Physiological effects of starvation interpreted as food allergy

I agree, first of all, with Walker’s comments. Let me add as a mental health professional who, for about 25 years, has sought to eliminate adverse food reactions that appeared related to emotional and behavioral symptoms, that these problems are turned on and off when the offending foods are introduced or removed.

Some people will react not only to a specific food, but to all foods within a food family. One of the best known is the nightshade family: white potatoes, red and green peppers, tomatoes, pimiento, cayenne, egg plant, and tobacco. If one is allergic to corn, one will also react to whiskey made from corn mash, even though the chemist can find no trace of corn in the alcohol.. One will also react to soft drinks, which are mostly sweetened with corn syrup. Corn syrup is also about 28% of most ketchups, in much inexpensive ice cream, in most inexpensive salad dressings, and pancake syrups. If one is allergic to white potatoes, you will react to vodka. While most allopathic allergists will agree with this, almost no mental health professionals, be they psychologists, psychiatrists, or social workers, will even consider the possibilities. Since adverse food reactions, as opposed to what are accepted as food allergies do not seem to stimulate the IgE antibody, the reaction is too often dismissed as a stress reaction or a symptom requiring medication. In such cases, only the matching of foods with a host of symptoms, such as hyperactivity, attention deficit, learning problems, concentration, emotional outburst, itching, crying, loss of writing or drawing skills, headache, depression, tension, bed wetting, etc., provides clues to food sensitivities. The more useless the foods one eats (food artifacts or food fractions--foods with natural components removed artificially), the less potentially healthy food is eaten. What is eaten is unlikely to provide the essential nutrient chemicals and the body becomes less able to handle stress and can become more prone to hyperactivity and associated behaviors.

The old saying, "The proof of the puddin’ is in the eatin’," fits this situation exactly. During the past 25 years, when I have recommended the dropping of certain apparently related foods, the above note symptoms tended to disappear, without the need for drugs or very much psychotherapy. Many children have been ale to stop methylphenidate for their Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and many adults and children have been able to drop antidepressants and tranquilizers. I have even seen some success with those diagnosed as schizophrenic.

In the United States the most useless food is also the staple of the diet—white flour products. I have yet to work with a mental health patient who could tolerate it and, when switched to whole grain substitutes (bread, pasta, buns, and pretzels, among others), their symptoms tended to abate. Some children had to drop cow’s milk, although their pediatricians never considered it, and their behavior problems stopped.

I fear this article will give the wrong impression and convince well-meaning physicians that their patients are always barking up the wrong tree and that only drugs can help.