Anothe Sulfite Thread

Hi all,

This is my first post here. So a little background. Most of my life I haven't felt that well. I've always had a little fatigue, but I've also had a lot of sinus problems, ear aches, headaches... also some psychological issues like amxiety and depression. On three different occasions I've had unexplained anaphylactic (sp?) reactions that involved trips to the ER, but no explaination could ever be found as to what caused them and I was never referred to an allergist.

Seven years ago I started having breathing problems, throat tightness, and heart palpitations. I saw an ENT doctor for a bit and he was able to clear up the sinus issues to a degree. Over the time I saw him the infection kept coming back and the last time he told me that if it came back again I'd be looking at surgery. I didn't want that so even though it came back just 6 weeks later, I didn't go back. I've been keeping it managed with nasal irrigation and a few herbs here and there.

Fast forward to two years ago. I'd finally gotten tired of being tired, anxious and depressed and having doctors basically fob me off over and over again. So I started seeing a naturopathic doctor. He has been amazing. One of the first things he did was to put me on a natural antidepressant with 20,000% the RDA of the methyl B12, plus the P5P form of B6 and methyl folate as well as a few other things. That alone made an improvement.

He also had me do a saliva test and I found that I have stage two adrenal fatigue so I'm taking a supplement for that which has helped with my insomnia. He did have me try to go gluten free for a bit, but I actually felt worse which really frustrated him. I know why now, the soy, corn and potato starches used in so many gluten free foods. Wheat actually doesn't bother me as long as it's sprouted and has no mollasas. Finally, he told me that he suspects delayed food allergies. There is a list of foods that I've avoided for some time and he told me to try and eat a little bit of them so that I'd have some of the proteins floating around for the test to pick up. So all that weekend I'm eating all this stuff that I usually avoid and getting sicker and sicker. I was so glad when that weekend was over. Had the blood taken that Monday. Then I saw my therapist on Tuesday and I still looked like I'd been hit by a truck.

I was so convinced that this test was going to come back with all these allergies, but no! What came back was that I was allergic to most of my safe foods. That was six months ago. In these six months I've tried eating all these other things and not my safe foods and I keep feeling worse and worse. I've heard that if you eat something a lot it can cause a false positive on a blood test and I wonder if that's what happened.

So so I've been avoiding these foods that I'm supposed to be allergic to and eating the ones that I'm not supposed to be, but just like the gluten free experiment, I keep feeling worse and worse and keep having these random allergic reactions. So my ND said he was stumped and I finally got the referral to the allergist after like 20 years of this.

The allergist did the regular skin tests for most common allergens and nothing came up. Then he asked me to list some of the foods that bother me, and I told him that a lot of them make no sense.

So what bothers me?
Almost all condiments, mayo is probably the least offensive.
A lot of breads, but not all.
Dried fruit, but not prunes.
Some fish.
Almost all shellfish.
Almost all cured meat like bacon, ham or sausage.
Beer and wine, but not tequilla.
French fries, but not baked potatoes.
Most corn products, but not corn itself.
Anything pickled.

The pickled stuff bothers me so bad that when I have to cut the pickle spears at work I itch. I wear gloves so I don't touch them and I certainly don't eat them, but just the fumes makes my face itch. I also itch when the fry guy opens the oven to pull out the fries. I had not wanted to tell the allergist about that because it just sounds so absolutely nutty, but as soon as I told him that. That's when he said, "I know what your problem is. You're allergic to sulfites." He then told me that there's no really reliable test for sufite allergies, but from what I told him, he didn't think it was necessary anyway.

So here I am. Congratulations, if you got through all of that.

I take P5P, methyl B12, extra folate daily for now going over a year. I'm 76 and doc has been checking homocysteine levels and they have been elevated so the above help reduce homo.

I've been taking Grape Seed Ex for going on 20 yrs and can eat almost anything, but I don't....I've cut out wheat/grains (read Grain Brain by Dr. Perlmutter) and Wheat Belly by another doc. I have not brought bread into my house for over 3 yrs. Don't need it and don't want it. Fudge now and then with a bagel or personal size pizza but not often. Bagel can last me a couple days.

Anyway, I've worked with alternatives for my health about 25 yrs. J

I can't eat soy either. It's the processing. I'm fine with the fresh soybeans. I don't drink any sodas at all.

How about oatmeal? I'll bet the problem with grains is the processing and additives they don't tell you about.

Sorry about the SO2. about all you can do, besides move, is wear a respirator that has a filter that will remove it, or stay indoors. Maybe there's a filter you can put on your furnace that will catch some of it?

I'm OK with a little bacon, but sausage will trigger my reaction. Pork chops or roast or ribs are out of the question.

With most of us, it's the total sulfite for the day, not just one meal. If you go to Rick's no sulfite site he shows how to calculate how much you tolerate and how much is in products.

Do you have any stomach reaction, or heart or intestine problems? My most dangerous reaction is tachycardia, which has sent me to the hospital several times.

If you read Rick's book, you'll learn that pork has natural sulfite in it. Beef has some too but not as much.

I just became allergic to grass a couple of years ago when the pollen count was very high, and now I have it added to my allergy shots.

I have a "true" allergy to sunflower seeds, throat closing. The oil doesn't have the protein, so if it's pretty pure it's ok.

I never eat cold cuts anymore. The caramel color in all of the meats is enough to set me off. Before I knew what my problem was I used to love barbecue spare ribs. I always felt awful, couldn't walk back out to the car afterwards. Pork, brown sugar and all the other stuff in the sauce!

When my heart rate goes up it's 130 or more. I do Valsalva maneuver and often I can get it down. If it stays above 145 for at least 2 hours I have to go to the ER. My cardiologist gave me a prescription to take when the rate is high and Valsalva doesn't work.

I avoid all drinks with coloring (especially yellow #5), artificial flavoring, sugar substitutes, including stevia, because they all have dextrose. Even barium for swallow test doesn't come in a clean version anymore.

Sulfites are found in many molecules, but it's probably the sulfite anion that is the problem. The cations are things like sodium or potassium, the first part of the molecule, and these break apart just like they do in table salt NaCl, sodium chloride.

I used to be able to tolerate sulfa drugs, but seem to have lost some of this tolerance. I was OK a couple of days ago taking one for a bad sinus infection, but reacted to it yesterday. It's about the only type of drug that hits sinus infections effectively. I'm hoping to take a half, with food, today because it is working.

I won't tell you to buy anything. I did because I needed information on the drugs he's studied. I read and re-read the free one for a couple of years before doing that though. Most of what you need to know is free. Check out other sites too, because there is a lot more information than there was 10 years ago when I was looking for help. You can put up the name of a drug or a food and the word "sulfites," and find information now. Just don't bother with blogs or forums. Rick does answer questions sometimes, but he's a real person with a real job besides doing this.

Check the labels on your teas. I'm fine with black tea, but there are some brands with sulfite on the label!

Caramel coloring is in way to many products. That's why I avoid colas completely, but I tolerate one can of sodas without added coloring.

A lot of our chickens are coming in from China now. No telling what's in them. Ask your butcher. I only buy American apple juice and fruit in glass jars for the same reason. They probably won't even know in the big chain stores.

Share some websites with your ND. I won't go to them, but then, I have a very experienced allergist, and I've been dealing with this for a long time.

I went ahead and ordered Rick's print book today. My reasoning was because it is my understanding that the book has lists of foods with their sulfite content. In the winter time when the SO2 here is so high and I have to deal with so much environmental sulfite, my tolerance for any kind of food added sulfite seems to drop to pretty much nil. I seem to be able to tolerate a lot more in the summer time.

http://www.learningtarget.com/nosulfites/store.htm

I got it there. Since I only ordered it today, obviously it hasn't arrived yet, but I did get a confirmation email.

I'm definitely going to ask my ND about grape seed extract when I see him next.

Does anyone know if cornmeal contains sulfites?  I know corn starch is a big no-no, but how about cornmeal.  Supposedly it is non-gmo, organic...  It seems to make me react a little bit, so I am not sure if it is a sulfite thing or possibly an intolerance to corn.  Any feedback would be appreciated!

Can anybody drink almond milk? If so what brands? Almond Breeze?

From a quick review of lists of sulfited foods on the 'net, it seems that cornmeal is indeed sulfited. I haven't consumed it myself except as a minimal coating on English muffins, so I don't know if I tolerate it.

I'm fine with Almond milk, but I don't like it. Lactose-free works for me.

Watch out for anything made from ground corn, like tortillas. Some have so much sulfite it's on the label.

It seemed to be worth it for me since he lists lots of foods and their sulfite content.