Even Your Best Friends Can Hurt You

By Pierre P. Gagnon, MD

Pierre-Paul Gagnon, MD

More Allergy, Asthma & Infectious Disease Articles

Even Your Best Friends Can Hurt You

Many people are surprised that a food they eat can cause their nose to become stuffy or their lungs to congest. Food is absorbed by the digestive tract and carried to all parts of the body. It is the nature of the food, and the part of the body it acts upon, that determines what affect it has.

Food allergy can cause symptoms in any part of the body. Almost every organ can be affected, producing an almost unlimited variety of symptoms. Everything from migraine headaches to itching and scaling feet have been traced to allergy, with various problems involving almost everything in between. In addition, different foods cause varying symptoms in each individual. Allergic responses are brought on by repeated exposure to a particular food.

To add to the problem, few allergic people are sensitive to a single food; if the body reacts abnormally to one food, it is likely to react abnormally to several. This makes the unraveling of food allergy problems extremely difficult for the allergist and almost impossible for the patient alone – the patient must be willing to work with their allergist patiently to identify and control the offenders.

The best treatment for food allergy is elimination of the offending foods. Techniques for treating offending foods are available but not always adequate. For the patient sensitive to a few foods that may be eliminated without affecting his or her lifestyle, this approach should be used. The foods may be returned to the diet in a limited fashion when the sensitivity has ceased.

Certain foods are termed “hidden” because they are commonly found in processed food and may be difficult to eliminate from the diet.

Food may be your best friend, but it can hurt you if you are allergic to it. Tracking down and treating food allergies may be difficult but it is usually rewarding. A cooperative approach between a patient and an allergist can almost always put food allergy problems in their place.

Symptoms Of Food Allergy

You can help us help you by being your own detective. Be aware of what you have eaten, your symptoms and how you feel. Some symptoms you may look for are

Hives and rash

Itching or burning of the skin

Cramps, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, or bloating after meals

Canker sores

Matted, weeping or itching eyes

Visual problems

Sneezing, sinusitis, itchy nose, runny nose, or polyps

Ringing in the ears, or earaches

Sore throat, hoarseness, or cough

Headaches

Asthma and other breathing difficulties

Aching of muscles and joints

Fatigue for no explicable reason

Backache

Sleepiness or drowsiness, especially after meals

Clumsiness

Anxiousness

A floating feeling

Nervousness

Tenseness

Insomnia, or waking up during the night without being able to go back to sleep

Mental confusion

Inability to concentrate

Forgetfulness

Depression

Irritability, for no explicable reason

Water retention

Dark puffy circles under the eyes

Waking up tired after a good night's sleep

Inability to miss or be late for a meal

Craving of a specific food