| Most patients have trouble imagining
that headaches (sinus and migraine), joint pains, muscle pains, stomach
aches (including irritable bowel and other inflammatory bowel diseases),
facial puffiness, (and overall water retention), chronic runny nose, palpitations,
arrhythmias, ringing in the ears, thyroiditis (the main cause of hypothyroidism),
asthma, eczema, psoriasis, acne, hives, chronic infections, and other problems
may actually have something in common!
What is common among these ailments are food and chemical "allergies"
or hypersensitivities. Actually, a person may be more allergic to what
is in their food than to the food itself! For example, you could be allergic
to food preservatives, flavoring agents, as well as heavy metal, pesticide
and herbicide contaminants. Our food, water and drinks are loaded with
these chemicals. What most people do not know is that allergic or hypersensitivity
reactions are not limited to stuffy noses, watery, itchy eyes, asthma
and eczema. There are actually four different kinds of allergic reactions.
First are the immediate reactions that take place within two hours of
being exposed to the reactive substance. Delayed reactions are labeled
as Type 2, 3 and 4 and can occur any time from two to 72 hours after exposure.
Because the reaction is so delayed, often it is difficult to make the
connection between the substance and the symptom.
Now we can. There is a blood test that I utilize with my patients called
the Elisa/ACT test. This highly sophisticated test is the most reliable
in assessing food allergies. Developed from 1977-1984, this test checks
for delayed hypersensitivity (Types 2, 3,and 4) to most all foods, as
well as additives, preservatives, chemicals (such as pesticides, soaps,
solvents, exhaust fumes), and others. Elisa takes the guesswork out of
identifying substances that lead to allergic reactions.
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Case Histories
"Becky" for example, is a patient who came in complaining of
irritable bowel syndrome (bloating, diarrhea alternating with constipation
and abdominal pains). She had done some research and on her own discontinued
wheat products (bread in particular) with a good reduction in symptoms.
But her Elisa test revealed she was not allergic to wheat or gluten, but
actually to calcium propionate, a preservative that is present in most
commercial breads!
"Cynthia" had suffered from migraine headaches for the last
20 years, often as frequently as twice a week. Increasingly, they were
interfering with her work as a schoolteacher. Many days it was hard for
her to concentrate because of the pain. Often she would leave work early,
or call in sick and remain at home. Her headaches sometimes lasted for
longer than two days! Cynthia's Elisa test revealed she is allergic to
many of the foods she was eating every day, including dairy products,
peppermint in her toothpaste as well as chemicals (aspartame in diet soda).
At first she was dismayed, but then became determined to be free of pain.
The good news, I told her, is that usually when a patient completely
avoids the foods they are allergic to for a period of time, the body "forgets"
the allergy. Once this happens, it's possible to back to eating those
foods. Unfortunately, if you do eat a food or chemical inadvertently it
sets you back in the process from a week to a month.
Six weeks after getting her test results, Cynthia came back with a smile
on her face. She had only one headache since I had seen her last and that
was because she had eaten something she was allergic to! Now her headaches
are rare, brought on by eating the food allergy substances, a lot of sugar,
or sometime from extreme stress. However, even when she does have a headache
it is now much less severe and is much easier to control.
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"Tom" is a semi-retired musician who for many years played
the drums. In his middle fifties, he recently appeared with one of the
louder bands in a television special. After this experience, he developed
loud ringing in his ears (tinnitus). He had had this condition in the
past for short periods. This time the ringing would not go away. He said
it was driving him crazy and he was afraid of playing the drums or going
into a recording studio. On a scale of 0-10 (10 being the worst), he rated
his discomfort at a level of 8-9. He found out on his Elisa allergy test
that he was allergic to a number of foods and some chemicals. Staying
away from these foods helped a lot, and staying away from alcohol (even
wine) and foods that contained refined sugar helped even more.
"Kathy" just turned 51 years old and started to
develop assorted aches and pains. Her knees and fingers hurt, she was
especially stiff in the morning limiting her activities and ability to
exercise. She had gone through menopause within the last two years and
thought it was normal for her to have more aches and pains, as she got
older. I explained to her that she must have food allergies and the sinus
trouble she had for many years was a forerunner for joint pain, muscle
pain, and arthritis just before and after menopause. I explained that
the loss of certain hormones allowed the inflammation caused by the allergies
to express themselves in different ways than before causing the new pains.
After eliminating the foods and chemicals listed on the Elisa test, and
balancing her hormones, she was able to go back to all of her prior activities.
At its best, the doctor-patient relationship is a partnership with a common
goal: the pursuit of optimal health for the patient. Elisa is a welcome
addition to that relationship, providing information based on technology
that is of great benefit to my patients and me.
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