Allergy addiction is a curious phenomenon that affects many unsuspecting allergy sufferers. It differs from acute allergic reactions that manifest every time contact is made with a given substance, in that its symptoms manifest when contact is not made with the allergenic substance. And whereas the acutely allergic person feels better on withdrawing from contact with the allergenic substance, the allergy-addicted person feels worse. The complete process of allergy addiction passes through three distinct phases.
Phase 1
Known as the alarm phase, it is not unlike the normal acute allergic reaction every time they make contact with the substances (food, drink, chemical, grass, mould, etc.) that they are allergic to.
Phase 2
This is known as the adaptation phase. Here is where the difference begins. Instead of continuing to react allergically every time they make contact with the allergenic substance the body seems to get used to, or accepts, the substance and stops reacting to it. The body is now addicted to that substance and, in the true addictive way, only displays its symptoms if that food is withheld from it. The withdrawal symptoms of the adaptation phase are the same acute allergy symptoms of the alarm phase. The victims remain symptom free so long as they keep topping up with their specific allergenic (harmful) substance (most often foods, drinks,
By lowering the overall chemical load in this manner and by adhering to a nutritionally sound diet that includes supplementary vitamins and minerals, the immune system will settle down and allergy symptoms will begin to abate.
For some people the greatest source of chemical exposure is to the chemicals their own bodies can produce on a day-to-day basis. Acetaldehyde is a chemical that is closely related to formaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is the major waste product produced by a certain fungus called Candida albicans. Candida albicans lives in the intestines of many allergy sufferers. If our sensitivities to chemicals and the air, water and foods that contain them are to be overcome, any Candida albicans colonies in our gut must be thoroughly contained. Most victims know instinctively when to top up to prevent withdrawals and so go for years without experiencing any noticeable or worrisome symptoms.
Phase 3
This is known as the exhaustion phase. It develops progressively as the body’s adaptive capacity wanes. The time span varies from person to person and can take years—in some cases, many years. This can be a problem for the diagnosing physician as, over time, people tend to forget they ever experienced an alarm phase— especially if they did so as children.
The tiring body is no longer coping as well with the on-going allergenic contact and the victim has to resort to ever-increasing doses over shorter periods of time to keep the withdrawal symptoms at bay. And yet the symptoms continue to appear more and more often and last longer and longer. As time goes by and the powers of adaptation continue to run out, the victim spends more and more lime in the hangover zone as withdrawal symptoms follow closely behind each exposure. For the first time in memory the victim begins to feel noticeably ‘ill’.
The foodaholic is getting up to raid the fridge at night or has chocolate or biscuits beside the bed instead. The ‘cigaholic’ hoards cigarettes in case he or she runs out and the alcoholic is having a drink before breakfast to get rid of the headache he woke up with. By this time, if they’re perceptive enough, allergy addiction victims seek help but don’t usually get well as both they and the doctors believe this is the beginning of the disease and settle for treatment of the many different symptoms with drugs. It’s hard to convince these people that their melange of symptoms is the result of a lifetime’s eating of their favourite food or wearing their favourite perfume (or working in a given office).
Why some people remain acutely allergic all their lives and others become allergy addicted is hard to say. It is possible to have a strong constitution and genetic predisposition to allergy and it is generally felt that those with a stronger constitution (despite being genetically predisposed to allergy) are more inclined to develop allergy addictions. Strong cells are better able to adapt to toxins entering them than tired weaker (undernourished) cells. However, even strong constitutions have their limits, as evidenced when adaptation breaks clown.
*33\18\9*
