Anyone else with a sulfite intolerance? I would love to hear from you!

I checked the site but found no scientific evidence, only summaries of conclusions with no links to where they came from. I must have missed something somewhere. I didn't see who wrote that site.

One study I found is a 2004 study of 19 normal people in whom magnesium levels were measured after they soaked in MgSO4 baths. Another study was an in vitro study of cells regarding sulfotransferase. A third unpublished 1993 study was said to show low sulfate in 13 autistic children.

http://treatautismnow.wordpress.com/2010/06/05/phenols-pst-and-sulphur-metabolism/ this is some good data on the subject i talked about here. see if you can pull that up Alcie

Not much left for me to eat, being also gluten sensitive and with a ton of food allergies in addition to the sulfite issues... I basically can only eat rice, potatoes, butter, cheese, and a few fruits & veggies (sparingly).

The biggest help for most with sulfite issues is supplementing Molybdenum. The enzyme that processes sulfites depends on molybdenum to function. Deficiency of molybdenum, therefore, can be one cause for Sulfite Sensitivity (and also Multiple Chemical Sensitivities).

Another thing that has helped me is Yucca root, because with my particular methylation cycle genomic variants, I tend to produce too much ammonia. Yucca root helps to bind and eliminate the ammonia.

Also, Vitamin B12 is critically important for those with methylation issues such as myself. I have to get mine via shots, because my gut is too messed up and I can't seem to even absorb sublingual Vitamin B12.

Hi. I just signed up for this site because of this thread. I've read about half of it and my eyes are blurry... but anyway.

Does anyone else on here have a sulfur intolerance/allergy to all forms of sulfates, sulfites, sulfa etc? I get allergic and intolerant symptoms to food/medications and personal care/cleaning products. I have found people with one or the other, but no one with both. I have spent the past 16 years trying to track down why this is happening and how to help myself. I also have a slew of doctors who don't believe me. I dont look sick and all my typical blood work is perfect. The only thing that has helped is avoidance and regular acupuncture. The older I get the harder staying healthy and pain free is. I had a magnesium sulfate IV a few years ago and I cant seem to recover from it. This appears to be hereditary. My grandmother had all my health problems and more. My mother seems to have much milder version of my "allergy".

Thanks
Norravavare

For those posting about not being able to eat anything:

As long as you cook your own food from scratch you can eat most foods. Of course avoid pork, and onion family. I have to keep beef to very small portions. Other than that, the basic unseasoned (except salt) foods should be OK, but that's what keeping a Food Journal will help you figure out.

For most of us, if you don't have other intolerances and allergies, the main thing is to avoid processing of any kind. Corn is fine, but dextrose and corn starch are toxic. Anything processed from pork, eg. gelatin, is very toxic. Mixed seasonings and those with pepper can be sulfited, but individual spices should be fine.

Raw nuts are mostly OK, but roasted nuts are often bleached with sulfite.

Home made bread or bread from a bakery that advertises no preservatives is mostly safe unless you have a wheat problem.

I only take a tiny daily multivitamin with no additives, because I can't swallow the horse pills. I need B12 because of stomach surgery. I take 2000 units of D twice a day in winter, once a day in summer because I had my D level tested. Add 100 units of D for every 1 (whatever that unit is) you are low. You can look that up on old posts - see search box at top of page.

There's no reason to be hysterical or avoid eating anything that has a tiny amount of sulfite. Look at the websites in the old posts. There are lists of sulfite levels and Rick's No Sulfites website will teach you how to calculate your tolerance and the amount of sulfite in portions you consume.

The Housemouse website has a lot of information for those who have sulfate in skin and detergent products.

I'm not much of a believer in alternative practices, herbs and potions. I'm doing well just staying within my tolerance level. I do not have the extreme "allergy" to sulfites, but I do have life threatening reactions. There may be some truth in molybdenum and other things, but I have no personal experience and have read no scientific research.

Most doctors don't believe us, but my allergist does. She guided me through keeping a journal and food challenges. You can find all the information by putting some keywords into the search box.

Welcome to the forum, UK.

Read through this thread and also look up some of the others. Put a few keywords into the search box at the top of the page. There's tons of threads, hundreds of posts.

The only way to find out what your food intolerances are is to keep a very good food journal and after you have a partial list try food challenges. How to do this is in several of the posts you can look up. Talk with your doctor, preferably an allergist, about your particular reactions and whether it is safe to do the food challenges. I get tachycardia (rapid heart beating) so I had to be extra careful. If you get asthma attacks it could be dangerous to eat too much of a food trigger!

Sorry, but I don't know anything about the liver problem or tongue blisters. I get a lot of gastric reflux reaction, but if you have a "true allergy" (look up the difference between this and "sensitivity") maybe you could get reactions like those.

For a good list foods containing sulfites and how to calculate the amounts in foods try the free online book at http://www.learningtarget.com/nosulfites/index.htm

The problem with prepared foods is that sulfites may be in a large number of their ingredients. This book also lists amounts of sulfites in natural foods.

The author is also a migraine sufferer.

Hello there. I cannot tell you how happy I am to have found this forum. I have read the first 5 pages or so of this sulfite thread, and then I zoomed to the last one to make sure that the thread is still current. Hurrah! It is!

I am a severe asthmatic and have many allergies including food allergies. about 5 years ago I began to suspect that I had sulfite sensitivity as well. After calling every allergist in the city I finally found only one who had knowledge of the problem. After going to him he confirmed that I had a problem with sulfite, but did not want to do the test to determine intolerance because my asthma is so severe and he did not want to risk making it worse.

I must say that after reading your posts I feel validated. I had suspected that everything ~ even the filtered water that I drink ~ was causing problems to a lesser or greater degree. I also suspected the tea I was drinking, chocolate ~ all of the things that I am finding mentioned here.

The most distressing manifestation of the problem is a horrible facial rash. It was so bad at one point I didn't leave my house for 6 months ~ thankfully I am retired from work.

Because massive doses of benedryl and zyrtec seems to help me, I suspect from your posts that I have an actual allergy to sulfites. I was told that it is not an allergy, but an intolerance... but I questioned that when I was told, and now from your posts I think the physician may have been mistaken.

I am also allergic to sulpha drugs, and foods high in sulfur seem to bother me. Many things which I have read say that there is no connection between these three problems, but I really question that....

It is so very difficult to find things to eat, because in addition to the sulfite problem I am also allergic to apples, pears, cherries, strawberries, bananas (caused anaphylaxis many years ago), grapes, peaches, tree nuts, legumes (peanuts, soy, beans, peas), tomatoes, onions, garlic and hops. And now I find that I must also avoid cheese and eggs ~ I found this site because I had a reaction and all that I had eaten for two days was cheese!

I also have avoided processed meats, and most processed food.

I long ago eliminated any foods with vinegar, which means no condiments or salad dressings, nothing pickled... and no breads or pastries.

I also get the itching throat, asthma, gastric reflux, rapid heartbeat. I had suspected that some of my asthma meds were making me ill too, and it seems from what I have read here that I may be correct. My inhaler makes my throat itch now... it didn't before, but they have changed the propellant...

Thank you so much for being here. At the very least I have some place to come and commiserate, and I have already learned a lot and am now able to feel less paranoid about thinking that nearly everything is making me ill. Thank you, Thank you!

Steffanie

Post Edited (Steffanie) : 12/23/2012 4:03:18 PM (GMT-7)

Molybdenum helps me...if I'm late getting my dose of molybdenum or Vit. B12, I go into anaphylaxis from any food. If I stay on time with the doses of B12 & molybdenum, I can eat a few things ok.

I am new to this forum but am grateful to have found it. It is hard for people to understand sulfite sensitivity and what a huge effect it has on someone's life.

I do want to respond to a post I read earlier that said to stay away from mixed spices but that most indivdual spices are usually okay -- I found out the hard way that this is not necessarily true. McCormick ground ginger lists "Ginger and sulfur dioxide" two ingredients and not thinking to check the label of the spice I went into a full blown asthma attack after eating the spice in gingerbread.

I have also learned that with regard to food labeling if the ingredient that may contain sulfites on a label is from a third party (and a lot of them are) the company that is responsible for the labeling does not have to include anything about sulfites on the l label even if it is higher than than then 10 ppm that is allowed. I have contacted many companies to ask them about such ingredients and they are quick to say they cannot guarantee if there are sulfites in the ingredient or how much. This makes label reading even more important.

good morning all,

might anyone know how long it will take for facial swelling to go away? this is terrible!

thanks so much.

Post Edited (foxpd1) : 2/19/2013 9:56:23 AM (GMT-7)

Hello everyone. My name is Shannon and I also suffer from a sulfate allergy..
I'm also 22 and suffer from depression, depersonalization, arthritis, bipolar... well I have a lot on my plate..
I've known about my Allergy for almost 3 years but that doesn't mean it has by any means been easy. My fiancée has been incredibly understanding and supportive but I can't shake the feelings I've been having recently of hopelessness ...
I'll be in the store with friends or even in casual conversation and they'll shake their heads and say that they couldn't deal with so many limitations. It's really been wearing on me lately (perhaps a good deal to do with my depression this time of year) and I'm feeling more and more hopeless.
My fiancée and I have been fighting more and more due to our current situation but I don't know how to make him understand how frustrated and hopeless I am... I've always been the kind of person that if you tell me I can't do something I'm going to and go over the top with it..
I've dealt with knowing I may not be able to walk due to my arthritis, possible meds for my mental issues (which I'm proud to say that I'm unmedicated but that might have to change soon) but the extreme limitations of this might actually be too much for me to handle. I hate having to live in paranoid fear and checking every lable.. its not fair..
I just don't see why it matters anymore!! I miss hot pockets, Cheetos, ans doing my own dishes!!

How do you guys deal with the feelings I'm having now? Any advice would be greatly appreciated because I've been feverishly looking for any hope of a cure or treatment because I can't keep living like this. Thank you everyone.