Food sensitivities are very common in our society but often go undetected because there is very little understanding in mainstream medicine about the deep impact they can have on physical and mental health.
Although the terms are often used interchangeably, a food allergy (IgE) is not the same as a food sensitivity (IgG), which is also known as a food intolerance. Sensitivity to a food is an IgG reaction and put simply it is a delayed response that occurs when a food eaten has a direct effect on the body or the brain but is delayed by 7 to 72 hours after ingestion of the food. These reactions occur without IgE antibodies so there is no immediate and pronounced effect like breathing difficulties, hives, or anaphylactic shock that people expect with a food allergy. Although the terms are often used interchangeably, food allergies are the ones that create an immediate and pronounced effect like breathing difficulties or anaphylactic shock, while reactions from food sensitivities are usually delayed or hidden and the symptoms are not as recognizable so this type of food responses can be hard to detect. It is believed that up to 80 percent of the general population has undiagnosed food sensitivities, while true food allergies occur in less than 10 percent of the population. A good book to read on this subject is called Your Hidden Food Allergies are Making you Fat by Roger Deutsch and Rudy Rivera, M.D.
We also see a significant correlation between food sensitivities and disruption of neurotransmitter function which can result in a wide variety of brain function issues such as ADHD, irritability, depression, and anxiety to just name a few. If you would like to learn more, an excellent book that provides extensive information on this topic is called Brain Allergies by William Philpott, MD.
Food sensitivities or allergies can be caused by a variety of factors such as leaky gut syndrome, heredity, a weakened immune system, as well as from underlying conditions such as gluten intolerance and Candida overgrowth. The person with undiagnosed food sensitivities often receive no support from friends, family and the uneducated medical community, because they find it hard to believe that food can cause such debilitating symptoms.
It is not only a person’s mental state that can be affected by sensitivities but their physical health as well, these unrecognized food issues often result in chronic symptoms as severe fatigue, muscle pain, weight gain, arthritic pain, irregular heartbeats, rashes, heart palpitations, itchy eyes, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, etc. The list goes on and on. In children, food sensitivities often manifest in very common symptoms as recurring earaches, stomach aches, allergy symptoms, rashes, and chronic infections. We are always surprised at the wide variety of foods that a person can become sensitive to however, we have found the most common offenders to be wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts, and yeast.
How Do You Know if You Have Food Sensitivities?
This may be confusing but specific foods that a person craves are often the foods that they end up having a sensitivity or allergy to. This is because initially a person feels good after eating a food allergen but after that initial positive response wears off, it is often followed by the negative symptoms occurring that then cause the cravings to kick in again thus becoming a vicious cycle of cravings. They often feel that the food they are craving is their “cure” food because of that initial positive reaction. This effect can also work in the opposite direction in that a food a person has a strong aversion to may be a clue that this is one of their food allergies. The biochemical process that occurs can trigger loss of control when you try and give up the foods you are allergic to. Often a person may even have withdrawal symptoms similar to that of alcohol or drug withdrawal.
It is best to seek out a qualified medical professional who is knowledgeable about food allergies and sensitivities to help you discover if these hidden reactions are creating your symptoms. It is unlikely that your primary care doctor will be able to assist you with this since they are often untrained in this area of medicine. Often, the best choice for a doctor knowledgeable in this area is one trained in holistic or alternative medicine. They will be able to guide you through the process of food allergy testing, the elimination process, rotation of non-allergen foods (“the rotation diet”), as well as dealing with reintroduction of foods which in itself can be a tricky business because severe symptoms can occur with reintroduction. In addition, there are often nutritional imbalances or deficiencies that may be contributing to your symptoms and will need to be addressed.
Lifestyle Adjustments
Since food sensitivities are often your favorite foods, giving them up can be difficult. However, it is often not a life sentence. Food tolerance can be built back up for a particular food by keeping it out of the diet for a period of time, ranging anywhere from 12 to 52 weeks. Although be forewarned that some sensitivities are never overcome and in the case of a food allergies they often remain forever as well.
In our practice, we choose to focus on what you can have, not on what you can’t. There are a variety of alternatives you can find to replace the foods that need to be removed from your diet. For instance if you are an ice cream enthusiast and you must give up dairy, there are several delicious ice cream alternatives like goat, soy, or coconut milk ice creams.
We realize that change is always difficult and changing a person’s diet is one of the most difficult to achieve, however, we provide a tremendous amount of education and support to our patients through the process. Ultimately, the benefits to the person’s health, weight, and mental capacities so outweigh the inconvenience they experience that they are able to stay the course and achieve the elimination of their symptoms that they were searching for in the first place.
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