Causes Of Food Allergies

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Causes Of Food Allergies

Here, we look at some of the underlying causes of food allergies. This understanding is important if you are to deal effectively with your food allergies.

Foods that are commonly found to trigger allergic reactions include cow’s milk (especially lactose), wheat, eggs, cane sugar, corn, chocolate, peanuts, shellfish, and food chemicals (eg. additives, pesticide residues, food dyes) [1, 2, 3].

According to Alternative Medicine – The Definitive Guide, food allergies are a result of imbalanced immune function, default of the allergy barrier function and toxic overload.


Imbalances in the immune function

One of the causes of food allergies is imbalances in immune function.

Because many food allergy reactions are effected by antibodies (e.g. IgE, IgG, etc) of the immune system, it comes as no surprise that imbalances in immune function will bring about adverse allergies to food(s). [3]

In turn, immune function imbalances can arise from toxicity and pollution in the environment (including chemicals like pesticides and preservatives in foods), as well as disturbances of the immune system due to repeated childhood and adult immunization and vaccination. [3]

Damage to the healthy flora balance in the intestinal tract due to the repeated and prolonged use of antibiotics and steroids, nutritional deficiencies (e.g. zinc and vitamin A), inherited autoimmune disorders, repetitive diet, and chronic intestinal candida overgrowth also contribute to immune dysfunction. [3]


Default of the allergy barrier function

Another one of the causes of food allergies is the default of the allergy barrier function.

The digestive system serves as a barrier function against food sensitivity / allergy – when foods are properly digested and absorbed from the intestinal tract, they do not trigger allergic reactions in the body. [3]

However, when the digestive system malfunctions and there is inadequate digestion or excessive permeability of the intestinal tract (i.e. leaky gut), the digestive barrier function defaults or breaks down and undigested food particles enter the bloodstream as foreign particles, triggering an allergic response when antibodies in the blood bind to these undigested foreign food particles. [3]

In turn, factors like nutritional deficiency; infection; inflammation and poor eating habits contribute to poor digestion, while factors like poor digestion; alcohol consumption; use of anti-inflammatory drugs or antibiotics; infections by viruses, fungi or bacteria; nutritional deficiency; excessive stress and radiation contribute to the leaky gut syndrome. [3]


Toxic overload

Besides imbalances in immune function and allergy barrier function defaults, toxic overload is also one of the causes of food allergies.

When the body is exposed to more toxins (in food and the environment) than it can eliminate from the system, the organs involved in detoxification, including the allergy barrier systems in the intestines, become overloaded. This overload weakens the barrier functions, paving the way to defaults [3].

In addition, according to William Rea, M.D., an environmental physician in Dallas, Texas, when the body is unable to fully detoxify itself, the immune system starts attacking its own unprocessed toxic load, and chronic allergies may arise. The immune system also becomes overworked as it continuously strives to destroy the toxins in the body, leading to hypersensitivity. [3]


Food allergies and ailments

Food allergies can actually lead to other health ailments as well. One example is depression.


References

[1] Baumel, Syd. Dealing With Depression Naturally. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2000. Print.

[2] Larson, Joan Mathews, PhD. Depression-Free, Naturally: 7 Weeks to Eliminating Anxiety, Despair, Fatigue, and Anger from Your Life. NY, USA: Ballantine Books, 1999. Print.

[3] Trivieri, Jr., Larry, and Anderson, John W. Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide. 2nd ed. New York, USA: Celestial Arts, 2002. Print.

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