About Allergies & Intolerance

Although a complex biological process, food intolerance is, simply stated, an individualised biochemical sensitivity to foods that are otherwise wholesome and harmless. This sensitivity causes the immune system to react as if it were protecting the body from an enemy such as a bacteria, virus, or parasite. This reaction to common foods causes intricate systems within the body to begin malfunctioning. One abnormal function triggers and impacts the next, like a series of dominos falling, until dysfunction surfaces in one form of ill health or another.

This series of malfunctions begins when a person eats his or her intolerant foods. Usually protein molecules, or one or more chemicals (either naturally occurring or manmade) in these particular foods, cause a complex series of reactions, which eventually cause the white blood cells to react, and sometimes rupture. When they rupture they release packets of chemicals that go to work to defend the body against the "invader". If these powerful chemicals have too many enemies to fight (the result of regularly eating your reactive foods), they can leave a trail of destruction. Several adverse reactions can result, such as leaky blood vessels, increased production of mucus, chronic inflammation of tissue, contraction of the smooth muscle of the lungs, intestines, and stomach, and general disruption of biochemical processes.

Like our fingerprints, none of our food sensitivities are the same (except by chance).

Many of us confuse food intolerance with food allergy. Although the difference between the two is complicated, a simple distinction is that the person allergic to foods, such as peanuts, strawberries, or shrimp, reacts immediately-often with a rash or, in extreme cases, anaphylactic shock (a severe and sometimes fatal allergic response). This type of reaction to food is rare - less than five percent of the population exhibits what is called "true" food allergy.

Food intolerance, on the other hand, is often referred to as the "hidden" food allergy, since you usually have no apparent immediate reaction when you eat a food to which your body is sensitive. A reaction of this kind may be delayed by up to seven days!

Our body then reacts by developing one or more of a wide range of symptoms and diseases such as, gastrointestinal problems, sinus conditions, or migraines. The cellular changes may be so subtle and discrete that it is impossible for us to associate them with a food eaten regularly. Doctors who understand the profound relationship between food and health, and who understand and respect the destructive forces of food intolerance, can offer us relief.

The diagnosis of food intolerance has helped not only adults; children also benefit from learning which foods and other substances, such as dyes and preservatives, cause adverse reactions in their bodies. A long list of children's health problems, including hyperactivity/ attention deficit disorder (A.D.H.D.), headaches, and eczema can be linked to food intolerance. Dozens of research studies show how removing children's intolerant foods (and chemicals) can improve their health, and even cure debilitating conditions.