People sometimes confuse food intolerances with allergic reactions. Your system may not be able to digest certain foods well, hence you have an intolerance; but, allergic reactions manifest themselves in reactions like hives, swelling and even life-threatening anaphylactic shock.
For example, some people, myself included, are lactose intolerant and have trouble digesting whole milk and dairy products. I was raised on goat's milk and don't drink cow's milk at all. But, I do love ice cream, although I rarely indulge. Mushrooms and I also don't get along well, as they cause rather uncomfortable bloating and other reactions, and soy products cause problems. I have a high acidity level in my system, so acidic foods are a problem; but, I love pink grapefruit, go figure. But, I'm not allergic to these foods.
On the other hand, I have allergic reactions to certain foods, some serious. For example, I am allergic to eggplant, hot house tomatoes (very acidic) and Indian curry. I was hospitalized after eating curry that contained some ingredient we never did identify; so, I pretty much stay clear of it, or use only American curry powder, albeit very rarely. I'm allergic to chamomile, so no chamomile tea for me! As with other foods, it's no fun to have breakouts inside your mouth or walk around with swollen lips and eyes - yikes!
As for environmental allergies, I am allergic to animal dander, so much so that I'm constantly congested and have chronic respiratory issues, and I developed such a reaction to horse dander that I had to give up a sport I dearly loved. However, we have a dog (our son's) and a cat (our daughter's), both dropped into the household by their owners. This is not fun for a runner! I also have allergic reactions to personal care products that contain aloe vera and chamomile; angora (makes me sneeze and itch worse than wool), and a litany of other things like mosquito and red ant bites. I have to stick to natural fibers as much as possible. Finally, I have allergies to ragweed (hence, the chamomile problem) and the typical pollen issues. Loratidine is like a supplement for me, lol!
As far as my naturopath is concerned, I'm a walking laboratory, hahaha! I just try to steer clear of the things I know cause problems for me. I drink hot lemon water just about daily (sometimes I forget), and would often brew my own fresh ginger tea (although there's currently a moratorium on ginger from China, so I can't get any). Thank goodness for a good naturopath!
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I have some of both.
People sometimes confuse food intolerances with allergic reactions. Your system may not be able to digest certain foods well, hence you have an intolerance; but, allergic reactions manifest themselves in reactions like hives, swelling and even life-threatening anaphylactic shock.
For example, some people, myself included, are lactose intolerant and have trouble digesting whole milk and dairy products. I was raised on goat's milk and don't drink cow's milk at all. But, I do love ice cream, although I rarely indulge. Mushrooms and I also don't get along well, as they cause rather uncomfortable bloating and other reactions, and soy products cause problems. I have a high acidity level in my system, so acidic foods are a problem; but, I love pink grapefruit, go figure. But, I'm not allergic to these foods.
On the other hand, I have allergic reactions to certain foods, some serious. For example, I am allergic to eggplant, hot house tomatoes (very acidic) and Indian curry. I was hospitalized after eating curry that contained some ingredient we never did identify; so, I pretty much stay clear of it, or use only American curry powder, albeit very rarely. I'm allergic to chamomile, so no chamomile tea for me! As with other foods, it's no fun to have breakouts inside your mouth or walk around with swollen lips and eyes - yikes!
As for environmental allergies, I am allergic to animal dander, so much so that I'm constantly congested and have chronic respiratory issues, and I developed such a reaction to horse dander that I had to give up a sport I dearly loved. However, we have a dog (our son's) and a cat (our daughter's), both dropped into the household by their owners. This is not fun for a runner! I also have allergic reactions to personal care products that contain aloe vera and chamomile; angora (makes me sneeze and itch worse than wool), and a litany of other things like mosquito and red ant bites. I have to stick to natural fibers as much as possible. Finally, I have allergies to ragweed (hence, the chamomile problem) and the typical pollen issues. Loratidine is like a supplement for me, lol!
As far as my naturopath is concerned, I'm a walking laboratory, hahaha! I just try to steer clear of the things I know cause problems for me. I drink hot lemon water just about daily (sometimes I forget), and would often brew my own fresh ginger tea (although there's currently a moratorium on ginger from China, so I can't get any). Thank goodness for a good naturopath!
March 3, 2008 - 6:19pmThis Comment
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