I would like to share with everyone why I have been sick the last 2 days

[Maraya1969]

I ate a bunch of cheese, chocolate, wheat, and ice cream. I've done this before and I always get sick. Always. And yet I do it again. And I am not talking general malaise I am talking laying on the couch taking pain killers, nausea pills and OTC allergy products. I am talking pain in my gut so bad I can't sleep. I am talking nausea to the point where I dare not lay down.

And my eyes itch.

I've been tested for food allergies and I definitely have them. They change sometimes but the big two - wheat and dairy have been consistent all my life.

I feel like sharing this for other people's benefit. I know a lot of people have chronic complaints and regular doctors do not check for food allergies. I am here to tell you all that they really do exists and not just in the form of violent reactions to shell fish or peanuts. You usually have to see a holistic doctor or chiropractor to get the tests done but muscle testing also works. It is not hard to learn and very valuable.



"Some food allergies affect only the gastrointestinal tract (stomach and intestines). These are often infant or early childhood conditions, but some can persist. An example of a persistent allergy is celiac disease, which is an abnormal immune response to certain proteins in gluten, a type of protein found in wheat and barley. This condition is also diagnosed in adults—in fact, the most common age at diagnosis now is about 40, and most patients have had at least 10 years of symptoms before diagnosis.

Common symptoms of food allergy include skin irritations such as rashes, hives, and eczema, and gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. Sneezing, runny nose, and shortness of breath can also result from food allergy, but such symptoms are usually seen at the same time as symptoms in other areas of the body in a more severe reaction. In other words, isolated sneezing and runny nose, or isolated shortness of breath is not common with food allergy. Some individuals may experience a more severe reaction called anaphylaxis."


http://ific.org/publications/brochures/allergybroch.cfm

[ima_sinnic]

1. so ... you know what makes you sick but you eat it anyway?

:shrug:

[trumad]

3. Good point

[bananas]

5. Sometimes DU makes me sick

but I keep coming back.

[Maraya1969]

6. Yea it's stupid right? You usually are allergic to the foods that you love.

Sort of like why an alcoholic loves alcohol. I usually can get away with eating a little bit of the stuff but this weekend.....you know the FOOD and Memorial Day.

[Clark2008]

20. I'm allergic to pork - but I never, ever crave it.

However, I do think my body isn't fond of wheat products (not exactly "allergic" to them - just has a hard time digesting them). I know I felt the best I've felt in a long time when I was on the Atkins Diet last summer.

However, this year, I'm pregnant and I HAVE to eat a certain amount of carbs and, since I have gestational diabetes, the ONLY way I'm allowed to have those carbs is with bran and wheat. I can't make them up with anything with pure sugar.

[KittyWampus]

15. like people who know too much alchohol gives a hangover but get drunk anyway.

[tabasco]

2. I was about 40 before I got tested for allergies.

I went to an allergy specialist to get tested.

Main ones for me are house dust, chocolate, cinnamon, coffee and a few others.

I drink coffee like crazy and that alone doesn't trigger it anymore. I would have to get into some kind of rehab to quit coffee and I would fail.

Cinnamon seems to set it off pretty fast, but chocolate only if I eat a lot. And stuff in combinations gets it going.

The itchy eyes is the worst part. You'd like to scratch your eyes out of your head.

Maybe just enjoy your allergens alone, not in combination and you won't have such a bad reaction.

You are correct that many people don't suspect they have allergies and don't want to pay to get tested. My Mom was like that.

[bananas]

4. Good luck. nt

[Ian David]

7. Holistic doctor or chiropractor for food allergies?

Gee, maybe I'll take my car to a priest for an exorcism the next time it's running funny.

Who the hell doesn't think food allergies are real?

Is that what your chiroquacker told you? That evidence-based medicine practitioners think food allergies are a myth?

[MonkeyFunk]

8. I know...

scary, isn't it?

[Maraya1969]

9. They never check for them. They just hand out pills. I suppose I could ask

but I would rather go to someone who specializes in natural treatments. I've been before and it's the best care I ever had.

[DemBones DemBones]

13. OK, but if you have celiac disease, not just an allergy to wheat,

it will erode your small intestine and often cancer results. Yikes!

I've been researching this because I think I have celiac disease. I'm going to see a gastroenterologist as soon as I can because if the blood tests are positive, they have to do a biopsy of your small intestine. I've had biopsies of my stomach before and it's not bad. You're asleep when they do it but awake right afterwards. It's not surgery, they just put a tube down your throat and take pictures and do a biopsy.

[MonkeyFunk]

14. Why not go to someone

who specializes in allergies.... ya know, like an allergist?

[Ian David]

24. No, that would make sense to those of us who believe in evidence-based medicine.

Obviously, someone is trying to prove both Darwin and P.T. Barnum correct.

[Ian David]

23. If you keep going to shitty doctors who only hand out pills...

no wonder you keep also throwing money at quacks and charlatans who hold your hand and whisper magical incantations.

[KittyWampus]

16. Oh Look! It's a narrow minded, psuedo-skeptical Materialist. Congratulations on being

so willing to display your bias on a public forum.

[MonkeyFunk]

19. it's a narrow-minded bias

to question how a chiropractor diagnoses and treats allergies?

I think it's common sense.

[deadmessengers]

21. It's not a bias

It's no more a bias than saying that the world is spherical is biased against people who believe that the earth is flat. Saying that one is better off seeing a physician, rather than a chiropractor, for allergies and autoimmune problems isn't bias. It's an acknowledgment that medical science has thoroughly debunked the efficacy of chiropractic. Chiropractic is nothing more than expensive back-cracking, and is complete and utter quackery.

...and don't even get me started on homeopathy.

[Ian David]

25. I know that when my car is broken, I always stop by the marina...

to have it checked for barnacles.

Why not go to a chiropractor for allergies?

Makes as much sense.

[Ian David]

26. For open-minded folks like you, I always suggest that you prove it by trying...

Urine Therapy: Nature's Elixir for Good Health
by Flora Peschek-Bohmer, Gisela Schreiber, Gisela Schreiber, PH. D. Peschek-Bc6hmer


If you are like most people, trained from their earliest years to regard urine as a mere waste product, the thought of using it for its healing powers may seem shocking. Yet urine has long played an important role in the holistic medical traditions of societies all over the world, and is even mentioned in the Ebers Medical Papyri of ancient Egypt. For centuries people have been availing themselves of urine's incredible curative powers for ailments ranging from anemia to warts. Urine is free, sterile, and acts homeopathically to "prepare" the immune system.Â

Urine Therapy includes many case histories of people who have successfully treated their ailments with urine, along with cogent explanations of why urine does what it does, how to ensure that the wastes flushed out with your urine aren't taken back in, and why urine may be the best tonic available for your immune system. In addition to protocols for using urine to treat a wide array of diseases, the book offers a program that teaches you step-by-step to overcome any initial aversion to urine therapy. Still playing an important role in the medical systems of countries as diverse as Germany, Japan, and India, this surprisinghealth treatment has been gaining popularity in the United States.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780892817993&itm=1



Enjoy, open-minded one!

Let me know how it works out for you.


Cheers!

[DemBones DemBones]

10. Celiac disease used to be considered rare, now it's estimated that

1 in 130 Americans have it. Some people have no symptoms but their small intestine is being eroded nonetheless. The symptoms are not all gastrointestinal so check a good site about celiac disease if you're wondering if you have it. I mean "you" in the sense of anyone reading this, but you, Maraya, probably should be tested for celiac disease if you haven't been. You may just be allergic to wheat but if you have celiac, it has much more serious consequences if you don't stop eating wheat.

(By the way, soy products are great substitutes for dairy. We drink Silk soy milk and eat Tofutti "ice cream" and I actually like Tofutti better than ice cream! So you can have your "ice cream" without dairy. Silk comes in different flavors, we use the vanilla on cereal and I like the chocolate best for drinking while Mr. Bones prefers the very vanilla, which he likes as much as egg nog. Oh, there is also Tofutti "cream cheese" which is great.) And Tofutti "ice cream" comes in several flavors, all good. For when you feel better! :-)

More about celiac disease: If someone in your family has it, you have a higher risk, which is true of all autoimmune diseases. Also, since celiac disease is an autoimmune disease, if you have another autoimmune disease, you have a higher risk. Most people with autoimmune diseases end up with more than one. (AIDS is an autoimmune deficiency so it doesn't count here. The autoimmune diseases, like lupus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and Hashimoto's thyroiditis, are caused by overactive immune systems. With lupus, your immune system attacks your own DNA.)

In Italy, they're now screening all children for celiac disease and it seems that we should do that here as well.

[Minimus]

12. I have Hashimotos along with Celiac.

My body hates me! It keeps attacking itself.

[Minimus]

11. I have Celiac. It took years for a diagnosis.

FYI - Celiac is not an allergy at all. It is consider an autoimmune disease. It is a response to gluten - a protein found in wheat, rye and barley (cross contamination in oats also). Some people do have a wheat or other food allergies - this is different.

It was discovered that babies that were really sick - not thriving - actually had Celiac. The sickness would start right after the introduction of cereal to their diet.

Not only did I suffer from the gastrointestinal issues I also developed a horrible rash called Dermatitis Herpetiformis. Very painful and very itchy blisters on my elbows . Also an autoimmune response to gluten. Aches, pains, lack of energy were also common.

I am in my 40s and I was sick most of my life because no doctors knew what to test me for. Celiac was not considered a common disease in this country - more predominate in Europe - but more and more doctors are beginning to make the connection that many of us are from European descent.

I cannot eat bread, pasta, or any of the other foods I always loved. Many of processed foods contain ingredients with gluten - malt flavoring is pretty common. It took awhile to get used to my new diet but I do feel so much better now so it is worth it. I am eating much healthier due to the fact that I have to eat mostly whole foods - not processed. I make my own bread using the many different grains available - rice, quinoa, tapioca, amaranth, garfava, potato, corn.

The "healthy" grocery stores (like Whole Foods and Earth Fare) carry a variety of gluten-free foods- pasta, crackers, cookies, even some frozen entrees.

I wish you luck dealing with your food allergies. I know it isn't easy to stay away from the foods you love. I have been gluten-free for 7 years and to this day I still crave a piece of good 'ol deep dish pizza.

[KittyWampus]

17. Allergies and auto-immune deficincies are related.

ALLERGIES – specific hypersensitivity reactions that the body produces to contact with various chemical structures, mainly of protein and polysaccharide nature.

HYPERSENSITIVITY REACTIONS – which are generally fairly non-specific reactions that the body produces when confronted with materials it, temporarily or permanently has no ability to deal with. They are mainly related to food groups. These are also correctly called INTOLERANCES.

AUTO-IMMUNE DISEASES – are complex induced hypersensitivity reactions which the body inadvertently has produced as a result of altered states of body defence mechanisms or changed immune system response activities.

[Minimus]

22. Celiac is not a food allergy

From University of MD Center for Celiac Research
http://www.celiaccenter.org/faq.asp

"Celiac Disease is not a food allergy; rather it is an autoimmune disease. Food allergies, including wheat allergy, are conditions that people can grow out of. This is not the case with Celiac Disease"


From Health on the Net
http://www.hon.ch/Library/Theme/Allergy/Glossary/celiac_disease.html

"Celiac disease or Celiac Sprue is a malabsorption disorder characterized by a permanent gluten -sensitive enteropathy resulting in malabsorption , failure to thrive and other gastrointestinal manifestations. However, it should not be confused with a food allergy or hypersensitivity to food products"


My doctors at the University of NC - Chapel Hill (where I was finally diagnosed) explained it like this:

Allergies: are caused by the immune system but they involve IgE antibodies which are different from the antibodies involved in Celiac which are anti-tTG (anti-tissue transglutaminase antibody). Celiac also has genetic markers HLA DQalpha and HLA DQbeta.

Food Intolerances: are unlike allergies in that they have nothing to do with the antibodies our immune systems produce. A food intolerance is a non-immune reaction to food or food additives.

Celiac Disease: also known as gluten enteropathy, is neither an allergy nor an intolerance. Gluten enteropathy causes damage to the lining in the small intestine, which interferes with the absorption of nutrients. Neither allergies nor intolerances lead to this sort of intestinal damage.

Edited to add:
I actually go to an allergist for asthma and seasonal allergies. I have had all of the allergy testing and the test for wheat was negative.

[DemBones DemBones]

18. I think that's the case for all autoimmune diseases, so

all you folks who are constantly sick with aches and pains, fatigue, stomach problems, rashes, and the doctors can't figure out why (or tell you it's psychological), don't give up. You may have to see a lot of doctors before one figures out what's wrong with you.