reaction, even a full-fledged anaphalactic
(sp?) crisis. This happens with wheat, corn, milk, soy, eggs, potatoes,
etc., with cross-reactions in food families common (one who is sensitive to
one grain may easily develop sensitivities to one or more of the others; one
who is sensitive to eggs may also be sensitive to chicken, etc.). Heroin
addicts have died because they thought they could sneak a bit of the drug
after returning "clean" to their peer group from an inpatient drug-rehab
situation; the standard starting dose has become an overdose and the person
dies before help can reach him/her. Randolph even discussed one form of
addiction to alcohol, in which the person was really addicted to the grain or
berry that was the basis of the drink; once they gave up beer and the grains
that go in it, they lost all interest in alcohol (he also discussed why
consuming alcohol and vinegar with foods one is sensitive to can intensify
the addiction/allergy/sensitivity). It was very interesting stuff, yet
controversial, as many of his clinical observations were anecdotal and not
subject to double-blind studies at the time--the sort of things many
scientists don't like.
Randolph wrote a number of journal articles; he also co-wrote an easy-to-read
book with Ralph Moss, _An Alternative Approach to Allergies_, ISBN
0-553-20830-6. (1980 and 1982). This book is available in bookstores,
health-food stores, or libraries, and I highly recommend it to anyone with
any food-related condition. It explains how the allergy/addiction process
works, the relationship between withdrawal symptoms, allergic reactions, and
cravings, and a number of other things. They describe some ways to prevent
food addictions/sensitivities from "spreading" to the point that one becomes
allergic to so many foods that it becomes difficult to have a well-balanced
diet.
Sue
(in Charlotte... who is not giving medical advice)
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