Food Allergies: Not So Fast
For decades I went through life believing I was allergic to Novocain, a common local anesthesia. As a result, I never was numbed when I had cavities filled or even an episiotomy during childbirth. (And epidurals? Forget it!) All because when I was 5 I fell off a see-saw and was knocked out. I remember the fall and next coming to as a doctor was stitching up my forehead.
I was told my heart rate wasn't right after the injection and shouldn't take Novocain. That was in the 1960s, and I stuck with that story through a lot of painful procedures. Then this summer I went to a new dental practice for my first crown. Instead of taking my word, they conducted an allergy test because the formula had changed and - lo and behold - I wasn't allergic anymore. I now wonder if I ever was.
This got me thinking about the sudden surge in food allergies and this article I read earlier in our local newspaper. It seems to buck against evolution that we're becoming less tolerant of our environment. Unless, of course, a lot of us are conning ourselves into thinking we're allergic when, in fact, we're not. Why, suddenly, is everyone afraid to eat gluten? If you truly have celiac disease, you know it. If you get indigestion after eating bread, you aren't necessarily sick.
You can trick yourself into becoming hypersensitive to a food group. People with eating disorders often do this to justify their overly restrictive diet. I recall one actress outlining all the things she couldn't eat - eggs, dairy, gluten, meat, soy - on a competitive cooking show. As guests gathered at the table, her mother commented with some suspicion that she never had all of these food allergies when she lived at home.
Our eating habits change with age and new lifestyles. And we do sometimes develop food intolerances as we age, lactose being a common one. Just remember: a healthy body can handle a lot; an unhealthy mind cannot.
I was told my heart rate wasn't right after the injection and shouldn't take Novocain. That was in the 1960s, and I stuck with that story through a lot of painful procedures. Then this summer I went to a new dental practice for my first crown. Instead of taking my word, they conducted an allergy test because the formula had changed and - lo and behold - I wasn't allergic anymore. I now wonder if I ever was.
This got me thinking about the sudden surge in food allergies and this article I read earlier in our local newspaper. It seems to buck against evolution that we're becoming less tolerant of our environment. Unless, of course, a lot of us are conning ourselves into thinking we're allergic when, in fact, we're not. Why, suddenly, is everyone afraid to eat gluten? If you truly have celiac disease, you know it. If you get indigestion after eating bread, you aren't necessarily sick.
You can trick yourself into becoming hypersensitive to a food group. People with eating disorders often do this to justify their overly restrictive diet. I recall one actress outlining all the things she couldn't eat - eggs, dairy, gluten, meat, soy - on a competitive cooking show. As guests gathered at the table, her mother commented with some suspicion that she never had all of these food allergies when she lived at home.
Our eating habits change with age and new lifestyles. And we do sometimes develop food intolerances as we age, lactose being a common one. Just remember: a healthy body can handle a lot; an unhealthy mind cannot.
