Have you been feeling bad a lot lately but you don’t know why? It’s possible a food allergy could be responsible for your symptoms. You might think that food allergies are primarily going to cause digestive problems or flu-like symptoms like other allergies, but the problems could be quite diverse and overarching. Here are some symptoms that people often find are linked to a food allergy.
Anxiety and Depression
People who are intolerant or allergic to certain foods often experience a low mood. Not knowing the cause of their depressed mood, it seems that the moods come on without any cause, which can then be diagnosed as clinical depression. The response is typically to medicate with antidepressants, but the depression won’t go away until the food allergy is identified.
On the other hand, some people feel agitated and anxious. They overreact to minor stresses through the day and end up feeling worried about everything and nothing. This can be diagnosed as an anxiety disorder, which, again, is medicated.
Acne Outbreaks
Acne is caused by an immune system response to minor skin infections. Allergic responses are immune system responses to benign items in the body, which can include various food responses. Some people report acne outbreaks as a result of exposure to various food allergens.
Another cause of acne that many people don’t think about is gum disease. Gum disease increases the body’s overall bacterial load and inflammatory response. This can affect all parts of your body, including your skin.
Weight Gain
Another side effect of inflammation is weight gain. Inflammatory proteins interfere with the body’s normal process of energy usage and storage, causing the body to use energy inefficiently and put more in storage, leading to future weight gain.
People with food allergies may also experience prediabetes or be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes because of this interference.
Lack of Mental Clarity
Food intolerances can cause drug-like reactions in the brain. Sometimes this can make you feel really energized and focused, but it can also lead to symptoms of withdrawal. During your withdrawal periods, you might not only feel emotionally depressed, but also find you lack mental clarity. Sometimes the opposite is true, with certain foods causing a narcotic effect on the brain, inducing an unfocused state, and it’s during periods of withdrawal that you feel more focused.
Joint Aches and Pains
Inflammatory immune responses can impact all your joints and muscles, too. In fact, rheumatoid arthritis is an extreme form of this, where inflammation is attacking the joints aggressively. Some food components have been linked with this response in large numbers of people. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is one that’s been linked not only to migraines but also to joint pains.
It’s important to note that the problem could also be TMJ, which can trigger the release of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), which links many forms of chronic pain.
Headaches
And since we’ve mentioned migraines, it’s worth noting that food triggers are among the most commonly reported migraine triggers. Even in people who don’t experience migraines, food allergies can lead to headaches.
If your headaches are accompanied by some of these other symptoms, you should suspect a food allergy.
We Can Help with Food Allergy Testing
We offer the antigen leukocyte antibody test (ALCAT), which can identify foods that cause adverse immune responses in the body. This can help you track down which foods are causing your symptoms and will help you design a custom diet to help relieve your symptoms.
If you want to be tested for food allergies in River Edge, please call (201) 343-4044 for an appointment with a holistic dentist at the River Edge Dental Center for General & Cosmetic Dentistry.
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