About Food Allergies & Sensitivities
When food causes an immune system response, you are allergic/sensitive to that food. The types of immune responses suffered by various individuals vary widely. Examples range from itching to hives to life threatening anaphylaxis, which includes difficulty breathing, itchy mouth, facial swelling, difficulty swallowing, elevated heart rate, flushing, and other very serious problems. If you experience the symptoms of anaphylaxis, call 911 immediately!
Food sensitivities can cause headaches, hay fever, allergies, constipation, cancers, fatigue, weight gain, eczema, hives, ADD/ADHD and infertility to mention a few.
The term ‘food sensitivities’ is the industry term used to describe what I would more appropriately call food allergies. The word ‘sensitivities’ makes it sound less harmful. The reality is that both immunological pathways stimulated from a response to food are equally as bad. One works much more quickly (allergy) than the other (sensitivity). The example we use is shrimp as many are very ‘allergic’ to shellfish. Consumption of this food for those with shellfish allergies can be fatal. Many people go into what is called anaphylactic shock, where their throats close and they cannot get oxygen. The more benign symptoms would be itching or sneezing.
With food sensitivities the response from the immune system moves much more slowly. It takes years and years to create major disease processes in the body, but the consumption of foods that you have a sensitivity to keeps your immune system in a heightened state of stress. The problem is that by nature we tend to consume the same 30 foods 80% of the time. We like what we like. The constant bombardment of eating the same foods consistently, (that you may be sensitive to) as well as foods that are not in season, wreaks havoc on the immune system. Eating those foods less often would allow your body to handle the stress more easily, without overreacting. Continuing to eat foods our body is sensitive to keeps the immune system in a heightened state of activity.
A simple test can isolate exactly those foods that should be removed from the diet to give the body a chance to ‘heal’ from the over-stimulation. When you see Dr. Skip, O.M.D., he may recommend food sensitivity testing to determine if there are foods that are triggering your immune system.