Food Allergy

Food allergy is an abnormal response to a food triggered by the bodies immune system. Allergic reactions to food can sometimes cause serious illness and death. Peanuts and tree nuts are the leading causes of deadly allergic reactions called anaphylaxis.

The American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology distinguishes between true food allergy and food intolerance. True food allergy occurs when an individual's immune system overreacts to an ordinarily harmless food by producing an allergic antibody called IgE. Food intolerance refers to an abnormal response to a food that is not an allergic reaction. This is not necessarily the opinion of other physician groups, who diagnose and treat food allergy. The original definition of allergy was "altered reactivity", which is a much less narrowly defined description of allergy not limited by IgE antibody reactions.

Symptoms of Food Allergy

Allergies can affect any organ system in any person at any age:

Infants - colic, feeding problems, "spits up a lot", diaper rash, ear infections, eczema, runny nose.

Children - asthma, recurrent ear infections, eczema, frequent "colds", recurrent throat and tonsil infections, bedwetting, ADD/ADHD, "growing pains".

Adults - symptoms involving the eyes, nose, ear, throat, skin, respiratory tract, cardiovascular system, intestinal tract, muscles and joints, central nervous system.

Eye allergy - itchy, watery, swelling, pain, redness, itching of the inner angle of lower lid.

Ear, nose and throat allergy - nasal congestion, itching, runny nose, postnasal drip, sneezing, recurrent sinus infections, sinus headaches, sinus pressure, sore, dry or tickly throat, clearing throat, itchy palate, hoarseness, cough, ear ringing/popping, fullness, dizziness.

Cardiovascular symptoms - increased pulse rate, palpitations, chest pain, cold tingling extremities.

Respiratory allergy - asthma, wheezing, reactive airways disease, recurrent bronchitis, unexplained coughing episodes, shortness of breath, excess mucus production.

Gastrointestinal allergy - "irritable bowel syndrome", canker sores, heartburn, indigestion, abdominal cramps, gas, bloating, belching, diarrhea, constipation, difficulty swallowing, reflux.

Genitourinary allergy - frequency and urgency, painful urination, incontinence, bedwetting, recurrent cystitis, vaginal itching and or discharge.

Musculoskeletal allergy - arthralgias and myalgias, muscle and joint pain, neck pain and tightness, backache.

Nervous system allergy - headache, migraine, difficulty concentrating, spacing us, drowsy, groggy, dull, brain fog, unexplained depression, mental confusion, memory impairment, allergic fatigue-very common.

Food Allergy Testing

Provocative Neutralization testing is the method we employ for evaluating food sensitivities. During this procedure, carefully produced skin wheals are made for each food tested. The whealing response normally correlates well with the presence or absence of sensitivity to that food. Rather than just evaluating wheal response, the patient's symptom are observed and recorded throughout the testing. Provoking symptoms is not required, but frequently occurs in this form of testing. One food is tested at a time rather than a whole group of them at once in order to be more precise in the diagnosis of food sensitivities. The symptoms that are produced during testing are usually mild and rarely severe.

Since foods are tested one at a time, this type of allergy testing takes longer than scratch, prick or previous forms of intradermal allergy testing. This technique of allergy testing also becomes a form of therapy. During this test procedure, a "neutralization dose" is also determined. The neutralization dose alleviates or "neutralizes" the symptoms caused by the allergic food.

Testing procedures are done in an environmentally controlled testing area. Food and chemicals are tested in a blind fashion i.e. the patient will not be told what he or she is being tested for. This is done to decrease any psychological influence on the allergy testing. The environmentally controlled unit helps decrease exposure to external allergens such as dust, pollens, and chemicals.