Lifestyle Choices

Allergy has been recognized for centuries. Even the ancient Egyptians knew that certain substances, such as cat hair, pollen, and shellfish, ‘didn’t agree’ with some people. But they didn’t know why.

The first person to categorize food allergy as a medical condition was Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, who noted that some people reacted negatively to cheese while others didn’t. But Hippocrates couldn’t figure out why this happened.

In the 1920s, doctors finally began to understand the biochemistry of allergy. They found a substance in itchy, allergic skin that wasn’t in healthy skin. It wasn’t until the 1960s, though, that researchers realized that this substance was an immune system substance known as an antibody. Antibodies are sent out by the immune system to kill foreign invaders, such as bacteria and parasites. Antibodies are essential for keeping us healthy and are powerful enough to kill worms in the intestines.

The name of the antibody that is found in allergic skin is IgE, or immunoglobulin E. IgE antibodies are most abundant in the mucous membranes of the digestive tract, lungs, eyes, and nose — the very places allergic symptoms are strongest. IgE antibodies not only attack foreign substances themselves, but also signal the rest of the immune system to launch an all-out attack. When this happens, the immune system inaugurates the inflammatory response, flooding the affected areas with extra fluid to wash away the foreign invaders. This can result in swollen, itchy eyes, a congested nose, and swelling and bloating in the abdomen.

These protective inflammatory reactions often involve the release of several chemicals, one of which is well known: histamine. Histamine dilates capillaries and makes them release fluid into tissues, causing swelling. You’ve probably taken antihistamines when you wanted to dry up cold symptoms, which are partly caused by histamines attacking viruses.

Other protective chemicals are also released, including kinins and leukotrienes, both of which pull water out of the blood and force it into tissues. They can help make your eyes puffy and can make your abdomen swell with false fat.

Once an IgE antibody has recognized a macromolecule of food as a foreign invader, it has an indelible ‘memory’ of this food. Each antibody is marked for a specific substance and attacks only that substance. After the first encounter, the antibody is programmed to attack the food every time it enters the system.

Antibodies live in white blood cells, which can have as many as 100,000 available areas, or receptor sites, for IgE antibodies. A person with no allergies will have white blood cells that are almost empty of IgE antibodies, but people who have allergies will often have every one of these 100,000 sites filled — on billions of white blood cells.

Therefore, once you’ve developed an allergy, your body is primed to make a powerful response every time the allergen enters your system.

Allergies can begin at any time, but seem to be somewhat more common in youth, and in midlife and beyond. At their most severe, classic allergies can cause the response known as anaphylactic shock, which results in wheezing, dizziness, and even death from airway swelling. More than one hundred people die each year from food allergies, making food allergies a more common cause of death than bee stings.

In the event of anaphylactic shock, the best treatment is immediate injection with the stimulating hormone adrenaline. Adrenaline counteracts many of the effects of allergy, such as the constriction of the lungs. In fact, people with severe allergies often carry around a hypodermic needle filled with adrenaline, in case they mistakenly eat allergenic food.

This strong need for adrenaline reveals the demand that milder food reactions constantly place on the adrenal glands. If you’re consistently experiencing subtle food reactions, you’re draining your natural supply of adrenaline. When this happens, it can rob you of your energy, good mood, and motivation.

One good thing about classic food allergies is that they’re rare, striking only about 2 per cent of the population. Therefore, you probably don’t have a classic allergy. That’s the good news.

The bad news: you probably do have at least one food sensitivity, because most people do. They’re extremely widespread. Unfortunately, sensitivities are very similar to allergies. They often feel almost exactly like allergies.

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