Histamine or Immune Response?

So how do you know if you’re having an allergy or intolerance to something? There are two reactions and we’re all familiar with the obvious one where you itch and swell and sneeze and sometimes have an anaphylactic response. That’s an immediate histamine reaction (IgE antibodies) that can be controlled with antihistamines or a steroid injection.

The other, more subtle allergy is an IgG immune response (food, nickel) where your body will release antibodies to an invader over the course of several days. These can show up as headaches, rashes, nausea, hyperactivity or anxiousness, swollen joints and fluid retention, intestinal disorders, and sometimes even seizures. They are hard to detect because they’re not obvious and require a lot of trial and error. I have found in doing research that these kind of sensitivities seem to be a clue to the early stages of an autoimmune deficiency.

I have done several food sensitivity tests, but in my experience, I can be intolerant to a food for a day or a month, stay away from it, and then be able to eat it again in moderation. And most results have shown that I am allergic to everything I am currently eating, like lettuce, because it’s in my blood serum. One test result said I’m not allergic to nuts. If I had believed the test and ate nuts, I could have died. So, I personally don’t trust the tests anymore. I listen to my body and use muscle testing as a guide (I’ll explain that later).

One of my experiences with food sensitivities that came out of nowhere and went away was with corn and turkey. The day of my husband Ken’s funeral, I had a light luncheon for all who attended, which included a sandwich platter and seven-layer dip with corn chips. I was able to choke down some turkey and a few corn chips. My immune system associated those two items with the severe anguish that my adrenal system was trying to handle and said to my body, “This is bad — we don’t want you here.” I could finally eat those two things again about six months later.

When my immune system is strong, I have a little more freedom with what I eat, but when I’m stressed or feeling low, I have to be careful.

As for jewelry, white gold can be made with palladium instead of nickel. It’s about the same price and keeps its shine better. Platinum and nickel-free sterling silver are also good choices.

To start a nickel-free kitchen, you will find a wide variety of nickel-free flatware online. Stainless will have a number stamped on it like 18/8. That means its 18% chromium, 8% nickel. Nickel-free is 18/0. It’s not as durable, but it’s a safer choice and it’s inexpensive so you can change it up every couple of years.

I find my ceramic pans at the TJ MAXX group of stores.  I haven’t found ceramic baking sheets yet so I always use parchment to line them. I won’t use Teflon or any pans (ceramic or otherwise) made in China due to possible lead and other additives. My ceramic pans are all made in Italy, Germany, or the Netherlands. You can also use aluminum or cast iron, but I try to eliminate any metal leaching into my food.

There are nickel testing kits on nickelfreelife.com, nickefree.com, or amazon.com that are easy to use. If an item contains nickel, the cotton swab turns pink. It’s as simple as that.

Once the dental implant process was over I was sure I could rebuild my system and get back to a normal life. Little did I know, the nickel allergy was just a pebble in a heap of gravel, and things would get much worse before they would get better.

Stay tuned…the Mysterious Link will shake your beliefs and maybe save a life.

