Dear Dr. K.: Please don’t think I’m drunk when I ask this this peculiar question: Is it possible that alcohol makes one allergic to food? It seems that the only time I react to certain foods is if I also have some alcohol. Intoxicated or not, your question is quite apt. Alcohol has been known for some time to be an allergic facilitator. First, alcohol allows quicker absorption of all food. Thus, if you quickly absorb the food, the resultant…
Not all acute reactions after eating seafood are allergic. In fact, there are three common syndromes that are allergy-mimics, but are non-allergic: Scramboid, Ciguatera and Anisakis. Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) is the most common with an estimated half-million people affected yearly. CFP is caused by the ingestion of toxins that invade tropical and subtropical fish, especially in the Pacific and Caribbean. More than 400 species of fish are known to carry this toxic organism. Because of global warming and international…
WDEIA is a newly recognized condition called wheat-dependent, exercise-induced anaphylaxis. Basically, it’s a condition that requires two “hits” to lead to symptoms. The patient must ingest wheat and then partake in aerobic exercise. Wheat by itself or exercise without prior ingestion of wheat does not lead to any symptoms. Put the two together and the individual experiences allergic shock. Omega-5-gliadin seems to be the molecule in wheat that causes the allergic symptoms. Some of the first medical observations of this…
Ever since the Hygiene Hypothesis was proposed in 1989 as the reason for burgeoning allergy in the modern world, more and more research tends to confirm this idea. By way of reminder: The Hygiene Hypothesis posits that modern man is “too clean” and, therefore, his idle immune system looks for “work,” and ends up causing allergic mischief. One of the supporting observations: It seems that if pets are present before a child is born, the child is less likely to…
The recent Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology had an article about statins and asthma. The attention was not just for these drugs’ cholesterol-lowering properties, but also their immune-modulatory and anti-inflammation effects. You might remember that several years ago there was concern for a possibly highly lethal global flu pandemic. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommended stockpiling not only anti-flu medication, but also statins. This is because they can prevent death from an otherwise lethal flu infection thanks…
The Greek Goddess Demeter is said to control fertility of the Earth. It must be for this reason that the ancient Greeks dedicated sneezes to her, in the same fashion that we now say, “God bless you.” However, the ancient Greeks believed that Demeter may have had oracular motives in sending sneezes during discussions of ideas. Maybe she prompted the saying, “not to be sneezed at.”
Patients allergic to honeybee stings should be aware that they have greater likelihood of being allergic to honey than the general populace. There are actually small amounts of venom contained in honey. Also, royal jelly contains a much higher quantity of venom proteins than simple honey.
Cashew nuts are not new to the American diet, but cashew apple is. Cashew trees native to Brazil and the West Indies also grow in Central America, Asia and Africa. People in these countries have long eaten not only the cashew nut, but the apple itself. The cashew apple has a fibrous juicy pulp which can be eaten directly or squeezed to make cashew apple juice – a rich source of vitamin C and antioxidants. This juice is starting to…
Dear Dr. K: I’ve read several articles by you about the immune health benefits of probiotics. In a recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article I read that gut flora could lead to colon cancer. Can you tell me more? Yes I can. You are actually touching on a subject of cutting-edge research. There have been three recent publishings (probably the fodder for the WSJ piece) on this subject: New England Journal of Medicine, Genome Research and Cell Host Microbe. The…
My paternal grandparents had no indoor plumbing. When I visited them as a child I was put in charge of bringing in water for coffee and breakfast oatmeal. I would run to the well and pump hard — with no result. Then I’d remember the priming glass of water kept inside. Pouring it in the pump first always led to bountiful water. The dramatic aspect of priming happens with many vaccines, which is one reason many are given as a…