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Allergic reactions are the body's stress signals. If you ignore them, they get worse and can cause chronic problems. Fight back with awareness, proper testing, and diet.

Some people get sniffles and a headache if they’re near a cat. Others must stay in the house when certain flowers are in bloom. Unlucky sufferers may develop digestive upset if they eat even the tiniest amounts of certain foods. Allergies plague many of us.

Seasonal or situational allergies come in different disguises and can cause unbearable symptoms. Common foods and environmental exposures from grass to air pollution can trigger these unwanted visitors.

Allergy or Hypersensitivity?

In a true allergic reaction, the body first releases antibodies, followed by the release of other immune mediators. An immune reaction can range from a skin rash to extreme reactions resulting in death (called anaphalaxis). The most common triggers of this type of severe allergic reaction are peanuts, walnuts, fish, shellfish, dairy products, eggs, wasp or bee stings, latex (rubber), penicillin-group antibiotics, and often pollens and grasses.

Masked allergies are milder reactions called hypersensitivities or intolerances. They produce a weaker response from the immune system and do not include the direct release of immune mediators. Since these reactions are often delayed, people find it difficult to associate their symptoms with a particular food or chemical.

People often suffer unnecessarily with allergy-related conditions. Allergic reactions can vary from a runny nose, itchy eyes and headaches to chronic cough, muscle pain, diarrhea, vomiting and skin problems. These symptoms occur as the immune system tries to fight the invading substance. An allergy will most often cause the following symptoms in the weakest areas of the body:

• respiratory system - asthma, chronic sinusitis, rhinitis, bronchitis, repeated colds
• cardiovascular system - angina, heart palpitations, high blood pressure
• skeletal system - rheumatoid arthritis, muscle pain, osteoporosis
• gastrointestinal system - irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, Celiac disease, ulcers, acid reflux, bloating, gas, vomiting
• skin - eczema, psoriasis, itching
• nervous system - behavioral problems, depression, learning disorders, insomnia, anxiety, migraine and other headaches
• genital-urinary system - cystitis without infection, impotence, herpes and chronic vaginitis.

Allergies are symptoms of an underlying problem. Without treatment, the immune system will become chronically stressed and produce a greater risk of more serious conditions such as autoimmune disease, cancer and chronic viral problems.

Accurate Testing a Challenge

It’s hard to pinpoint the many different ways that an allergy manifests itself in body tissues. Of the countless tests devised, all have strengths and weaknesses. Common tests in use are:

• RAST (radioallergosorbent test) and ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) - Both measure the amount of antibodies, IgE and IgG respectively, involved in the defence against the antigen or allergic substance. ELISA is the most popular test with physicians of environmental medicine.
• Skin test (intradermal provocative test) - A small amount of extract is injected under the skin; a skin bump might occur as a reaction and symptoms recorded. The same test can be done by placing an extract under the tongue.
• Cytotoxic test - This determines the change in the shape of white blood cells after exposure to specific foods. Popular opinion among allergy testers reveals that current methods of performing this test give invalid results.
• Energetic assessments - These methods detect disturbances in the body when it is exposed to an allergic substance. One example is the elimination-provocation technique: A substance is placed under the tongue, and a major muscle group, when challenged with the test substance, weakens.

What Causes Allergy-Related Symptoms?

To alleviate or eliminate allergies, the many underlying causes of related symptoms must be understood and addressed:

Dr. Karen Jensen works in Calgary, Alta. and Vancouver, BC. She writes extensively for health magazines and co-authored No More HRT: Menopause, Treat the Cause, and The Complete Athlete. For more information visit drkarenjensen.com or call 604-742-0800.

Source: alive #245, March 2003