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Allergy and Immune Support April 11, 2006

Allergies happen when your body mistakes a typically innocuous substance for something harmful. Having identified the substance as an invader, the immune system goes on the defense – blood vessels dilate and histamines and adrenaline rush in. Symptoms of an allergic response include nasal congestion, watery eyes, wheezing, coughing, itching, hives, rash, headache and fatigue. Undiagnosed allergies can lead to serious health complications, which is why it’s important to identify foods that are causing an allergic response.

While food allergies involve the immune system, food intolerances involve only the body’s metabolism – the body lacks an enzyme necessary to digest a particular food. Most food sensitivities should be classified as food intolerances. According to IFIC.org, fewer people have true food allergy involving the immune system. Approximately 5 million Americans, (5 to 8% of children and 1 to 2% of adults) have a true food allergy.

Assess Problematic Foods
A diet that is too repetitive can cause food allergies. Pesticides and preservatives may also weaken the immune system and promote allergic reactions. Food additives such as artificial sweeteners, flavorings, and colorants can cause mild to severe allergic reactions. Individuals with intestinal-yeast overgrowth may have unhealthy gut conditions that make them more prone to food allergies.

Two of the many ways to identify problems foods in the diet are the elimination diet and the pulse test.

  • The elimination diet entails eating foods that are unlikely to cause an allergic reaction for seven to 10 days, such as rice, fruit, meat, and certain vegetables. After the week, you should slowly re-introduce different foods. If there is a reaction to any food, you should wait 24 to 48-hours before adding another food.

  • The pulse test is good for those individuals who already suspect a certain food. You avoid a particular food for four days. When you’re ready to test yourself, start by taking your pulse, then try the food by itself, wait twenty minutes, and take your pulse again. If your heart rate has gone up or down by ten beats per minute, you may have discovered your allergy.

    • Possible Causes

  • Improper digestion caused by inadequate stomach acid or digestive enzymes may be one cause of food allergies. When food is not digested properly, the immune system identifies it as a foreign object. Eating slowly and taking supplemental digestive enzymes are recommended.

  • Eating the same foods day in and day out may also lead to a food allergy. Diversity in the diet is important. It is advisable to wait three to four days between eating the same foods.

    • Approach to Weaning
    In addition to avoiding the whole foods that cause you to have an allergic reaction, you have to beware of the foods that have been genetically engineered. For example, someone may be allergic to Brazil nuts, but feel safe eating soy products. However some soybeans have genetic material from Brazil nuts added to them to improve their protein quality.

    Dietary Recommendations

  • Adequate nutrition, rest, and exercise can help boost the immune system and fend off allergies.

  • Even if they aren’t causing an allergic reaction, eliminate foods and toxins that challenge your immune system. Start by avoiding sugar, alcohol, tobacco, fried foods, and saturated fats.

  • Following a balanced diet of vegetables, grains, legumes, and other whole plant foods provides the nutrients, protective phytochemicals, and antioxidants, such as vitamin C, E, and selenium, that you need. These fiber-rich foods can also help sustain a balance of healthy intestinal flora and help remove toxins and waste from the body.

  • Water keeps the body hydrated and purified. Histamine production increases if the body’s water level is low. Increased histamine levels increases the severity of allergic symptoms.

    • Nutritional Supplements

  • Quercetin and vitamin C inhibit the release of histamines, which in turn reduces the allergic/inflammatory response. Both are potent antioxidants which further help reduce the creation of inflammatory compounds. The enzyme bromelain aids the absorption of quercetin, which tends to not be absorbed very well. To treat allergies, take 250 to 500 milligrams of quercetin ten minutes before meals and 500 to 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C three to four times daily.

  • To help digestion by maintaining healthy intestinal flora, one may want to supplement with acidophilus.

    • Personal Experience
    I was having frequent problems with acne, headaches, joint pain, and mood swings. I started noticing that the headaches and joint pain were worse on days that I had soy milk with my tea. I removed all soy from my diet for a week. I first re-introduced tempeh and did not experience any symptoms. Next, I tried some vegan cookies that contained soy protein isolate. Within fifteen minutes, my heart was racing, my skin started itching, and I battled a headache for the rest of the day. I have a similar reaction to Vietnamese or Chinese food that contains MSG. My conclusion is an allergy to processed soy.

    According to About.com, the way soy foods are processed can affect how it might trigger allergies. All soy products may not cause reactions. Some fermented soy foods, like tempeh or miso, may be less allergenic than raw soy beans. Soybean oil, which does not contain protein, may not produce symptoms.

    Avoiding processed soy products – soy milk, soy protein isolate, and MSG – seems to make a difference in reducing my symptoms. Within four weeks of eliminating soy milk and other known sources of soy, my joint pain and headaches diminished. I inadvertently had some soy protein isolate in an oat cake and experienced itching on the bottom of my foot and near my eyes.

    I am beginning to appreciate how my hypersensitivity must have developed. As a vegetarian, so much of my diet involved processed soy. I am relieved that I am still able to eat tempeh, but I have reduced the frequency with which I eat it. Foods that I now avoid include energy bars containing soy protein isolate, yogurt covered pretzels (containing soy lecithin), and any kind of soy milk. Once some of my favorite foods, I welcome the need to depend upon whole foods, rather than manufactured ones. Another change that helped was adding fish to my diet. I needed another protein source, and while it was a difficult moral adjustment, the health benefits are worth it for me.

    Find out if you have a possible food allergy by completing thie questionnaire at www.healthrecipes.com.


    SOURCES
  • eHow.com, “How to Live With an Allergy to Soy,” http://www.ehow.com/how_3966_live-with-allergy.html, 2006.

  • Goldfarb, Sylvia, PhD, Allergy Relief, Avery, New York, NY: 2000.

  • Melina, Vesanto, MS, RD, Jo Stepaniak, MSEd, and Dina Aronson, MS, RD, Food Allergy Survival Guide, Healthy Living Publications, Summertown, TN: 2004.

  • Rouse, James, ND, and Debra Rouse, ND. “Can I Fight Allergies Naturally?” Vegetarian Times, Issue 340, April 2006, 19-20.

  • Tidwell, Judy, “Soy Has at Least 15 Allergenic Proteins,” About.com: http://allergies.about.com/cs/soy/a/aa061499.htm, 2006.

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