CHAPTER 1
UnderstandingAllergy and Sensitivity
"What is food to one man is bitter poison to others," declared theRoman philosopher Lucretius more than two millennia ago. While manydescribe allergies as a modern malady, they have clearly been aroundfor a long time. References to allergic reactions can be found datingback into antiquity. However, the term allergy, and with it a broaderunderstanding of the nature of these mysterious ailments, only enteredour field of medical knowledge in the past century, accompanied by asteady increase in sufferers. If you are one of the millions who suffer fromallergies today, you have the opportunity to understand the mechanismsthat are at work in your body when you have an allergic reaction. In thepages that follow, I will endeavor to help you grasp the basic principlesof how allergies and sensitivities work, how they can be tested for andcleared, and how they affect your immune system, contributing to oreven causing chronic disease. I believe one of the keys to creating healthis to educate ourselves so that we can, in turn, educate our bodies.
When science first began to probe the causes of common allergicsymptoms, it was found that when exposed to specific substances, calledallergens or antigens, allergic individuals developed an excess of anantibody called immunoglobulin E (IgE). The IgE antibodies react withallergens to release histamines and other chemicals from cell tissues,producing various sensitivity symptoms. In other words, the immunesystem mistakenly identifies harmless substances as dangerous invadersand activates an antibody attack to defend the body.
It was discovered that quite a number of symptoms could arise fromallergic reactions, including many affecting the skin, the pulmonarysystem, and the digestive system. Many different types of allergens werediscovered, each able to create abnormal, adverse physical reactions inthe body. While these substances can be either toxic (such as exhaustfumes or other petrochemicals) or nontoxic (such as pollens or foods),those who suffer from allergies will react to them in quantities that areharmless to others.
Although a person can develop allergies to practically any substance,the most common allergens include pollen, dust and dust mites, animaldander (including dried skin, hair, or fur), feathers, cosmetics, mold,insect venom, certain chemicals, drugs, and foods. The most troublesomefoods are usually peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, milk and dairy products,eggs, wheat, and soy. Allergens may cause a reaction following inhalation,injection, ingestion, or contact with the skin. While allergic reactionscan involve any part of the body, they most frequently affect the nose,chest, skin, and eyes. The rarest and most dangerous type of allergicreaction, called anaphylactic shock, can affect many organs at once,causing a rapid decrease in blood pressure, a rash or hives, breathingdifficulties, abdominal pain, a swollen tongue or throat, diarrhea,fainting, asphyxiation, and even death.
There are between thirty-five and fifty million people in the UnitedStates alone who suffer from some type of significant allergy. Thesetypes of reactions can emerge suddenly at any age without prior warning.Many studies have shown conclusively that parents with allergies willtend to have children with allergies. However, research suggests thatwhat is inherited is simply the tendency to develop an allergy of somekind, not any particular type.
Part of the difficulty in determining the exact number of allergysufferers lies in how broadly or narrowly one defines the term. Medicaldoctors and scientists often maintain a narrow definition, asserting thatthe only true allergies are those that result from the activation of IgEantibodies (known as type I hypersensitivity reactions). However, millionsof people experience symptoms of sensitivity to a food or other substancewithout the IgE antibody reaction and often without any increase ofantibodies of any type being detected. These people can be said to havea reactivity, sensitivity, or intolerance to particular substances. Althoughthe causes may differ, the diagnosis and treatment of such reactivities,sensitivities, and intolerances often overlap. As a result, allergy researchand information benefits many more people than those who can be saidto suffer from allergies according to the limited traditional definition.Clinically, I have found that the measurements and interventions formany allergies, sensitivities, reactivities, and intolerances are exactly thesame. Therefore, I use the terms interchangeably. For this book, I willgenerally be using the term sensitivity instead of allergy, although theterms reactivity and intolerance are used as well.
TYPES OF SENSITIVITIES
Sensitivities can be...
