The real cause of food intolerances

Around us the number of people who say they suffer some food allergy or intolerance. These reactions can be seen as diseases —and those who suffer from them, as sick— and treated as such, or they can be considered as natural responses of the organism in its relationship with food and with the environment.

Allergy or intolerance warns us that this relationship is suffering some imbalance, and asks us to take the necessary measures to correct it. They can be annoying reactions, which logically we would prefer not to suffer, but we can also understand them as an opportunity to take responsibility for our health and our lifestyle in general.

When a healthy person realizes that he is reacting with abnormal symptoms When you eat a food and go to the doctor, you may be diagnosed with an allergy or intolerance.

What differentiates an intolerance from an allergy?

The intolerance It can cause poor digestion, gas, muscular discomfort, states of nervousness and restlessness, insomnia, loss of strength, asthenia… There are no reliable analytical tests, except for gluten intolerance.

Sometimes they can appear elevated IgG valuesbut an increase in these gamma globulins in the blood can be normal just by consuming the food in question on a regular basis.

With which, the only thing that is clear in intolerance is the patient sensitivity and his self-examination, through which he realizes that there are foods that he does not tolerate and that he improves when he consumes them.

In the allergy sufferers or atopic (prone to immune responses), instead, an increase in immunoglobulins IgE, IgG4, or eosinophils is found in blood tests.

They can also show positive reactions to skin tests or to challenge tests (food is administered in isolation and the reaction is awaited).

This people they can suffer from rhinitisconjunctivitis, dermatitis, gastritis or enteritis, bronchitis… which are the symptoms that lead them to the doctor.

They are more or less intense reactions that disappear when contact with food ceases, but it is worth knowing that the reaction can also be acute and severe, as occurs in the anaphylactic shockwhich can be life-threatening if not treated with an injection of adrenaline or a corticosteroid to cut off the body’s inflammatory response.

As Randoph M. Nesse explains in his book Why do we get sick? (Ed. Grijalbo) , the allergic reaction is part of the body’s defense mechanisms against toxic agents or antigens that identify worms and parasites such as fleas, ticks, pinworms, filariae…

Therefore, allergies can be a overreaction to antigens Similar (proteins) found in food that are harmless to most.

The causes of food intolerances

Neither allergies nor intolerances are nothing strange. The predisposition to suffer allergies occurs between 15% and 30% of Europeans.

Although the problem has normally been confined to an alteration of the immune system, the truth is that it is not isolated from the rest of the body or from the environment. When the symptoms are triggered, they can intervene psychological, endocrine and environmental factors.

The existence of a medical discipline such as psychoneuro-endocrine-immunology makes clear how closely related all these realms are. Thus, an allergic reaction or intolerance can be caused or favored by agents present

Allergy affects not only the sufferer, but the entire society. Somehow the allergic person is showing the rest of the people that there is a problem. in the environment (pollutants, modified foods…), due to genetics and individual and collective lifestyles.

Consequently, allergies are not just a problem for the person who suffers from them, but for the entire society. Somehow the allergic is often showing other people that there is a problem. We can all take this into account when avoiding risks and deciding the lifestyle that is best for us.

Prevent in the first months of life

If there are other people with allergies in the family, we may think that there is a genetic factor. In this case, we can prevent its manifestation in future generations by taking care of the entire gestation and lactation process.

During this time the mother can avoid contact with trigger foods, avoid exposure to toxic agents and breastfeed the babysince it has been shown that breast milk protects against allergies in general during childhood and in adulthood.

There may also be a stimulation of immune sensitivity by affective causes. As the expert doctor in psychosomatics Rof Carballo wrote, “the allergic person is part of a system of three coordinates: a constitutional factor, a psychogenic factor and, thirdly, the exogenous and circumstantial circumstance.”

He added that normally the disorder appears for a combination of these factors, not exclusively for one of them. Each person can, through self-examination or with the help of a therapist, investigate how their emotional life may be altering their sensitivity.

For this, one must observe in which situation the discomforts appearrelationships with loved ones and how these are modulated by the care they require.

Where you live also matters. In recent years, cases have been seen to increase dramatically in the most polluted cities. Pollutants are not only found in the air, but also among the thousands of additives and ingredients used by the food industry.

The influence of pesticides and additives

The participation of various factors in allergy cases can be traced to some foods that frequently cause reactions. The strawberries They appear among the most allergenic foods, especially in children.

But curiously they are also among the most contaminated with chemical pesticides, which can multiply the chances of an allergic response. Therefore, it is not just about avoiding strawberries, but that strawberries, and the environment in general, are free of toxic chemicals.

Another case, very much in vogue, is that of gluten. The number of people who show some sensitivity to this component of wheat and other cereals, or who say they feel better if they remove it from their diet, is multiplying.

The factors that may be contributing to the “epidemic” are several. Some experts say that the human being is not adapted to the characteristics of the modern varieties of wheatchosen by the industry based on their productivity.

Others, like advocates of paleolithic diets or raw food, they go further and affirm that cereals in general are not appropriate foods for human beings or, at least, for a part.

The allergic components of wheat are also likely to be activated when accompanied bychemical additives or polluting agents, as occurs in many bakery and pastry products.

On a practical level, the person who suspects gluten can try a diet without this protein. If you feel better and can eat a balanced diet, getting the nutrients you need from other products, it’s okay to change your diet.

In addition to avoiding the food causing the allergy or intolerance, the affected person may change your lifestyleresorting to medicinal plants and natural therapies, not to suppress the symptoms, but as an aid in the body’s self-regulation process. After a while you can taste the food again and see if there has been any change.

Treat intolerances or allergies: better without drugs

It is normal for the person affected by an allergy or food intolerance to seek the help of a doctor, but as far as possible it should be avoid chronic drug treatments synthetic that are not free of side effects (such as antihistamines, which can affect the nervous system).

It is preferable to find soft solutions and change habits related to diet and lifestyle. The goal is for each person to be able to self-manage in their search for balance with the environment.

But this has social aspects: for example, it is necessary to facilitate access to gluten-free foods or reduce the amount of allergens in the environment.

Beyond food

Some tips, which are not directly related to food, can help in this recovery of balance:

increases the country walks at any time of the year and take sun baths (without risks).Adapt to seasonal changes using air conditioning or heating as little as possible. Rest and sleep in areas free from telluric influences (the help of a dowser is necessary to discover them) and electromagnetic pollution (antennas and mobile phones, Wi-Fi networks, proximity to electrical appliances…).Avoid as far as possible unnecessary treatments with antibiotics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that damage the intestinal barrier and increase its permeability.touch the earth and plants, take care of an orchard or garden. In this way you will favor contact with bacteria that the immune system needs to mature. This is especially important during the first years of life.