Environmental Allergies, Food Allergies, and Asthma

My experience with food allergies and asthma has been going on since I was an infant. I had many symptoms of ear infections, chest infections, colds, stuffy nose, headaches, sinus infections, nausea, flushing, tingling lips, vomiting after certain foods, fatigue, sneezing, coughing, and blood pressure drops. I would often be up running around acting like I had a ton of energy when really it was the environmental and food allergies my body was constantly fighting that made me feel jittery and unable to relax or calm down. I often couldn’t concentrate and was even labeled as having a learning disability in school because my brain was always in a fog. I not only couldn’t think straight to grasp things in school, I often had a negative look on life and didn’t understand until the past few years, that the negative outlook was due to how I was feeling physically. My body was so stimulated by allergies I was jumpy and experienced anxiety often. Through years of not knowing what was causing my symptoms, my body grew tired and I developed adrenal fatigue. The adrenal glands not only help you handle stressful situations, but they also help with fighting allergies, regulating blood sugar, producing hormones your body needs, among other many functions.

In 2006 and 2007, after years of my health declining to the point doctors thought I was a candidate for the mental ward at my local hospital, my doctors and I finally discovered the bulk of my problem: environmental and multiple severe food allergies, asthma and adrenal fatigue. Below are the list of things I am allergic to so far:

0 = no reaction

1 = slight reaction

2 = slight to moderate reaction

3 = moderate reaction

4 = marked reaction

* = reaction was higher than a 4

(this is the most severe)

Mold – Alternaria – 3

Mold – Penicillium – 4

Mold – Hormodendrom – 2

Mold – Aspergillis – 3

Grass – 2

Corn – 3

Weed – English Plantain – 3

Weed – Lamb’s Quarters – 3

Weed – Pigweed – 3

Weed – Ragweed – 3

Weed – Cotton Weed – 3

Animals – Cat – 3

Animals – Feathers – 3

Trees – Oak – 2

Trees – Willow Pollen – *

Trees – Ash – 3

Trees – Pine 4

Food – Milk – 3

Food – Wheat – 2

Food – Tomato – 2

Food – Peanuts – 2

Food – Pecans – 2

Food – Shrimp – 3

Dust – 4

Dust mites – 3

Food – Banana = *

Food – Tuna Fish =4

Food – Flounder = *

Food – Clam = *

Food – Almond = *

Food – Strawberry = 3

Food – Melon = *

Food – Sunflower Seeds = *

Food – Garlic = *

Food – Black Pepper = *

Food – Soy = * (Wasn’t allergic to this at last test, but since I started to consume more amounts of it in the form of milk, cheese

and yogurt, my body began to react to it. Allergist said this happens but that it is rare to develop such a severe allergy in only four months.)

Food – Peas = 4

Food – Beef = 2

Food – Pork = 4

Food – Mushrooms = 4

So my diet is very limited. No soy, no peanuts/tree nuts, no shellfish, no whitefish, no dairy, no wheat/gluten, etc. Through testing I’ve done on my own by trying foods and recording the reaction I have, I have found I am also allergic to pineapple and zucchini which cross-react to ragweed pollen as well as does milk thistle. I cannot handle licorice, carob or green beans and all three are in the legume family with soy and peanuts. I am finding there are basically families of foods I cannot tolerate and have many severe reactions to. I am also severely allergic to raspberries which caused anaphylaxis.

My only safe foods so far are:

Turkey, chicken, buffalo, lamb, goat milk, goat cheese, goat butter, potatoes, spinach, onions, bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, squash (butternut, acorn, spaghetti, hubbard), cocoa, olive and canola oils, non-iodized salt (iodized has dextrose in it which is corn and I am allergic to it), artichokes, beets, asparagus, rice, quinoa, amaranth, flax seed, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, apples, oranges, apricots, peaches, pears, celery, stevia, agave nectar, real maple syrup (no artificial stuff as it has corn syrup in it), molasses, vinegars (apple, rice, red wine, balsamic. No white vinegar which can come from corn or wheat.), some herbs (parsley, dill weed, cilantro, bay leaf, chives, fennel), some spices (paprika, cloves, all spice, ginger, cinnamon), gluten-free flours (tapioca, potato, rice, buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa).

That’s about all I can think of for now. The only thing is with the above list, I must take out anything high in carbs like fruits, grains, and flours except in very small amounts. I must do this because adrenal fatigue puts limits on how my body can handle sugars and carbs. I have to stay at about 30 grams of carbs a day or less. Any higher and I feel sick to my stomach, get very emotional for no reason and become breathless.

For medication for allergies and asthma as of right now I am on a nebulizer with Albuterol, Claritin and Benadryl if I need it for more severe reactions. I don’t use an inhaler anymore because there is ethanol in it which comes from corn. The ethanol makes me sick and I run the risk of making my asthma worse if I use the inhaler.

So that is about it for my experience with food allergies. It is the very short run down version. I have journals full of individual experiences but I will not put them up here. The entries would be an overload of information I think.

I welcome comments or questions from anyone who has them. Best of luck to you and yours if you suffer allergies and/or asthma. I hope you find the relief you need.

Sincerely,

K.J.