Food Intolerance VS Food Allergy

Food intolerance is commonly confused with food  Allergies. The main conflict between the two  is that an allergy is characterized by a  strong, sudden onslaught of symptoms inside  seconds to an hour ranging from breaking out in  hives, swelling of the lips or throat, to  nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, and even to anaphylaxis, a profound, whole-body allergic  reaction that can lead to death. A food  intolerance, on the other hand, is when the  body’s immune system is tricked into receiving  foods that can’t be utilized by the rest of the  body and results in a mixed bag of disorders such as migraines, obesity, gastrointestinal  disorders, rheumatic diseases and depression.

Food Intolerance Overview

Food intolerances are ordinarily confused with food Allergies. While the symptoms are alike to each other, the cause of both disorders differs, as well as the treatments. Knowing how to identify them can greatly improve your ability to find the proper physician, treatment and diet.

Food Allergy Or Food Intolerance ?

Reactions almost immediate intense, such as swelling of the lips, throat, tied, skin rash, episodes of sneezing, sometimes a feeling of suffocation are typical signs of a classic allergy. Described like that a food allergy is easily recognizable.

Doctors don’t take food intolerances seriously enough !

I found an interesting post dating way back (2003). Still I found that it pictured pretty accurately how usually doctors react with food intolerance.

The story from Dunstan :

By this wednesday, after exhausting every other option under the sun, I was down to three strategies for dealing with these darn mouth ulcers:

1. Suddenly become 40 years old. (My doctor tells me they might just go of their own accord by middle age);
2. Sleep twelve hours a day and spend the other twelve doing aerobics and eating vegetables;
3. Get tested for allergies.

Option 1 was out, and option 2 would have to be a last resort. So I plumped for option 3.

I’ve had allergy testing done before, when I was young, and the process hasn’t altered a whole lot in the intervening years. You roll up your sleeves and put your forearms on the table, palms up. Then the nurse slaps a length of sticky-tape onto each forearm, running from the inside of your wrist up to the inside of your elbow. Along each side of the tape run a series of numbers: 1–10 up one side and 11–20 down the other.

This numbered tape lets the nurse drip 40 different allergens (in solution) on to your arms and keep track of what went where, in case anything reacts. She also applies two controls: water and histamine. Water shouldn’t do anything, histamine should swell up into an little itchy lump (and it does).

When she’s finished with her pipette, she takes a little scalpel blade and pricks your skin where the solutions sit (a different blade for each solution to avoid contamination). This lets the allergens into your blood stream and emphasises any allergic reaction.

Then, once you’ve been dripped on and stabbed, you get sent away to read your book for ten minutes while your body fights dust mites, grass pollen, cocoa, wheat, tomatoes, and so on.

I wasn’t entirely sure which I wanted: a positive or a negative reaction. A negative one would mean I’d exhausted another possible solution to my problem — not good. A positive reaction would have downsides as well. If it turned out I was allergic to, say, wheat, then that might mean we’d cracked what’s secretly causing these ulcers — but who wants to be allergic to wheat? Your meals would be pretty dull if you were allergic to tomatoes, peppers, spice, chocolate, fizzy drinks, citrus, vinegar and wheat. What would that leave me to survive on? Plant roots and dried lentil husks. Hardly fun.

In the end I just sat there and read my book and tried to ignore the mass of imaginary itches that had sprung up all over my body.

As it turns out, I don’t have any food allergies, not even to the things that clearly give me ulcers. Apparently I might have food intolerances but that’s all, and since you don’t die of food intolerance (unlike food allergies which can be fatal) the doctor wasn’t interested in going any further. Don’t eat those foods that give you ulcers, sir, was his advice. Really? What a novel idea, Doctor. I see seven years of medical training have turned you in to an observational and analytical savant. Thank you.

So, that’s that — option 3 out the window.

*sigh*

Well, it’s been nice talking to you, but I really must get to bed — yes I know it’s early, but I have twelve hours of sleep to squeeze in before my morning aerobics and vegetable eating session. Time for last resorts…

The end

Almost 6 years after the post has been made, we see the same kind of stubbornness in some doctors. Thankfully, more and more are starting to direct their patient to the right places. Food intolerances are a serious problem, and it is excessivly important that we do not dismiss it lightly.

There is help out there, there are tests that can pin point the foods that triggers an auto immune response. Food intolerance symptoms can be almost anything, don’t take a chance I say, get tested if you have any kind of discomfort and the doctors can’t help you! (Or won’t help you).

Why Is Food Intolerance Testing Becoming So Popular ?

In the UK, public interest in food intolerance testing is increasing significantly. This could be due to factors such as media interest and celebrity endorsements. In addition, food intolerance testing is becoming an important issue as modern lifestyles and the typical British diet appears to be resulting in an increase in digestive disorders.

Food Intolerances : Things to Know And Do !

Do you think you might have a food intolerance? Well, you wouldn’t be alone. There are claims that anywhere between 40% and 70% of the population suffer from at least one food intolerance.

Examples Of Food Intolerances : Lactose and Gluten

This week we will review 2 very common food intolerances, Lactose and Gluten intolerance… there are millions of people suffering from these, so what are they exactly ? :

First-time Link Between Food Intolerance And Illness

Researchers from University College London have found compelling evidence for the first time to link food intolerances and serious illness. A six-month programme has shown potential links with foodstuffs and Crohn’s Disease, and ulcerative colitis.

Imupro : IgG Elisa Blood Test For Food Intolerance

Imupro300 is a food intolerance test which is currently arguably the best test you can buy out there.

Diseases and Illnesses Associated With Food Intolerances

By now you probably know that food intolerance can be devastating to your lifestyle, unlike typical allergies which are easily recognizable and avoidable, food intolerance are much more subtle and with time can cause serious health risks, what health risks ? just look at the list and you will be amazed…

Food Intolerance Testimonials : Becky’s story

Ive been looking around on the web to find stories of people who struggled with food intolerances, often we look at other people’s stories for inspiration and motivation but we can also learn from them. I will be posting these stories on my food intolerance blog as I find them.

Food Intolerance Definitions

The first step in understanding food intolerances is to look up the definition of the term in a dictionary. Well, I just did that for you, here are relevant definitions of food intolerances :