how can I get rid of food allergies ?
November 30, 2008 5:14 PM Subscribe
I have extreme food allergies. I've had several attacks many to the near brink of death. Is there any way I can "reset" my body, so I can once again eat these foods I once loved that now can threaten my life?
Response by poster: Not even by Chinese medicine?
posted by BoldStepDesign at 5:26 PM on November 30, 2008
posted by BoldStepDesign at 5:26 PM on November 30, 2008
My mother has recovered from several serious nut allergies that she acquired in her 20s. They didn't all vanish at once, and she didn't do anything special to precipitate this miraculous recovery, although she was having allergy shots for her dander allergies around the same time. She had acquired several less serious food allergies in her 20s as wel that were gone by the time I was born (in her 30s). I should note that she is not currently allergy free, but her most serious ones have in fact disappeared. She no longer has to carry an epi pen, at least.
Best of luck- I can't imagine having food allergies, I'm sure it has a huge impact on your lifestyle.
posted by sunshinesky at 5:30 PM on November 30, 2008
Best of luck- I can't imagine having food allergies, I'm sure it has a huge impact on your lifestyle.
posted by sunshinesky at 5:30 PM on November 30, 2008
Not even by Chinese medicine?
It sucks, but if anything worked, there'd be an awful lot of attention paid to it pretty quickly; there'd be a lot of money to be made in selling a food-allergy cure.
posted by Tomorrowful at 5:31 PM on November 30, 2008
It sucks, but if anything worked, there'd be an awful lot of attention paid to it pretty quickly; there'd be a lot of money to be made in selling a food-allergy cure.
posted by Tomorrowful at 5:31 PM on November 30, 2008
You'll find various anecdotal information about people getting nasty parasites and having an influence on various immune disorders. There's that whole pig whipworm thing for the people with Crohn's; that looks like a good avenue. There was a kuro5hin article on someone who deliberately infected himself with some parasite to treat his immune issues.
I'd like to see more evidence, but this sounds something to at least research.
posted by adipocere at 5:35 PM on November 30, 2008
I'd like to see more evidence, but this sounds something to at least research.
posted by adipocere at 5:35 PM on November 30, 2008
Here's a New York Times article from earlier this year about a doctor who has alleviated allergy symptoms in a small group of people by infecting them with parasites. I'm not sure if anyone he's treated had food allergies like you (the article mentions things like hay fever and asthma), but this is something that may be worth looking into. Here's a link to what seems to be the Yahoo group referenced in the article.
posted by kitty teeth at 5:35 PM on November 30, 2008
posted by kitty teeth at 5:35 PM on November 30, 2008
I have had allergies reverse (they were not life threatening), but the only way I knew that they were gone was that I was retested and they didn't show up. The allergist was surprised too, so we tried a reintroducing the foods and I was just fine. Now, I did found out I was allergic to other things in the process (I miss chocolate sooooo bad), so I have a whole new set of food allergies to deal with, but still. It gives me hope I'll be able to eat chocolate again someday!
You know your allergies can kill you, so don't mess around with introducing them into your system, even in tiny doses. Get your allergies tested every five years and see what happens, though. You might get lucky!
posted by Mouse Army at 5:38 PM on November 30, 2008
You know your allergies can kill you, so don't mess around with introducing them into your system, even in tiny doses. Get your allergies tested every five years and see what happens, though. You might get lucky!
posted by Mouse Army at 5:38 PM on November 30, 2008
You know, there are specialists who devote their entire lives to answering these kinds of questions for people. They are called 'allergists' or 'immunologists'. They are doctors, who have trained in internal medicine, and have then done a further specialty fellowship in immunology.
For some kinds of allergies, desensitization therapy can be an option; others can be controlled with medications. Other sorts of allergies are tough to beat.
I've known a few immunologists; I feel like an idiot sitting here typing about allergies when these guys exist and are waiting patiently in their practices somewhere to help patients. They know more about the answers to these questions than I ever will.
posted by ikkyu2 at 5:38 PM on November 30, 2008 [12 favorites]
For some kinds of allergies, desensitization therapy can be an option; others can be controlled with medications. Other sorts of allergies are tough to beat.
I've known a few immunologists; I feel like an idiot sitting here typing about allergies when these guys exist and are waiting patiently in their practices somewhere to help patients. They know more about the answers to these questions than I ever will.
posted by ikkyu2 at 5:38 PM on November 30, 2008 [12 favorites]
Best answer: Tomorrowful: No, but you see, Big Pharma is covering up highly effective alternative treatments in order to keep people sick so they can keep selling them drugs!!!1one
(This is, of course, the way alternative medicine rationalizes the fact that if any of its treatments worked to any significant degree, they'd be absorbed into mainstream medicine.)
I.e., BoldStepDesign, no, not even by Chinese medicine. If someone tells you Chinese medicine or any other alternative treatment can cure your food allergies they're trying to kill you, knowingly or not.
posted by abcde at 5:39 PM on November 30, 2008 [5 favorites]
(This is, of course, the way alternative medicine rationalizes the fact that if any of its treatments worked to any significant degree, they'd be absorbed into mainstream medicine.)
I.e., BoldStepDesign, no, not even by Chinese medicine. If someone tells you Chinese medicine or any other alternative treatment can cure your food allergies they're trying to kill you, knowingly or not.
posted by abcde at 5:39 PM on November 30, 2008 [5 favorites]
Actually, I should qualify that; it's certainly plausible that conventional medicine can help you--no one but a doctor (hi, ikkyu2) can give a firm answer to that, but don't look to alt med to treat this or anything else.
posted by abcde at 5:42 PM on November 30, 2008
posted by abcde at 5:42 PM on November 30, 2008
My stepfather has a severe allergic reaction top seafood, especially shellfish. He has to carry an epi-pen with him wherever he goes. A few years back he went on a very restrictive diet that was meant to reduce his sensitivity to seafoods. He's since stopped the diet (it was crazily restrictive) and his sensitivity is reduced somewhat so that he is at least able to eat smoken salmon without his throat closing over. Prawns, lobster etc are still a big no no though.
posted by robotot at 5:49 PM on November 30, 2008
posted by robotot at 5:49 PM on November 30, 2008
abcde-- I was about to jump all over you, until I realized you were being sarcastic, hah. I hear this argument all the time, and it's just like, don't you think if big pharma knew a cure for X disease, they'd make a shitload more money off that than off the drugs that just kinda help, or don't work always?
To the OP-- you should really see an allergist/immunologist for tips on how to manage your allergies. There is not a cure for them, but you may be able to at least keep them under better management. If anyone claims to cure you, they're almost certainly lying, and may do you more harm than good. There's not really a placebo effect, either, when it comes to severe food allergies.
posted by fructose at 6:18 PM on November 30, 2008
To the OP-- you should really see an allergist/immunologist for tips on how to manage your allergies. There is not a cure for them, but you may be able to at least keep them under better management. If anyone claims to cure you, they're almost certainly lying, and may do you more harm than good. There's not really a placebo effect, either, when it comes to severe food allergies.
posted by fructose at 6:18 PM on November 30, 2008
Well prednisone (a corticosteroid) definitely works, but its side effects are so bad that long-term use is avoided except in the most severe of cases.
posted by randomstriker at 6:30 PM on November 30, 2008
posted by randomstriker at 6:30 PM on November 30, 2008
No - most experiments in reducing nut allergies etc have stopped because of the number of deaths arising from desensitisation therapy.
Trust me, if there was a way to do it effectively and safely, I would love to get rid of my food allergies.
If you have had life-threatening attacks I assume you are already consulting an immunologist and carry an epipen, there's not much more you can do than that. It sucks, I know, but this is not the only condition I have without a cure so I have become somewhat resigned to it.
posted by wingless_angel at 7:05 PM on November 30, 2008
Trust me, if there was a way to do it effectively and safely, I would love to get rid of my food allergies.
If you have had life-threatening attacks I assume you are already consulting an immunologist and carry an epipen, there's not much more you can do than that. It sucks, I know, but this is not the only condition I have without a cure so I have become somewhat resigned to it.
posted by wingless_angel at 7:05 PM on November 30, 2008
all due respect to ikkyu, who i DO respect, not all allergists/immunologists are versed in everything, nor are some of them even particularly interested in helping their patients. i "came down" with an autoimmune disorder last year and it took me many doctors and copays and tried medicines and tests to find out what was "probably" wrong. so, if you're really interested in beating these food allergies, you may have to shop around for an allergist who specializes in food allergies. this person may be across the street from you or may be across the state.
as others have said, there isn't really a way to reset your body. you can lessen the impact of allergens through medication, and sometimes desensitization therapy works to lessen the impact as well.
acupuncture is sometimes suggested as an alternative therapy for allergy help. i have not tried acupuncture for this particular issue, but i do enjoy acupuncture for other issues.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 7:58 PM on November 30, 2008
as others have said, there isn't really a way to reset your body. you can lessen the impact of allergens through medication, and sometimes desensitization therapy works to lessen the impact as well.
acupuncture is sometimes suggested as an alternative therapy for allergy help. i have not tried acupuncture for this particular issue, but i do enjoy acupuncture for other issues.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 7:58 PM on November 30, 2008
The aforementioned Kuro5hin article: How to cure your asthma or hayfever using hookworm - a practical guide. As always, the best medical advice is obtained for free, on the internet, from non-doctors.
posted by IvyMike at 8:04 PM on November 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by IvyMike at 8:04 PM on November 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
misanthropicsarah - agree with finding a specialist. I asked to be referred to the best food allergy centre in my country, which fortunately is very close to home. I feel very confident in following their advice.
posted by wingless_angel at 8:05 PM on November 30, 2008
posted by wingless_angel at 8:05 PM on November 30, 2008
Response by poster: Another words. I can't eat anything in the sea or air, so I'm almost totally screwed.
posted by BoldStepDesign at 9:03 PM on November 30, 2008
posted by BoldStepDesign at 9:03 PM on November 30, 2008
What foods are you allergic to, BoldStepDesign? I gather that seafood is one, but what do you mean by the "ar" part of your statement?
posted by Justinian at 10:34 PM on November 30, 2008
posted by Justinian at 10:34 PM on November 30, 2008
there'd be a lot of money to be made in selling a food-allergy cure
don't you think if big pharma knew a cure for X disease, they'd make a shitload more money off that than off the drugs that just kinda help, or don't work always?
Uh, not if the cure is, like, "get eight hours of sleep a night." And how would Big Pharma make a lot of money if acupuncture was the solution? Could people please either provide a helpful suggestion, or provide evidence for what they're saying? I don't think being dismissive of the idea that there might be some solution out there is very helpful.
posted by salvia at 11:01 PM on November 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
don't you think if big pharma knew a cure for X disease, they'd make a shitload more money off that than off the drugs that just kinda help, or don't work always?
Uh, not if the cure is, like, "get eight hours of sleep a night." And how would Big Pharma make a lot of money if acupuncture was the solution? Could people please either provide a helpful suggestion, or provide evidence for what they're saying? I don't think being dismissive of the idea that there might be some solution out there is very helpful.
posted by salvia at 11:01 PM on November 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
I can't imagine how awful it is to have these types of food allergies, and the restrictive diet and constant anxiety that comes with them. But please don't use prednisone. It will ruin your life in other ways, ways that you can't work around.
posted by foxy_hedgehog at 2:08 AM on December 1, 2008
posted by foxy_hedgehog at 2:08 AM on December 1, 2008
I have had success in alleviating allergies/intolerances through a modified juice fast or a simple period of fasting. IANAD nor a health care practitioner, so I would advise you to contact one who either specializes in fasting or can give you good advice. Fasting without knowing ahead of time what you're in for has the potential to be life-threatening or cause serious problems.
posted by kuppajava at 8:09 AM on December 2, 2008
posted by kuppajava at 8:09 AM on December 2, 2008
For peopel who truly have food allergies, or any allergies, it is impossible to reset. Shots may work.
I can tell you that allergies change over time. I don't have food allergies, but have terrible, terrible hayfever. When I was younger it was tree pollen in the spring, particularly oak and birch; typical fall pollen (ragweed, grasses) didn't affect me. Now my spring hayfever is less and I am miserable in the fall. The progression was gradual and about fifteen years in the making. My allergist says this is normal.
So there is nothing that can jump-start it but it is possible that your allergies will wane over time, but no guarantees. It is also possible that you will have new allergies.
Since you mention extreme allergies to the brink of death, I am assuming you've been tested and really have this to the point of going into anaphalaxis (or however you spell it)
Food allergies are probably the hunting ground of some of the worst kinds of health charlatans, where any vague feeling of unease, stress, angst, weltschmertz, are due to "allergies" most of which turn out not to exist. Apologies to you and whoever really suffers from food allergies, but it has to be said for other people who might be reading this and thinking their depression is a result of wheat gluten or sugar or other stuff (rather than debt, a crappy relationship, unresolved family issues, a crappy job, etc., etc.).
It's the vague symptoms that are the tip-off.
posted by xetere at 8:57 AM on December 29, 2008
I can tell you that allergies change over time. I don't have food allergies, but have terrible, terrible hayfever. When I was younger it was tree pollen in the spring, particularly oak and birch; typical fall pollen (ragweed, grasses) didn't affect me. Now my spring hayfever is less and I am miserable in the fall. The progression was gradual and about fifteen years in the making. My allergist says this is normal.
So there is nothing that can jump-start it but it is possible that your allergies will wane over time, but no guarantees. It is also possible that you will have new allergies.
Since you mention extreme allergies to the brink of death, I am assuming you've been tested and really have this to the point of going into anaphalaxis (or however you spell it)
Food allergies are probably the hunting ground of some of the worst kinds of health charlatans, where any vague feeling of unease, stress, angst, weltschmertz, are due to "allergies" most of which turn out not to exist. Apologies to you and whoever really suffers from food allergies, but it has to be said for other people who might be reading this and thinking their depression is a result of wheat gluten or sugar or other stuff (rather than debt, a crappy relationship, unresolved family issues, a crappy job, etc., etc.).
It's the vague symptoms that are the tip-off.
posted by xetere at 8:57 AM on December 29, 2008
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Though, anecdotally, I once knew a person who was struck by lightning and swore it cured her lupus. YMMV. Wouldn't recommend trying it.
posted by peggynature at 5:23 PM on November 30, 2008