There have been many stories in the media lately about people becoming ill due to the food that they have eaten.  The stories that get the headlines largely deal with food poisoning caused by bacteria or viruses.  The source of the problem is traced to poor food handling procedures or poor food storage.  The people that eat the tainted food become violently ill for a relatively short period of time.  Unless there are complicating medical conditions, recovery is rapid and complete.  Once the bacteria has been removed from the body through vomiting and/or diarrhea, the body’s own immune system finishes the task of detoxification.  This is an example of the immune system functioning as planned.   

Currently, there is much research concerned with why the immune system does not always function properly.  In some cases, the immune system identifies a normal healthy food product as harmful and mobilizes the body’s defense mechanisms which provoke various unpleasant reactions.  The symptoms are an indication that the immune system is fighting against a perceived harmful substance.

 These immune system reactions are generally put into one of three classifications.  The treatment for each classification is very different.  The three classifications are: Food Intolerances, Food Allergies and Food Sensitivities. Food intolerances do not involve the immune system.  The reactions occur only in the gastrointestinal tract.  The most common intolerance is lactose intolerance.  This is the body’s lack of a specific enzyme in the GI tract that is needed to breakdown lactose (found in many dairy products).  Since the specific enzyme is missing, normally occurring bacteria in the intestine break down the lactose.  As byproducts of this reaction, a person experiences gas, bloating, distension and diarrhea.  A simple supplement can alleviate these symptoms.

 Food allergies can have the most severe reactions.  They can cause skin eruptions such as hives and eczema or GI symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting.  In extreme cases, breathing problems are produced such as asthma or anaphylaxis. These reactions are acute, not chronic and are produced by just a few foods.  The rapid onsets of symptoms usually lead to a quick determination as to which foods caused the problem.

 Food sensitivities are chronic.  Symptoms include diarrhea, headache, excess mucus production, pain, malaise, fatigue, brain fog, edema and a host of others.  Conditions that are associated with food sensitivities include, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Migraine, Fibromyalgia, Eczema, Chronic Fatigue, and Arthritis among others.  Reactions tend to be delayed up to 96 hours, dosage dependent, and patient specific.  A person may show sensitivity to one food or many foods and/or chemicals in foods.  The goal of treatment is identifying the reactive foods and removing them from the diet.  A blood test is available to assist in identifying reactive foods, and Certified Leap Therapists have been specially trained to plan healthy diets to alleviate the symptoms.   

Free food sensitivity seminars are scheduled for the near future. For more information and reservations, contact the Licensed Dietitians at Hill Nutrition Associates, Inc.  772-220-8058 or www.eatrighthna.com.