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How To Rule Out Food Allergies?
Question: Allergy questions: If a person has IgE food allergy blood tests done and the results indicate they do not have any food allergies, is it still somehow possible in some way for them to react allergically to a certain food? What are some basic subsistence foods one can survive on when undergoing elimination diets to assess food allergies? Can one have allergies to antihistamines?
Brief Answer:
about allergies/elimination diets
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,
I have allergies and sensitivities and have gone thru elimination diets and IgE testing myself. So here is some information that I know well clinically and personally:
It is possible to have an allergy even without an elevated IgE titer on RAST testing. It is much less likely however for this to happen. But, one should not negate their real life experience.
If a person hasn't had a lot of exposure to a particular food, then they will not have developed IgE antibodies to the food; so testing the blood of someone who avoids a particular food can show a lower amount of IgE if they have abstained from that food for a long time. Still, if they are allergic, there will be some IgE present.
Foods that tend to be fairly safe are:
chicken
turkey
rice
(fish on rotation - not everyday)
potatoes
most vegetables
berries (except strawberries)
pealed apples and other non-citrus fruits
Canola oil is
It is unlikely to have classical IgE type allergies to antihistamines.
about allergies/elimination diets
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,
I have allergies and sensitivities and have gone thru elimination diets and IgE testing myself. So here is some information that I know well clinically and personally:
It is possible to have an allergy even without an elevated IgE titer on RAST testing. It is much less likely however for this to happen. But, one should not negate their real life experience.
If a person hasn't had a lot of exposure to a particular food, then they will not have developed IgE antibodies to the food; so testing the blood of someone who avoids a particular food can show a lower amount of IgE if they have abstained from that food for a long time. Still, if they are allergic, there will be some IgE present.
Foods that tend to be fairly safe are:
chicken
turkey
rice
(fish on rotation - not everyday)
potatoes
most vegetables
berries (except strawberries)
pealed apples and other non-citrus fruits
Canola oil is
It is unlikely to have classical IgE type allergies to antihistamines.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you very much Dr. XXXXXXX You have helped me before.
I have mast cell activation disorder and can react allergically to pharmaceuticals. If one does have an allergic response to a new antihistamine, would the recourse be to take an additional antihistamine that one is not allergic to, so as to quell the allergic response from the first antihistamine? Also, do you know if one can present with breathing problems from IgG mediated reactions to food or environmental triggers, or are breathing problems only involved in IgE mediated allergies to such?
I have mast cell activation disorder and can react allergically to pharmaceuticals. If one does have an allergic response to a new antihistamine, would the recourse be to take an additional antihistamine that one is not allergic to, so as to quell the allergic response from the first antihistamine? Also, do you know if one can present with breathing problems from IgG mediated reactions to food or environmental triggers, or are breathing problems only involved in IgE mediated allergies to such?
Brief Answer:
Information:
Detailed Answer:
Classic allergic hypersensitivity reactions are IgE mediated.
Mast cell activation disorder can be triggered by allergies but also by things a person is sensitive to without it being an actual allergy. Both trigger the release of inflammatory mediators such as histamine from the mast cells even though one may be an allergy and the other just a trigger.
It is hard to know what you might be reacting to with a particular antihistamine. In any drug formulation, there is the medicine and a host of other things such as binders, things to prolong the action of the medicine, etc. So it is hard to know how to advise here. But if you are reactive, whenever starting a new medicine, take it first in micro doses rather than full or even half the dose, and work your way up.
Breathing problems are only IgE mediated if they are a true allergy. There are many other things that cause airway inflammation such as perfumes, car exhaust, cigarette and other smoke, etc. These are not allergies. But they can cause asthmatic exacerbations just as true allergies to pollen and pet dander can.
Information:
Detailed Answer:
Classic allergic hypersensitivity reactions are IgE mediated.
Mast cell activation disorder can be triggered by allergies but also by things a person is sensitive to without it being an actual allergy. Both trigger the release of inflammatory mediators such as histamine from the mast cells even though one may be an allergy and the other just a trigger.
It is hard to know what you might be reacting to with a particular antihistamine. In any drug formulation, there is the medicine and a host of other things such as binders, things to prolong the action of the medicine, etc. So it is hard to know how to advise here. But if you are reactive, whenever starting a new medicine, take it first in micro doses rather than full or even half the dose, and work your way up.
Breathing problems are only IgE mediated if they are a true allergy. There are many other things that cause airway inflammation such as perfumes, car exhaust, cigarette and other smoke, etc. These are not allergies. But they can cause asthmatic exacerbations just as true allergies to pollen and pet dander can.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you Dr. Berger-Dumbaugh! I seem to allergically even to vegetables. My diet consists mostly of beef, hemp protein powder, olive oil, sunflower seeds, watermelon seeds, coconut oil, ghee, almond butter, and sundry fruits and vegetables, all of the foregoing organic. I just have no idea what I'm allergically reacting to. Are there any superfood type foods one can subsist on temporarily if they ad only one food to eat, say honey for example? Reacting to so much I want to scale down elimination diet to one or a few things if possible and build up.
Brief Answer:
MCAD vs allergies
Detailed Answer:
Please keep in mind mast cell activation disorder is not the same as an allergy. In both cases, histamine may be released, along with other pro-inflammatory subastances, but they differ in the mechanism.
You may not actually be allergic to all of the things you have reacted to.
I have a problem with intermittent prolonged (lasting months) episodes of generalized itching and my allergist suggested it might be mast cell activation disorder, although not much is known yet about this phenomenon. More is known about actual mastocytosis (too many mast cells produced). I mention the problem I've had because when I am having the prolonged episodes of generalized itching, there are many foods that set off my symptoms. Initially I thought these were allergies. But when the overall episodes diminish as they usually do after a few months, I am gradually able to return to eating the things that had set me off during these periods. With MCAD, sometimes strong flavors and spices, citrus, fermented foods (such as tamari) and slightly older oils or flour, can set off symptoms.
Consider checking out, online, "the low histamine chef" website. Don't let all the "don'ts" make you crazy with eliminating things, but I found some help here with recipes.
In terms of foods that generally don't set people off, in XXXXXXX rice would be that food. In parts of Asia, there is more sensitivity to rice, but not in the US.
I hope this helps!
MCAD vs allergies
Detailed Answer:
Please keep in mind mast cell activation disorder is not the same as an allergy. In both cases, histamine may be released, along with other pro-inflammatory subastances, but they differ in the mechanism.
You may not actually be allergic to all of the things you have reacted to.
I have a problem with intermittent prolonged (lasting months) episodes of generalized itching and my allergist suggested it might be mast cell activation disorder, although not much is known yet about this phenomenon. More is known about actual mastocytosis (too many mast cells produced). I mention the problem I've had because when I am having the prolonged episodes of generalized itching, there are many foods that set off my symptoms. Initially I thought these were allergies. But when the overall episodes diminish as they usually do after a few months, I am gradually able to return to eating the things that had set me off during these periods. With MCAD, sometimes strong flavors and spices, citrus, fermented foods (such as tamari) and slightly older oils or flour, can set off symptoms.
Consider checking out, online, "the low histamine chef" website. Don't let all the "don'ts" make you crazy with eliminating things, but I found some help here with recipes.
In terms of foods that generally don't set people off, in XXXXXXX rice would be that food. In parts of Asia, there is more sensitivity to rice, but not in the US.
I hope this helps!
Note: For further information on diet changes to reduce allergy symptoms or to boost your immunity, Ask here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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