Symptoms and Causes- Understanding Environmental Sensitivity-
by Doris J. Rapp, MD., F.A.A.A., F.A.A.P.-
"In my experience, eating disorders and alcoholism can be related to allergies. Frequently, eating disorders are food addictions. When you have a food sensitivity, there is a certain phase of it that makes you really crave that food. And if you happen to be addicted to wheat or baked goods, you can never get enough of them, with the result being that you become obese. For example, men who are addicted to corn may drink a lot of beer and they can become alcoholics. They're sensitive to and addicted to the beer, but it's the corn--or sometimes some other component--in the beer that is causing the problem. Sometimes, if grains are a problem, they can feel "drunk" after eating cereal or baked goods"
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If You Suspect Food & Environmental Allergies...
FIRST: Think of any significant changes in your life just prior to the time when your symptoms began.
* Was it a pollen season?
* Had you just moved or started a new job or school?
* Did you purchase a new mattress, carpet, furnace, furniture?
* Did you paint or pesticide your home?
* Did you remodel or repair something in your home?
* Was there an upset in your health (an infection or operation), life, home, family?
The "Big Five" will give you answers.
1. WATCH:
When there is a characteristic change in how you or your child feel, act, or behave.
2. WATCH:
When there is a characteristic warning change in how you look. The red earlobes, dark eye circles, nose rubbing, throat clearing, wiggly legs are all typical clues that say, watch out. It is about to begin!
3. WATCH:
If your pulse becomes irregular or too fast after a chemical or allergenic exposure, your entire body is in an alarm state because your blood vessel circulation or heart has been affected. In others, it is the blood pressure that is affected.
4. WATCH:
If your handwriting or drawing are altered, your nervous system and brain have been affected.
5. WATCH:
If your breathing becomes more difficult or your Peak Flow Meter (PFM)* reading drops, this indicates your lungs have been affected by some exposure. A PFM is a plastic tube with a gauge on it that moves when you blow into the tube so you can measure how easily you breathe air from your lungs. (For more about "Big Five" see chapter 3 "Is This Your Child")
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Always think in terms of what was eaten, touched, or smelled just prior to the onset of any significant medical, emotional, or learning or memory problem.
Most environmental or allergy symptoms are due to:
* Something inside your home,school, or work area
* Something outside your home,school, or work area
* Foods or beverage
* Chemical exposures
THIS IS A VERY KEY POINT:
Most foods and inside or outside contacts cause symptoms within an hour. Some delayed food symptoms can occur in 8 to 24 hours after an exposure. This makes it more difficult to readily see cause and effect relationships associated with the onset of eczema, bed wetting, mouth ulcers, colitis or bowel disturbances, and arthritis, for example. Simply knowing this, however, will greatly help you pinpoint even these culprits. Chemicals, however, are more apt to cause illness within seconds to minutes.