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Jun. 29th, 2007 09:54 amAbout Ellen
descriptions of incredible fatigue, confusion, light-headedness andflushing that accompanied meals – all classic signs of chronic exposureto food allergens, according to clinical ecology.
I always find it interesting when I run across people with descriptions of similar allergy symptoms to my own. I am always thankful that my own symptoms are not anaphylactic, but I know that for people who never knew me when I was consuming corn find it hard to understand exactly how different my life is. Mentioning that my chronic sinus infections went away and that my acne went down to levels I'd never personally experienced gives them some impression of how it impacted me, but this is the real kicker and reason that it's so important that I avoid corn.
Before I eliminated corn, I was moody, always tired, and generally found it very difficult to think. As a result, I would have frequent "no sound moods" which were sometimes due to headaches, but more often because I felt so disconnected and unable to focus that I couldn't block out the smallest annoyance. I always flushed while eating and got "high" from it, though I didn't realize it because it was just how I was. Then as I got older, I couldn't stay awake after eating. College professors just thought I was rude, though they never made much issue w/ me about it because I still performed well. I couldn't do late night study sessions because those would always be accompanied by junk food and despite the sugar coursing through my veins I'd beg for a "nap" and then wouldn't be able to roused.
And then grad school came. Everything that came before, that was child's play. Beyond a sudden appearance of IBS, I was also tired all the time. And depressed like no one's business. And I could never stay awake for the two hours immediately following any meal. That first year was hell. Until I started avoiding corn syrup and found my symptoms better...until they returned (I'd been allergic to corn syrup formulas as an infant). So I added corn starch w/ the same effect. When the symptoms rebounded, I found the corn avoiding forum and began to realize how much my life needed to change. But once it did, it was like I was a new person.
My mood swings went away (Okay, mostly. But trust me, before and after are night and day). My attention returned. And I discovered that not only could I stay up at night, but I was actually a night owl. As much as the food allergy has contributed to giving me a small amount of social anxiety about events involving food, discovering it gave me a new lease on life. I know people think I'm crazy when I advise that they pay attention to how they feel during and after meals if they have chronic health problems that antihistimines ever help with, but from my own experiences, it's worth it. And it's something that very few doctor's ever connect the dots with because it's much simpler to prescribe an anti-depressant than to look for underlying causes. This isn't to say that food allergies or sensitivities are the cause of everything, but it's something to consider.
and for serendipity, I just found a blog that tells me how to make my own vanilla extract. Which is good, because I seem to be having mild reactions to the alcohol in most commercial hgh grade extracts now. As well as grain vinegar . *growls*
descriptions of incredible fatigue, confusion, light-headedness andflushing that accompanied meals – all classic signs of chronic exposureto food allergens, according to clinical ecology.
I always find it interesting when I run across people with descriptions of similar allergy symptoms to my own. I am always thankful that my own symptoms are not anaphylactic, but I know that for people who never knew me when I was consuming corn find it hard to understand exactly how different my life is. Mentioning that my chronic sinus infections went away and that my acne went down to levels I'd never personally experienced gives them some impression of how it impacted me, but this is the real kicker and reason that it's so important that I avoid corn.
Before I eliminated corn, I was moody, always tired, and generally found it very difficult to think. As a result, I would have frequent "no sound moods" which were sometimes due to headaches, but more often because I felt so disconnected and unable to focus that I couldn't block out the smallest annoyance. I always flushed while eating and got "high" from it, though I didn't realize it because it was just how I was. Then as I got older, I couldn't stay awake after eating. College professors just thought I was rude, though they never made much issue w/ me about it because I still performed well. I couldn't do late night study sessions because those would always be accompanied by junk food and despite the sugar coursing through my veins I'd beg for a "nap" and then wouldn't be able to roused.
And then grad school came. Everything that came before, that was child's play. Beyond a sudden appearance of IBS, I was also tired all the time. And depressed like no one's business. And I could never stay awake for the two hours immediately following any meal. That first year was hell. Until I started avoiding corn syrup and found my symptoms better...until they returned (I'd been allergic to corn syrup formulas as an infant). So I added corn starch w/ the same effect. When the symptoms rebounded, I found the corn avoiding forum and began to realize how much my life needed to change. But once it did, it was like I was a new person.
My mood swings went away (Okay, mostly. But trust me, before and after are night and day). My attention returned. And I discovered that not only could I stay up at night, but I was actually a night owl. As much as the food allergy has contributed to giving me a small amount of social anxiety about events involving food, discovering it gave me a new lease on life. I know people think I'm crazy when I advise that they pay attention to how they feel during and after meals if they have chronic health problems that antihistimines ever help with, but from my own experiences, it's worth it. And it's something that very few doctor's ever connect the dots with because it's much simpler to prescribe an anti-depressant than to look for underlying causes. This isn't to say that food allergies or sensitivities are the cause of everything, but it's something to consider.
and for serendipity, I just found a blog that tells me how to make my own vanilla extract. Which is good, because I seem to be having mild reactions to the alcohol in most commercial hgh grade extracts now. As well as grain vinegar . *growls*
