Hi all,
I probably have information that would benefit many of you on what is causing multiple food allergies. For the last 6 years, I have endured non-stop itching. I have spent thousands on going to over 30 doctors (neurologist, int med, rheumatologist, allergist, endocrinologist, dermatologists, psychologist, psychiatrist, gastroenterologist) in search of what was causing my issue. They basically said my illness was mental and referred me to a psych who prescribed me medicine whcih didn't really help.
Physically, i had no rashes unless I scratched myself. Overal, i was hypersensitive. It felt like my body was on red alert
, ready to react to everything. The water running down my face in the shower was itchy. Hair running up against my skin was itchy. I could not let anyone touch me since anything would incite more itchiness. I could have swore I had a sugar allergy and so I went to my allergist to get food tested. Nada. All negative.
To make a long story short, I was referred to an environmental doctor (an MD who is also a cardiologist) in Dallas. When I met him, I thought he was just another doctor who wouldn't be able to diagnose or help me. He told me he thought he could and boy, was he right!
He actually has had thousands of patients like me previously. In fact, many are more in more serious straits than me. Overall, what he says is that people suddenly become allergic to their environment (home, chemicals, foods) due to an excess amount of toxins in their body. This results from chemical exposures, excess mycotoxins, heavy metals, etc whcih build up in your body over time.
So Melinda was right in her previous post regarding an internal issue of toxins. In my case, I was experiencing Leaky Gut Syndrome. So here's what happened to me. I had taken lots of antibiotics, prednisone and ibuprofen pills for many years. Also, I have not had the healthiest of diets (refined flour, bad carbs, sugar, etc). Over time, the candida in my body over took the good bacteria in my gut and caused Leaky Gut. As a result, every time I eat, larger sized food proteins escape through my now, more permeable intestine. When the proteins escape, my antibodies don't recognize them and think theyre invaders. So then hisamine is released and that's what was causing the itching. The mycotoxins released by the candida in my body is also likely causing the itching since I, like almost all humans, are sensitive/allergic to mycotoxins.
The environmental doctor tested me for food/pollen/chemical/mycotoxin sensitivities in a way more accurate than my allergist. Thru his testing, he found I had multiple food sensitivities to every day foods like wheat, dairy, sugar, tea, shrimp, tomatoes, bananas, bakers yeast, brewers yeast, fructose, serotonin (yes, serotonin) and many more (up to age 35, I was never allergic to these foods). I didn't believe this so to prove it, I stopped eating such foods. And lo and behold, 80% of my itching went away.
So in contrary to traditional medicine, I am giving myself food/histamine/serotonin allergy shots under the guidance of this doctor. I also received gamma globulin shots since my IGG subclass results showed my antibodies were weakwr than avg. finally, I took diflucan for a couple of weeks and am now on Nystatin. I am not 100% better yet but am optimistic. I also began to feel nauseas after eating (before treatment) and that is definitely better now.
Many traditional doctors dismiss Leaky Gut and the overpopulation of Candida as causing health issues. So if u suspect u have a similar cause,I would recommend you see an environmental doctor (not many in the US) or holistic MD. They are expensive but forward thinking. Note that the shots I give myself will likely not be something that any doctor, holistic or environmental, will permit or prescribe. Many treatment plans for Candida do not mention it either. My doctor happens to have conducted research on antigen therapy and so he is well prepared to administer this program. He also works with patients who have had a higher level of exposure and more serious exposure to chemicals, so they really need the shots.
What is interesting is that I have had the opportunity to speak to many other patients at this doctors office. They come from all walks of life from all over the US and Mexico and have been through the dozens of doctors (like me) who dismissed them. Interesting how they are well versed in knowing about
the body, health, medical conditions given theyre extensive reasearch. Some have Lyme disease,mold exposure, chemical exposure from work, etc and they all exhibit some sensitivities to the environment. It was therapeutic for me to speak to other patients knowing I was not alone.
if you do a search on the net for leaky gut and candidiasis, you will get lots more information. I think there is a website called candidadiet.com which walks you through self-treatment. Once the candida in your gut becomes under control, then your leaky gut will repair itself. Over time, you should not be allergic to food again.
I would recommend anyone with candidiasis try to get medication from a doctor. Killing excess candida or fungus in your body is hard (the pharmacist told me this). He said some folks use Antifungal medication for many months, or a year or two.
My experience has been one I do not wish on anyone. I am appalled at how the medical establishment in the US will think a person has a mental illness if they cannot identify their illness. I had contacted Mayo who wanted a referral from my neurologist before scheduling an appt. However, he did not want to give one since he thought I had anxiety. And even after I told my allergist and gastroenterologist about
multiple food allergies and leaky gut, they did not acknowledge that their tests failed to identify this condition and said leaky gut has not been proven. My int medicine doctor balked when I told him years back that I thought I had a fungus in me. He was wrong. Over these last 6 years, I've learned whcih doctors truly cared about
me, listened to me and admitted they could not help me (as opposed to thinking I was a nut case). I will continue to see those doctors as needed but have dismissed the others. And as I learn more about
healthy living, I've Learned that the human body can repair itself provided u feed it the right foods and exercise and get adequate rest. Good luck to all of you in working towards getting better.
Post Edited (niccolediva) : 1/19/2012 11:49:16 PM (GMT-7)