Food Allergies: More Common Than You May Think
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(Editor's note: Dr. Martin Orimenko granted permission to republish his blog.)
Food allergies and sensitivities are all the rage. Going 'gluten-free' is almost a fad these days. You are likely reading about it in magazines and hearing about movie stars trying it. Well, just like antioxidants in blueberries and omega 3 in fish oil, food sensitivities are something us Naturopaths and Clinical Nutritionists have been preaching for decades.
In my own practice of twenty plus years, not a week has gone by that I haven't taken someone off of one or another foods to help them turn their health around. A great many people are eating foods everyday that their bodies don't process very well. When they do, it causes inflammation in the intestinal tract, and that can create conditions both subtle and gross such as low energy, brain fog, gas and bloating, headaches, rashes and much more.
One woman came to me complaining of daily headaches for the past 30 years. Mayo Clinic did not help, nor did any of the other dozen clinics she went to. She came on referral from one of my patients and told me her story. Within the first ten minutes I determined that she had a dairy sensitivity as well as a fungal (yeast) overgrowth. She started eating dairy free and clearing out the yeast, and in less than a week her headaches were gone and have not come back.
Another patient presented with fatigue, gas and bloating and GERD (reflux and heartburn). I determined that he had an intolerance to gluten (not as bad as Celiac's) and several other common foods. Removing those foods and taking some intestinal herbal remedies cleared his condition within two weeks. Both of these case studies are representative of the experience most patients have when they come to me for food allergy and sensitivity testing.
I have also had patients who were being treated for neck or back problems and no other major complaints whom I ran my testing on just to see and whom showed sensitivities to certain foods. Going off the foods that tested positive resulted in them having more energy, better sleep, less colds and sinus problems, clearer skin and less headaches, to name a few.
Written by Dr. Martin Orimenko
Live Well Holistic Center
Plaza 16 Building, 16 East Lancaster Avenue #104
Ardmore, PA 19003
(610) 896-1554
Ann M
3:53 pm on Wednesday, June 13, 2012
The title of this aritlce is misleading. Dr. Orimenko is talking about sensitivies to certain foods. Food allergies are different and should never be cavalierly talked about as being "all the rage." Someone with a sensitivity to dairy may feel unwell after drinking milk. Someone with a serious food allergy who eats even a little bit of allergen could go into anaphylactic shock and die unless they have their injectable epinephrine with them. The distinction between sensitivity and true allergy is important, as those who have severe food allergies themselves or whose children have severe food allergies often have trouble making people (caregivers, restaurant waitstaff, for example) understand that potentially fatal reactions could result if food isn't handled safely and labels aren't read properly. We don't want people confusing sensitivity and allergy. Someone lactose intolerant can sit next to someone who is drinking milk. Someone severely allergic to peanuts, as my children are, usually needs to sit at a separate table. Knowing the difference can save lives. I'd recommend the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) is a great resource for information about food allergy. http://www.foodallergy.org/