Allergy foods

There are currently no common foods that can directly “treat” allergies. The various "anti-allergy foods" we often hear about are at most some ingredients that can help regulate immunity and reduce allergy-related inflammatory reactions. The effects vary greatly among individuals. Many of the "anti-allergy foods" that are so popular are even common allergens. If you eat them wrongly, they will aggravate your symptoms.

Let me tell you a true story. Last spring, I treated a girl who had suffered from hay fever for three years. She posted a short video saying that drinking sophora nectar can "fight poison with poison" to cure allergies. I asked someone to buy two kilograms of pure natural unprocessed sophora nectar from my hometown. I drank two large cups of it every morning and evening. After drinking it for almost two weeks, she sneezed frequently and had a continuous red rash on her arms. It was so itchy that she couldn't sleep all night. When I came to check for allergens, I discovered that she was also allergic to Sophora japonica pollen. The pollen residue in the honey was like a direct target for the immune system. It was just an discomfort in my nose, but after eating it, it turned into a systemic allergic reaction.

Let’s talk about Omega-3 foods that are touted as “allergy killers” by many health advocates, such as salmon, flax seeds, and chia seeds. Currently, the nutrition community has been arguing about whether this stuff can fight allergies for almost ten years. A cohort study said that eating deep-sea fish three times a week for 12 weeks can reduce the frequency of allergic rhinitis by about 20%. There are also double-blind controlled experiments that say the final effect is no different from the control group who took starch capsules. To put it bluntly, it depends on the individual's physical constitution - the prerequisite is that you are not allergic to seafood. If you are allergic to seafood, eating a mouthful of salmon may lead to throat edema and you will go to the emergency room. Talk about anti-allergy is nonsense.

There are also probiotics that have been touted to be amazing. Nowadays, as long as it is a probiotic product, the four words "improve allergies" must be on the promotional page. The actual situation is that currently only a few specific strains (such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Lactobacillus reuteri DSM17938) can slightly improve mild to moderate atopic dermatitis in some infants and young children. When adults take it, most clinical studies show that it is no different from placebo. I met a young man with chronic urticaria before. He bought three kinds of internet-famous probiotics online. After taking them for half a month, the rash did not go away. Instead, he had diarrhea for a week. When I went to check, I found out that the probiotics he bought contained a lot of inulin as a prebiotic. He was intolerant to inulin, so eating it disrupted the intestinal flora and made the immune disorder more serious.

As for the commonly mentioned vitamin C, grape seed extract, and red dates, their effects are even more limited. Taking some vitamin C during an allergic attack can at most relieve a little edema caused by increased blood vessel permeability. If the itching is unbearable and sneezing keeps happening, taking 10 vitamin C tablets will not be as effective as one second-generation antihistamine. Grape seed extract has been hit hard by the IQ tax. The so-called "antioxidant and anti-allergic" ingredients are all the results of in vitro experiments. The amount that can be absorbed into the human body is very small. If it is really useful, allergy departments have already prescribed it to patients, and it is not the turn of Internet celebrity bloggers to bring the goods.

Don’t believe in any “universal anti-allergy recipes”. The most bizarre thing about allergies is individual differences. If someone else eats something that works, you may go straight to the emergency room. Over the years, I have treated people who are allergic to broccoli, people who are allergic to rice, and even extremely rare people who are allergic to room temperature boiled water. There is no one-size-fits-all “anti-allergy food”. If you really want to reduce allergy attacks by adjusting your diet, the first step is always to do a formal allergen screening and mark out the minefields that you must not touch. The rest is just a balanced nutrition, eating more fresh fruits, vegetables, and high-quality fats without allergies. There is no need to buy those ridiculously expensive "anti-allergy foods."

Oh, by the way, if you are sneezing non-stop and the rash on your arm is so itchy that you can't sleep, don't think that eating two bites of salmon will make you feel better. Take the medicine prescribed by the doctor as soon as possible. Dietary adjustment is at best a long-term auxiliary buff. If you really want to treat a disease, you have to see a doctor. Don't get it wrong. If there is someone around you who claims that eating a certain thing can cure allergies, just give this article to him, so as not to make him mess around and suffer.