by Lisa Fuller

Created on: March 15, 2007   Last Updated: May 20, 2007

Coping with food intolerance and allergies.

Most IBS sufferers will identify with the following, but is the cause really just stress or is it a food intolerance? The symptoms are particularly uncomfortable and can cause severe pain.
The list includes :-
A very bloated stomach.
Abdominal pains that are usually centered around the pelvic area.
Constipation or excessive diarrhoea.

Sweating and a raised temperature.
Occasionally palpitations.
Anxiety and sometimes depression.
Flatulence that can relieve symptoms.
Faintness.
Lack of appetite.
Migraine and other headaches.

Pinpointing the causes of these distressing symptoms can be risky. IBS can occur in people with a tendency to find it hard to deal with stress. For these reason many people suffer in silence for years before seeking medical help. In many cases the cause can be traced to an allergy to certain kinds of food. For some reason it is often the very foods that cause the problem that the sufferer finds almost irresistible.
Food intolerance and allergies is not the same thing, although the symptoms appear to be the same. An allergy can cause a severe reaction that causes obstruction to breathing and in the case of a peanut allergy, even death. Normally though the reaction is less severe. Allergies are caused when the bodies immune system wrongly identifies a substance as a threat to the immune system. It then produces antigens that poison the system.

Food intolerance is painful, debilitating and can last for days, even a week, before the particular food is finally ejected from the body. Unlike IBS, the person can lose weight while still appearing to have a seriously bloated stomach. Our digestive system is a miracle of nature. For each food group there is an enzyme that breaks the food down into a nutritious substance that powers the whole body. In certain individuals this particular enzyme, or a group of enzymes are damaged or even missing. The food passes into the stomach where it lies dormant and prone to bacterial infection because the body cannot pass it through the digestive system. Small wonder then that the stomach bloats and gas is produced. With the body trying to rid itself of this package, it causes pain, sometimes agonizing. Relief can come from a hot water bottle on the stomach and massaging the lower abdomen. Straining the bowels causes piles which only add to the patient's discomfort, in short it's a misery.

How are food intolerance and allergies diagnosed?

With an allergy the sufferer may suddenly become

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