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Showing results for tags 'allergic'.
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Ten Natural Approaches to Treating Food Allergy
John Kernohan posted an article in Spring 2005 Issue
Celiac.com 03/03/2022 - When it comes to food allergy, there are basically two types: Immediate Food Allergy (Classic, Immediate-Onset, IgE-Mediated) This is the most understood, but least-occurring immune response to foods. It only occurs in less than 2-3% of adults and less than 5% of children. The reaction time is anywhere from seconds to up to 2 hours and typically affects the skin, airways or the digestive system. The most commonly known response is anaphylaxis, which can result in death. This type of food allergy is typically tested in a doctor’s office by means of a skin “scratch” test. Additionally, it only takes a single food to cause such a reaction and it is typically a food that is rarely eaten. Hidden Food Allergy (Food Intolerance, Delayed-Onset, IgG-Mediated) This is the lesser understood, but most common immune response to foods. It occurs in anywhere from 45-60% of the general population and affects children and adults equally. The reaction time occurs anywhere from a couple of hours up to 2-3 days after consumption of the food. Any system, tissue and organ in the body can be affected, and there are over 118 medical conditions/symptoms that are either caused and/or provoked by this type of allergic response to foods including, but not limited to, arthritis, weight gain, fatigue, high blood pressure, arthritis, Celiac Disease, sinus conditions, asthma and various digestive disorders. Conventional skin “scratch” testing is incapable of detecting this type of food allergy. Even more intriguing is that both a single food and a combination of foods can cause a reaction and it is usually with foods that are regularly eaten. Conventional therapies for treating food allergy commonly include immune suppressing drugs such as steroids and anti-histamines, but there are a number of therapies that are less harmful to the body and in many cases are just as effective, which include: Food Allergen Elimination and Rotation Diet: Though many adults can self-identify their or their children’s IgE-mediated (immediate-onset) allergic foods, it is not unusual for them to be unable to identify IgG-mediated (delayed-onset) allergic foods. Due to advancements in the laboratory analysis of food allergies in recent history, a simple and convenient finger-stick test is available for identifying the culprit foods behind one’s ill-health. This test can be done in either a physician’s office or in the comfort of one’s own home. Once the offending foods have been identified, a strict avoidance of allergic foods is the key to any food allergy treatment protocol. Eliminating the allergic foods will be the single most effective thing one can do to end the suffering they experience due to food-induced illnesses, and it will also help correct malnutrition and leaky gut syndrome. The next most important thing one can do to treat their food allergy is to go on what is know as a rotation diet. A rotation diet helps prevent the development of new food allergies and encourages a more balanced, unprocessed and varied diet. It also leads to weight loss and helps eliminate food cravings that are caused by chemical mediators being released in the body by allergic reactions to foods. Quercetin Bioflavanoid: Quercetin is a plant bioflavanoid that is naturally found in such things as apples, cherries, wine, tea, red and yellow onions, and chives. It has been found to help stabilize mast cells in allergic patients and is a very strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. Glutamine: Glutamine is one of the most abundant amino acids in the body. It “feeds” the immune system and small intestinal mucosa and is critical for maintaining optimal levels of certain detoxifying antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase. When the body is stressed by food allergies and conditions such as Celiac Disease, Crohn’s Diseases and ulcerative colitis, glutamine is unable to do its job of maintaining a healthy immune system and intestinal lining. Glutamine increases the release of growth hormones, restores the digestive tract and maintains a healthy immune system. It also increases the liver’s and lymph nodes’ production of glutathione, which helps the body clear itself of food allergic antibody immune complexes. Glutamine also reverses low nutrient levels in food allergic patients suffering from malabsorption. MSM: Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) is a natural component of the plants and animals we eat and is normally found in breast milk. MSM has been found to alleviate allergic responses to both foods and airborne inhalants such as pollen. It can provide relief to those who suffer from migraines and has been reported to offer long-term pain relief for those with rheumatoid arthritis. MSM aids in reversing constipation, acne, rosacea and snoring (all which have been associated with food allergy). There is a concern about contaminants in some MSM products. For instance, left over DMSO can cause an allergy in and of itself. Use only MSM products containing a distilled form, such as OptiMSM. Omega 3 Fatty Oils: Omega-3 oils, which can be found in fish such as salmon, halibut, haddock, flounder, cod, trout and red snapper, help in overriding the body’s ability to over-produce inflammatory prostaglandins and leukotrienes, which make the body more prone to allergies and inflammation. Vitamin A: Vitamin A is an important immune system building vitamin. It helps prevent skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. It aids in maintaining a healthy thymus gland and helps prevent the release of inflammatory prostaglandin during allergic reactions. Vitamin C - Vitamin C has long been regarded as a natural antihistamine. It also stimulates phagocytes, which is a white blood cell that attacks food allergens and various viruses and bacteria. Breast Feeding: Breastfeeding improves promotes healthy probiotic bacteria in the intestines and passes protective antibodies and nutrients from the mother to the infant, which protects against allergies and other ill-health conditions. Those who are breast-fed have been shown to have a lower incidence of otitis media, eczema, asthma, diarrhea and insulin-dependent diabetes. Exercise: Exercise improves circulation, enhances digestion, stimulates the immune system, and accelerates detoxification—all which aid in reversing and preventing food allergy. Elimination: Eliminating some of the initial causes a food allergy is always important for both treatment and prevention. People tend to develop delayed onset food allergies during antibiotic treatment or when taking anti-inflammatory drugs or acid blocking drugs for prolonged periods of time. -
ok today is officially one week i've been gluten free and i haven't made any noticeable differences in feeling better. my first question is: how long should i wait to expect changes to occur? am i not giving it enough time? prior to going gluten free one of my issues was constipstion, as well as other health issues usually involving an upset stomach, nausea or an uneasy feeling in my stomach. but since going gluten free i have had a bowel movement different from usual. and today it was more loose and diarrhea like and it is very rarely like that. oh and about half way through the week i got a random rash pop up on one ankle???? advice or suggestions??
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Non-celiac wheat sensitivity (NCWS) is a newly described clinical condition marked by symptoms which may affect the gastrointestinal tract, the nervous system, the skin, and other organs. There is little data regarding the origins of NCWS, and it is likely that numerous factors influence the various clinical manifestations of the condition. The one common thread in NCWS is wheat consumption. Symptoms disappear when wheat is eliminated from the diet, and reappear when wheat is consumed. Looking into the possibility that their NCWS patients might in fact be suffering from non-immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated wheat allergy, a team of researchers conducted a review their own earlier data regarding NCWS, with a corresponding review of relevant medical literature on NCWS. The research team included Antonio Carroccio, Pasquale Mansueto, Alberto D'Alcamo and Giuseppe Iacono. Together, they reviewed data on 276 patients diagnosed with NCWS by means of double-blind placebo-controlled (DBPC) wheat challenge. They then examined data indicating a possible wheat allergy diagnosis, and reviewed other study data, along with the role of serum immunoglobulin G antibodies and the basophil activation assay in food allergy, and the histology findings in the food allergy diagnosis. By comparing patients with NCWS and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) against controls with non-IBS-related NCWS, the team determined that NCWS was marked by: food allergy in the pediatric age (0.01); coexistent atopic diseases (0.0001); positive serum anti-gliadin (0.0001) and anti-betalactoglobulin (0.001) antibodies; positive cytofluorimetric assay revealing in vitro basophil activation by food antigens (0.0001); and a presence of eosinophils in the intestinal mucosa biopsies (0.0001). Patients with NCWS and multiple food sensitivity show several clinical, laboratory, and histological characteristics that suggest they might actually be suffering from non-IgE-mediated food allergy. This is potentially very interesting news regarding NCWS, but the team does note that other pathogenic possibilities need to be considered and investigated before this can be confirmed. Source: The American Journal of Gastroenterology, 5 November 2013. doi:10.1038/ajg.2013.353
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Ban Foods for Entire Family, or Just Allergic Kids?
Jefferson Adams posted an article in Additional Concerns
Celiac.com 11/25/2011 - In solidarity with family members who have food allergies, many families enforce a voluntary ban on the food or foods in question. But is that an that a safe and advisable practice? A leading dietitian claims that people who avoid foods to which they are not allergic may have problems if they attempt to reintroduce those foods later on in life. Dietitian Arlene Normand says that banning food for those without allergies is not healthy, and could lead to later health complications. Normand specifically claims that that banning foods for the whole family, just because a family member has allergies to those foods, may leave one at risk for developing sensitivities when those foods are reintroduced later. "You should not avoid any food because you can sensitize the body to that food," she said. "This could lead to an intolerance when you reintroduce the food. She cites wheat as another example, saying that people who "take wheat and gluten out of their diet suffer from bloating when they reintroduce bread." However, a number of prominent voice in the medical community strongly disagree with Normand. Many allergy specialists say there is no evidence to support that claim. Royal Prince Alfred Hospital allergy specialist Dr Robert Loblay flatly disputed Normand's claim. "There is no evidence to suggest that avoiding a food can predispose an individual to an intolerance," he Loblay. While he supported high risk allergy families eliminating foods such as gluten, milk or nuts, he said it can be difficult to enforce a total ban. For example, Dr Loblay says that it's fine to ban gluten for convenience when someone in the family has celiac disease. However, he says, there's no sound evidence that other people in the family should avoid eating foods containing gluten, or that they will suffer once they reintroduce it into their own diets. Alyson Kakakios of The Children's Hospital Westmead agrees that it's fine for families to place blanket bans on foods for the sake of one family member. "If one child has a cow's milk allergy, parents are in a bit of a dilemma about whether they should have cheese, yoghurt and cow's milk in the house because the risk is that the child will mistakenly drink or eat some," she said. "But that risk has to be counterbalanced against removing or excluding whole food groups from the other children and family members who are not allergic." So, what's the verdict on blanket bans of allergens for the whole family? Of course, everyone should weigh their own personal factors into the mix, but the current scientific thinking says that such bans are optional, and that there will likely be no increased risk of allergy if or when a banned food is reintroduced to someone who is merely avoiding the food, but not allergic to it to begin with. One exception on overall bans might be in those cases where allergies can be life-threatening. Exposure to certain allergens, such as nuts, can have severe consequences for people who are allergic, and an outright family ban might be easy and provide a great amount of relief all around. Anaphylaxis Australia president Maria Said agrees, saying "I would encourage parents to remove the allergen from the house if it is something that can be easily removed. It's much less stressful if you don't have the fear of your child having an anaphylactic fit." Otherwise, don't worry. Ban or don't ban depending on your family needs. Just make sure you're replacing any nutrients you might be losing out on by avoiding the banned foods. There is currently no solid scientific evidence to suggest that people who avoid foods would have any problems if they ate those foods many years later. Source: The Sunday Telegraph October 02, 2011
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