Question: If I eat a food and I get itchy within a few minutes, is that a reaction and is that food possibly an offender? Joan, thank you so much for your articles. I am in the middle of an elimination diet now for my eczema and am worried about the reintroduction phase. My eczema, which is mostly on my chin, is not yet healed (but is much better). Dear Lauren, Investigating your diet means lots of thinking about all the possible happenings. Following are some: Any symptoms that happen … [Read more...]
Understanding chemicals in food and medicines
Jamie asks how we can understand chemicals in food and chemicals in medications, and using pain killers and antihistamines. He has similar symptoms to others who write to this site and wonders if one of his antidepressants may have caused them. Dear Jamie, Chemicals in our lives are complex! Many chemicals in food and medicines and food do what they are supposed to do with no problems. Those in food provide nutrition and flavour. All medications, including alternative health ones, change some … [Read more...]
Does reducing spice affect longevity in food sensitive people?
People who eat spicy foods nearly every day reduce their risk of death by 14 per cent compared with those who consume spicy foods less than once a week. Does it mean that reducing spices, additives, high amine foods, and MSG, as many food sensitive people do, may not be a good thing? The report, from Harvard University, published in the BMJ in August continues ‘Regular spicy food eaters are also less likely to die from cancer, heart, and respiratory diseases than those who eat spicy foods … [Read more...]
Food sensitivity reactions are different for different people
Mark’s own story of his severe reaction to tyramine/histamines on the blog. "Reading all these replies are interesting, I too have gone to ER not knowing what happened to me, or why my blood pressure shot up over 200/120, sudden chills and shaking, why I felt sick in the stomach, felt anxious, sometimes my vision seemed to get cloudy, had that niacin flush feeling, tight chest, labored breathing. I ate all the foods I have eaten for years and all of a sudden am getting these allergy like … [Read more...]
Can you decide to put up with a bit of discomfort if you want to relax the diet a bit and eat some of a favourite food?
It is fair enough to be annoyed with those who criticise food sensitive people by saying that they are “over-noticing” symptoms. I have met siblings where one has a very high threshold to pain and another a very low one. It is good or bad luck which one you are. The pain is being felt and worth adhering to the diet to minimise. However sometimes it is worth a bit of resulting discomfort to enjoy some food. Each supersensitive person needs to work out just where they are at in terms of discomfort … [Read more...]
What make up can you recommend that hopefully food sensitive people won’t react to?
There is no one brand that is tolerated by everyone and it can be expensive to trial various ones. Those reported best tolerated are those who advertise being perfume free. Even then you need to check each product. Some say no perfume but have added 'essential oils' e g apricot oil, so check on that. Use of coloured lipstick has rarely been a problem [perhaps it is not absorbed in wax], unless a food sensitive child eats several. Yes one hyperactive child did! Coloured eye shadow can be a … [Read more...]
Can colour on the skin produce symptoms in other parts of the body?
Yes. One twelve month old child described as “failure to thrive” attended for diet investigation. The family were very pleased when he started gaining weight and stopped looking fragile on the diet. Mum took his to a playgroup and made sure no one gave him any food. The children played with coloured water and he came home with his hands yellow. She rang me the next day saying he had diarrhoea but was not looking sick. I checked that he did not have an increased temperature and suggested she … [Read more...]