Food Allergies

This sort of allergy usually causes stomach upsets, rashes, and more rarely, swelling of the mouth and throat (sometimes called Ouincke's disease) or anaphylactic shock, both of which require emergency treatment.

In all cases of food allergy:
- be sure to institute an exclusion diet
- make cooked fruits and vegetables a priority in your diet

Swelling of the throat and mouth should be treated urgently, as this allergic reaction prevents air from reaching the lungs, and the patient may die of suffocation.

The best treatments consist of
- identifying the allergen responsible, which may well be no easy task
- then eliminating the food from your diet

Several categories of foods may be responsible for reactions such as rashes:

- Foods with a high histamine content fermented foods and drinks (sauerkraut, Roquefort cheese, and beer), spinach, tomatoes, oily fish (such as anchovies, sardines, salmon, and tuna), shellfish, and sausages

- Foods that cause unusually high levels of histamines to be released: alcohol (especially brandy, gin, and liqueurs), fresh pineapple, white of egg, peanuts, chocolate, citrus fruits (lemons, clementines, oranges, grape fruit), shrimps, and strawberries.

Histamine is a substance released during an allergic reaction, and antihistamines are prescribed in order to suppress this allergic response.

- Foods that contain tyramine: chocolate, cheeses (such as Brie, Camembert, Cheddar, Emmental, Gruyere, Mozzarella, Parmesan, and Roquefort), fish (caviar, herring, and tuna), meat ('high' game, salami, and fermented sausages), and grapes

- Preserving agents: mostly monosodium glutamate, which is added to a lot of Chinese food. This can cause headaches, burning in the chest and throat, and tingling all over the body. Although the symptoms may be rather dramatic and cause many people to ring for an ambulance, this is largely unnecessary as most cases are not serious and the symptoms disappear rapidly on their own.

- Sulphites, mainly those numbered E 210, E 211, E 223, and E 250, are used to suppress the development of unpleasant odours in wine, to lighten or stabilize the colour of certain foods and drinks, and to prevent bacteria from multiplying

- Nitrates are powerful vasodilators, and may trigger an allergic response

- Certain colouring agents, such as E 102 (tartrazine), E 110 (sunset yellow), or E 123 (amaranth, prohibited for use except in caviar) may cause rashes or hives

- Other allergens, such as some exotic fruits (kiwi fruit ++), for example, are being identified more frequently

I am sure you now understand how difficult it is to identify one single food as a culprit, since different additives are now so widespread throughout the food industry. You could, of course, inspect every manufacturer's label with a magnifying glass, but you may have to come to a general conclusion about certain foods or particular brands: do they agree with you or not?

Homeopathy

Only a constitutional remedy, selected in consultation with your professional homeopath, can modify the terrain in the hope of long-term changes for the better. In the case of allergies, you must be patient, and not expect any 'miracle' cures within a few days.

One of the common causes of food allergies is the prescence of chemicals, food additives and nitrates.  If you are concerned about nutrition, investigate healthy alternatives. Whole foods found organic food shops and farmers markets are your first bet.  If you want to lose weight or just live longer, you're diet may have a larger role to play than you think.