Food Intolerances

Do you often get hives after eating just a couple of strawberries or have to keep on making trips to the bathroom after having your favourite ice cream? Can’t even think of eating outside as it will make you roll on the floor with terrible stomach cramps. If all this is happening to you, most probably you are dealing with either food allergies or food sensitivities.

What is a food allergy?

A food allergy is a reaction that occurs when your immune system over-responds to a food. Common food allergens are gluten, dairy, chocolate, eggs, citrus, nuts and certain seafood, especially shellfish, as well as some food colourings and preservatives.

Food allergies can cause immediate and sometimes life-threatening reactions in the body. There is an IgE immune response because IgE antibodies react with mast cells or basophils to release a hormone called histamine in the body in response to the food, known as an “allergen”. The common food allergy reactions are difficulties in breathing, skin eruptions such as hives, digestive problems and even anaphylactic shock.

What is food intolerance?

Unlike allergies, Food intolerances and sensitivities are not life-threatening and are delayed reactions that may contribute to chronic health issues. Food intolerances do not involve an IgE acute immune response. Food intolerances occur when a person is exposed to reactive or hard-to-digest foods over a long period. The reaction is generally because of the inability of the body to break down a particular food. The reaction is not as acute or severe as an allergic reaction, but may severely impact the quality of life.

Symptoms often include abdominal cramping, bloating, and diarrhea, although symptoms can become more diverse and serious if the overall health of the gastrointestinal system deteriorates from regular consumption of the offending foods. Not only this, food intolerances can also lead to neurological conditions, digestive disorders, pain and immune system reactions. A well-known example of food intolerance is lactose intolerance, where digestion of milk sugar in dairy is impaired.

You can develop food intolerances and sensitivities at any point in life. A person who has never had any problems with a particular food before may develop reactions to that same food later in life. These are many factors that can trigger food intolerances and sensitivities like overconsumption of a particular food, genetic predisposition, poor digestion, environmental factors, and stress.

How to rectify Food Allergies and Intolerances?

Food allergies can lead to dysbiosis aka imbalance of the good and bad bacteria in the gut and leaky gut syndrome. By eliminating the foods that a person is sensitive to, the digestive system gets a chance to repair. There are excellent homeopathic remedies which I call homeopathic probiotics which not only rebalance the gut flora but also build and strengthen the gut mucosal lining.

It is really important to find out the root causes behind your food allergies or food intolerances. Your personalized homeopathic remedies can inhibit the release of histamine and other inflammatory compounds as they provide an energetic stimulus to facilitate the body’s inherent healing ability.