Getting to the Root of the Problem --
Other Factors in Intestinal Health
In addition to nutrition, digestion, and dysbiosis, several other factors can be root causes of or contributors to food allergies. Some substances cause increased intestinal permeability and can compound the problem of “leaky gut” and contribute to food allergies. They include alcoholic beverages, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (aspirin, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, naproxen, prescription arthritis medications, etc.), chemotherapeutic drugs for cancer, radiation therapy to the abdomen, and corticosteroid drugs. There may be times, such as if you have cancer, when you have to take some of these treatments. But “just say no” to using the ones that you have a choice about, such as alcohol and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for pain relief.{1}
Low dose nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are sold without a prescription and without much warning about their side effects. I consider this very unfortunate, as is the sometimes seemingly indiscriminate prescribing of the higher doses and more potent types of these drugs. For anyone with even the possibility of compromised intestinal health, a single dose of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug can increase intestinal permeability tremendously.{2}
Food allergy patients and first degree relatives of people with Crohn’s disease, such as my children, fall into the “possibly compromised” category.{3} (I half-jokingly tell my children that if they ever have an injury or other circumstance that requires a painkiller, they should ask for morphine!) If you need pain relief, try using heat, herbal pain relief remedies, supplements such as DL-phenylalanine, or acupuncture rather than resorting to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
In a study of factors that might cause inflammatory bowel disease in mice, indomethacin, a prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, induced symptoms of Crohn’s disease in normal mice, but not in germ-free mice. The study concluded that some interaction between the indomethacin and intestinal flora produced inflammation.{4} Perhaps the indomethacin caused “leaky gut,” which then allowed the mice to become sensitive to their intestinal flora. The Physician’s Desk Reference warns about the possibility of gastrointestinal bleeding, ulceration, and perforation when using nonsteroidal inflammatory drugs, and reports that one arthritis drug can lead to the development of inflammatory bowel disease.{5} Dr. W. A. Shrader, Jr. says that all nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs cause some degree of mucosal atrophy in the intestine.{6} In my opinion, it is wise to avoid nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to prevent such problems.
Recently, it has come to light that chronic inflammation may be a contributor to food allergies as well as a manifestation of allergies. It also is a contributor to the problem of overweight, and overweight can exacerbate inflammation and allergies. For more information about food allergies, inflammation and weight problems, see the page about inflammation on this website. Also see the website www.foodallergyandglutenfreeweightloss.com.
If people with food allergies avoid harmful substances and address the factors at the root of their problems, such as nutrition, digestion, chronic inflammation and dysbiosis, their allergies CAN be overcome. It may take time and some of the medical treatments discussed in this website, but good health is possible.
Footnotes:
1. Galland, Leo, M.D. “Leaky Gut Syndromes,” p. 62, and Reno, Liz, M.A. and Joanna Devrais, M.A. Allergy Free Eating, Celestial Arts, Berkeley, CA, 1995, pp. 19-20.
2. Galland, Leo, M.D. “Leaky Gut Syndromes,” p. 63.
3. Interview with Leo Galland, M.D., “Leaky Gut – What Is It? What Factors Cause It? What Can Be Done?” Mastering Food Allergies Newsletter, #86, July/August 1995, p. 4.
33. Martin, Peter, “Closing In On the Cause,” IBD Digest, November 1991, p. 12.
5. 1996 Physician’s Desk Reference, pp. 817, 862, 1619, 1681, 2579.
(On p. 1681, it says of indomethacin, “The development of ulcerative colitis and regional ileitis have been reported to occur rarely”).
6. Personal communication from W. A. Shrader, Jr., M.D., April, 1997.
The information on this page is abridged from
The Ultimate Food Allergy Cookbook and Survival Guide ($24.95, eBook $13) © 2007
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