Other Rare Allergies

The world is becoming more complex by the day, bringing us into contact with more products from around the world  than ever before.  The number of things we are allergic to seems to be on the rise, possibly in lock-step with the exposure to these products.

There are a number of rare allergies and intolerances that most doctors are not aware of; indeed, most people who suffer from the effects of these allergies and intolerances aren't aware themselves that they have them. 

For example, I have an intolerance to citric acid.  Whenever I eat something that contains citric acid, I suffer similar effects to mild anaphylactic shock; shortness of breath, hives, watery eyes with blurred vision, stomach cramps and so on.  These symptoms are most often the result of an increased release of histamine, as your body tries to defend itself against what it considers to be an attack.

I am lucky enough to have found a way of beating my citric acid intolerance, but for many others who are allergic to (or have an intolerance of) other substances, life can be extremely difficult and, in some cases, almost intolerable.

Some other rare allergies/intolerances are:

Metal allergy; some people react negatively to nickel, cobalt and chromate.  Nickel is used in a lot of less expensive jewelry, so it is women who typically show symptoms, rather than men.The symptoms are mostly on the skin, and show themselves as rashes, redness and blotchy patches of skin.  Inflammation can also occur. 

Argyria is a condition where people can become sensitive to silver; it doesn't have to be pure silver either.  Some people who work closely with this metal develop a bluish skin tone which is certainly not very attractive.

Bed bugs; I've suffered this one myself, and I also know somebody who had to deal with it.  Mostly found in hotels, bed bugs can leave you with not only small bites, but these can then lead to raised welts, bumps and hives.  These will be itchy, and though I didn't feel that it threatened my life, it was still extremely uncomfortable, and VERY embarrassing.

Chamomile; I'm glad I'm not allergic to this, because it's my favorite hot drink.  Some people show distinct symptoms of allergic reaction, but this is very rare.  Of course, if more people drank chamomile tea, it might become clearer how sensitive humans are to it.

Alcohol; I'm glad I don't have this one!  This appears to be an inadequacy of the enzyme Dehydrogenase, which is necessary for metabolizing alcohol.

The weirdest one that I've ever heard of is..........EXERCISING.  There are many reports of people developing rashes, blurred vision, and all of the symptoms associated with allergic reactions and over-production of histamine whenever they do strenuous exercise. It goes by other names, such as 'Exercise Urticaria' or 'itchy leg syndrome', and can be brought on by ANY physical exertion.

Whether it's citric acid allergy, metal allergy or your favorite drink, you are probably not alone. 

To find out what MY allergy was took three years, and my advice to you would be to use the internet regularly and type into the search engines what you suspect might be causing your problem, whether it is something you ate, or something touching your skin, or something you are inhaling. 

Keep a simple record of what you eat each day, and note whenever you display some of the symptoms of anaphylactic shock, even if they are very mild. 

Remember that the actual substance that you may be allergic to isn't necessarily one product; most likely it is something that is WITHIN another product, such as citric acid as an additive to food.

By Luke Hawthorne