Food Allergies

Condition Description

Sensitivity to certain foods (sometimes obvious and sometimes not) Exposure can produce immediate, identifiable symptoms such as swelling or difficulty breathing, but at other times may not be obvious

Common Symptoms

• A very broad range of chronic illnesses affecting all aspects of the body (many of the diseases in this database can be caused by food allergies) including the respiratory, cardiac, neurological, adrenal, and immune systems
• Psychological conditions are sometimes manifestations of food allergies

Underlying Causes

• Genetics play an important role in allergies
• The primary non-genetic cause for food allergies is constant overexposure to the same foods (some foods are more likely to cause allergies than others)
• Other predisposing factors can be leaky gut from excessive antibiotic use, yeast overgrowth, poor digestion from low stomach acids or deficiency in digestive enzymes or vitamins and minerals

Traditional Approach

• Acute allergic reactions are managed with epinephrine injections and antihistamines (those with severe allergies should always carry an Epipen to self administer epinephrine)
• More severe or life threatening reactions require more intensive intervention
• Less severe or hidden food allergies often go unidentified and thus untreated

EHAC Approach

• Obvious food allergy is easy to recognize and presents no challenge in diagnosis
• Skin testing for hidden food allergies using an intra-dermal challenge test and elimination of suspected foods. Testing also includes re-challenging with eliminated foods
• Rotation diet
• Desensitization where a patient has a broad range of sensitivities and elimination is difficult