How Naturopathy & Nutrition can help
3 Jun 2008
Allergy or Intolerance?
Feeling out of sorts and not quite firing on all cylinders? Could it be your body reacting to something?
Often those with an obvious allergy know exactly what it is that may be triggering their response but sometimes detecting the ‘culprit’ may be challenging. You may experience sensations e.g. digestive complaints that may indicate you have ‘intolerance’ to something rather than an allergy.
Let me just explain the differences between the two:
Allergy: Hypersensitivity to a certain substance (allergen), e.g. pollen, micro-organisms or foods etc, which may lead to an allergic reaction that is caused by our immune system taking action. Allergies can be detected through blood and skin tests unlike intolerances.
Intolerance : A food or substance (or person!) that we do not tolerate so well, and lack the specific enzymes to metabolize that food, e.g. A sensitivity to gluten (a protein) may result in feeling bloated after eating wheat, (although you could have eaten it in the past with no reaction). The gluten will irritate our cells causing inflammation.
Lactose intolerance is very common due to insufficient lactase which is the enzyme we need to break down lactose (sugar) in dairy produce.
As a naturopath I have seen many clients with unexplained symptoms such as digestive bloating, wind, diarrhea or constipation, of which may, and often do, indicate intolerance to certain foods. Other intolerance symptoms may include eczema, dermatitis, itchy dry skin, headaches, low energy, fatigue and asthma.
You may have eaten ‘that’ bread or cheese since you were a child and you have had good health all your life, so how could it possibly be food intolerance now? Well, we have an amazing biochemistry threshold and our bodies are capable of fighting and dealing with all kinds of pathogens, dodgy chemicals and preservatives for years.
However, just like an old car, if you keep filling it up with the wrong fuel, one day it will retaliate with gurgling and will not want to get started in the morning.
Intolerance can often be dismissed for years until the next ‘stage’ (a more severe inflammation such as arthritis or fibromyalgia and increased gut bacteria which may result in leaky gut etc). This is when you hopefully realize you do need to change something.
If you think you may be intolerant to a certain food then here are some tips to help get that engine running smoothly:
A dietary change is often the best medicine.
· First, avoid some of the most common allergens for a week or two e.g., wheat (gluten flours in bread, biscuits, cakes, gravy), dairy and processed food (preservatives and chemicals).
· Focus on Rice foods, Buckwheat, Amaranth, Quinoa, Gluten free foods and more fresh fruit, salad and veggies.
· Then introduce one of the ‘suspected’ foods back into your diet in the next week e.g. bread. See how you feel!
I believe 9/10 people will feel lighter, healthier and have more energy by avoiding wheat alone and only allowing it occasionally if not at all.
· Rule out any allergies that may be due to naturally occurring chemicals in foods such as salicylates and amines etc. (Email me for more info)
· Variety in the diet is essential for nutrients, good health and can help to minimize intolerances and allergies. If you eat enough of any food you may find yourself more intolerant to it. “Everything in moderation including moderation itself”.
Please note that you can out grow any intolerances AND some allergies with the right amount of the right foods and by correcting any imbalances within the body.
Pregnancy, stress or sudden illness can change your body chemistry and/or hormones which can make you temporarily more susceptible to food intolerances.
Often when your body is showing these signs of imbalance it is indicating that you need a ‘good service’ as you may be feeling a bit run down.
You probably already know of those certain foods your body ‘craves’. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine we often crave that which is either very beneficial to us or the opposite, affecting our digestive organs and creating disharmonies. The key here is to really tune into our bodies when we are eating and after we have eaten and to recognize when our body is not feeling 100%.
It will often give us the answers we are looking for.
Amina Eastham-Hillier (B HSc) : Naturopathy (Herbal Medicine, Diet & Nutrition, Flower Essences, & Iridology).
Currently practising and researching in Kunming, China.
Mobile : +86 1963 1937
Amina Eastham-Hillier (B H Sc)
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