Allergies: More Than Meets The Eye
By Jeffrey A. Morrison, M.D.

The beginning of Spring means more than just beautiful flowers and walks in the park to many allergy sufferers. This is the season that many people with known allergies begin to suffer the typical symptoms of itchy eyes, runny nose and sneezing due to inhaled allergies. However, food allergies are frequently a hidden and overlooked cause of these symptoms.

In controlled studies many foods and additives have been implicated in cases of chronic rhinitis, bronchial asthma, atopic eczema, and migraine headaches. Food allergies are particularly common in infants less than one year old, who are given diagnoses of colic, GI disturbances, respiratory symptoms and failure to thrive. In children age 1 to 5, when classic allergic disorders are diagnosed, such as rhinitis, eczema and asthma, and when they fail to respond to conventional treatment, they are frequently food related. Patients with longstanding physical and mental symptoms such as ADD and ADHD who have not been helped by many years of conventional medical treatment, have experienced rapid relief of their symptoms when they have avoided certain foods.

A study published in the Lancet in 1978 is frequently referenced, which shows that some foods cause a wide spectrum of disabling symptoms in people who are sensitive to them. The authors stated that, unlike conventional reactions such as skin rash, the patient is usually unaware of the food to which he or she is sensitive. They may even be unaware that the symptom is due to food sensitivities, especially if the agent is a favorite food eaten on a daily basis in large quantities. The foods which are frequently implicated include wheat (78%), orange (65%), eggs (45%), milk (37%), and sugar (33%), according to an additional study in the Lancet published in 1980. Another interesting study published in Clinical Pearl News in 1995 showed that children suffering from ear infections are frequently associated with food allergies.

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Osteoarthritis
• Seizure disorders
• Urinary tract infections
• Attention deficit disorder
• Asthma and respiratory illnesses.
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Headaches
• Gastrointestinal upset
• Fatigue

If you feel you may be suffering from food sensitivities that have previously gone undiagnosed, an excellent treatment to explore is a diet called the “allergy elimination/challenge diet” where the foods that you suspect are causing symptoms are completely eliminated from your diet for at least one week and then re-introduced all at once. If symptoms reoccur when the foods are reintroduced, that is a sure sign that sensitivities to the food are present.

There are other ways to diagnose food allergies including blood tests or skin testing by a physician who is trained in environmental medicine. Both tests, of course, must be done at a physician’s office. I certainly encourage any individual who suspects they may have food allergies to begin the allergy/elimination challenge and find out if foods may be causing symptoms. Of course, if you need any help, please feel free to call my office for additional information.