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Apologies in advance if this posts twice!
My original question was about methods for determining food allergies. I
am sending three emails; this first one is my actions and the other two
are the List response summary. They are all long (ergo they had to be
broken up)but if you are interested maybe you will appreciate the detail.
Additionally, I am planning to put up a food allergy web page that will
include the links I found or were recommended to me since I found it hard
to find one spot for all the info I found. If I get my act together I
will post the links here soon.
I decided to try all of the suggested methods of determining food
allergies, since mine have become decidedly worse and extensive since
going gluten free. This includes skin and blood tests, food diary,
elimination diet, rotation diet, homeopathic therapy, and possibly more
conventional therapy (i.e. desensitization therapy). Most responses from
this list said the gold standard for pegging food allergies is the
elimination diet, and that other tests may or may not be helpful.
My skin scratch tests were all negative. A doctor I am seeing at a
local hospital ran two general blood screenings with a RAST and Pharmacia
Immunocap. The latter is a new and supposedly more accurate test. I get
results back next week.
The homeopathic method does seem to be helping. I am taking Luffa
globules as well as a Luffa nose spritzer, and am taking Nux Vomica as
well. I am also considering doing “own blood therapy” (which does not
seem to be practiced in the US) a question I recently posed to the list
that raised a bit of a stir!
I have been on an elimination diet for over one month, and am doing much
better. On this diet one eats a very basic diet for a few weeks to a
month that eliminates most potential allergins—this is a list you work on
with your doctor or just by trial and error on your own which is what I
did. I only ate salt, olive oil, rice, zucchini, yoghurt, grapes,
raisins, figs, fish, chicken, and eggs (luckily I am not allergic to
those). Most people I have talked to about this have had many more
options in their elimination diets, but one guy I know only ate chicken,
rice, and avocado! As a result of my diet my post exercise and shower
hives have decreased, and I have more energy. I even kept the diet up
during a trip to San Francisco (the skills one learns being gluten
free!). I am starting to successfully reintroduce a few foods (horray
potatoes!), which is encouraging. As suggested by many on the list I am
adding one food, in a pure form, very slowly and building up in frequency
and amount. When I react to a food, I go back to my basic diet and wait
several days to regain balance, and then try another food.
The food diary is a bit of work, but it is very very helpful, especially
when discussing reactions with an allergist. You simply keep track of
what and when you eat, and note if you have a reaction. I also kept track
of things like the consistency of my bowel movements, which I later also
linked to a food allergy. By using the food diary, I eliminated mustard
family vegetables from my elimination diet.
Additionally, it is important to consider foods that are cross-reactive
with other allergies. I have grass, rye, tree, and weed allergies. For
example, the reason why I may be unable to tolerate stone fruits and
rosacea family (apples, etc.) may be because of my tree allergies.
Likewise honey and cane sugar with grass and other allergies. My problem
with soy may be related to my grass and rye allergy, so I am now more
aware that other legumes *could* cause me problems.
When reintroducing a food after an elimination diet make sure to try the
food raw as well as cooked. Unfortunately this did not help me when it
came to apples! Also, one can react to certain variety of a food but not
another (such as react to Fuji apples, but not Braeburn). For example, I
react to green grapes, but not seeded purple ones. Also, sometimes it is
good to peel the apple as one can react to the peel!
It is also important to consider that you may be reacting to a food
because of the chemical makeup (or just because it happens to have a high
amount of histamine (a pseudo allergy—sometimes as in the case of
strawberries, tuna, etc.). This includes histamines, glutamines,
salicylates, benzoates, food dyes, etc. Or it could be that you are
reacting to something like lactose in milk.
Allergic reactions are usually individual, but can vary greatly –hives and
rashes, breathing problems, muscle pains, itchy ears, oral allergy
syndrome, rapid heartbeat, etc. and of course the potentially lethal
anaphylaxis. That is why it is especially important to work with a
physician when figuring out food allergies, as I am. It is important for
me as I react strongly to nuts and had been having increasing problems
with breathing and was starting to develop asthma. Ergo I am avoiding
seeds for the time being as well…….many responses said it might be a good
idea to have an epi-pen on hand in case of an emergency.
All in all it is a very exhausting experience, but I have learned a lot
and feel like all the effort is being rewarded. I know it will probably
take me many many months before I have pinned down all of my food
allergies. It all takes a sense of humor at times -- most people will
never understand doing something like this! It also takes a willingness
to do the diet and stick unwaveringly to it. Thanks for all the support I
have received from this list!
I am not a professional and have only had advice from doctors, friends,
and posts to this board. Please check with your doctor if you are having
problems…..and if you have any advice for me or corrections/suggestions to
this post do let me know!
What with all the Star Wars hubbub...The Sufferer Strikes Back: choppers
in hand one morning I marched, PJs and all, to the flowering hedge outside
my bedroom window—it had been making it impossible for me to breathe or
sleep at night. Poor flowers, relief for me!
* Please carefully compose your subject lines in all posts *
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