Page 27 - Summer2010

In addition, physicians often encounter a As to her family background, she was born
masking phenomenon, in which reactions to naturally from a mother with digestive problems
regularly consumed foods run into each other— and migraines. Her sister suffered from severe
the new reaction begins when the previous has eczema and her brother from gastro-intestinal
not yet finished—so the connection with a food problems. She did not have information on her
and the symptoms it triggers is not apparent. father’s health.
4
Food allergy or intolerance can produce She was not breast fed as a baby and at the
every symptom under the sun, from migraines, age of three months contracted her first urinary
fatigue, PMS, painful joints and itchy skin to infection, treated with the first course of anti-
depression, hyperactivity, hallucinations, ob- biotics. Since that time, the urinary infections
sessions and other psychiatric and neurological became a regular part of her life, usually treated
manifestations. However, the most immediate by antibiotics; when she saw me she was suffer-
and common symptoms in the vast majority of ing from chronic interstitial cystitis.
patients are digestive problems: pain, diarrhea Throughout her childhood she was very
or constipation, urgency, bloating and indiges- thin, always finding it difficult to put any weight
tion. 3,5,6 on, but otherwise she considered her health to
Naturally, many people try to identify which be “OK”—she completed school and played
foods they react to. As a result many forms of sports. At fourteen years of age her menstrua-
testing have appeared on the market, from blood tion stopped, having started a year before. She
tests to electronic skin tests. Many experienced was put on a contraceptive pill, which seemed
practitioners get disillusioned with most of these to regulate her menstrual periods.
tests, as they produce too many false positives Around age sixteen she was put on a long
6
and false negatives. Furthermore, these tests course of antibiotics for acne, after which she
lead physicians to the simplistic conclusion that developed lactose intolerance with severe
removing the “positive” foods from the diet constipation and bloating. She was advised to
will solve the problem. Indeed, in some cases, stop consuming dairy products at age eighteen,
elimination of a trigger food can help. However, which helped with constipation for a while, but
this help is rarely permanent; the patients usu- her other symptoms remained. She developed
ally find that as they eliminate some foods, they progressively lower levels of energy, abdominal
start reacting to others to which they did not cramps, dizzy spells, very low body weight and
seem to react before. The patient finishes up very dry skin.
with virtually nothing left to eat, and every new Following numerous medical consultations
test finds reactions to new foods. The majority and food allergy testing, she started removing
of experienced practitioners come to the same different foods from her diet, but was never sure
conclusion: the simplistic idea of “just don’t eat whether this made much difference. Some symp-
foods you are allergic to!” does not address the toms seemed to improve, others did not and new
root of the problem. We need to look deeper symptoms appeared. She became sensitive to
3,6
into the causes of these food intolerances. loud sounds and local pollution, her shampoo and
make-up and some domestic cleaning chemicals.
A CASE HISTORY Her cystitis became chronic and was pronounced The patient
In order to understand the root cause of food psychosomatic by her doctor. Her diet at the time
allergies, I would like to share a case history of of the consultation was very limited: she seemed finishes up
one of my patients. Stephanie S., thirty-five years to tolerate (but was not entirely sure) breakfast with virtually
old, asked for my help in “sorting out her food cereals, sheep’s yogurt, soy milk, some variet- nothing left to
allergies.” A very pale, malnourished looking ies of cheese, a few vegetables and rarely fish.
lady, (weight 99 pounds with height five feet, Following several food allergy tests she removed eat, and every
three inches) with low energy levels, chronic all meats, eggs, nuts, all fruit, whole grains and new test finds
cystitis, abdominal pains, bloating and chronic many vegetables from her diet. reactions to
constipation. She was consistently diagnosed as This example is very common and demon-
anemic all her life. strates clearly that just removing “offending” new foods.

SUMMER 2010 Wise Traditions 27