When your doctor diagnoses an illness as “idiopathic,” they’re basically saying it has no known cause. This makes treatment difficult, as mainstream methods usually involve prescribing pharmaceutical drugs or surgery options. The truth is, every illness has a cause – it just needs to be discovered.
One culprit of chronic symptoms could be immune hypersensitivity or allergies. By identifying potential allergens and eliminating them from your lifestyle, you might be able to alleviate frustrating, chronic symptoms and enjoy better health.
The “Idiopathic” Illness
Typically, when doctors cannot pin down the cause of an illness, they perform various tests and then prescribe medication to treat the symptoms. However, this does not address the root cause of the illness.
When looking for solutions, it’s essential to dig deeper. For example, consider the case of a person with persistent dandruff and rosacea (face rash). By eliminating wheat flour from their diet, they made their “idiopathic” condition disappear.
Identifying Symptoms
Immune hypersensitivity often results in chronic inflammation, which is more subtle than classic allergy symptoms like a runny/stuffy nose, itchy eyes, or sneezing. Chronic inflammation involves pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukins (IL-1, IL-6), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), and others. Symptoms include joint/nerve pain, skin rashes, asthma, headaches, hormone imbalances, stomach acid, intestinal disorders, fatigue, depression or anxiety, and obesity.
It’s essential to examine any intestinal symptoms since food hypersensitivity is related to gut inflammation. Bloating, indigestion, and gas are signs of gut dysbiosis (an imbalance of healthy gut bacteria) and the increasingly common leaky gut syndrome. In this condition, large unwanted proteins seep from food into your bloodstream through the small intestinal wall, causing immune hypersensitivity.
Finding Potential Allergens
When searching for potential allergens, consider everything you inhale, apply to your skin, or ingest. What you consume daily has the most significant impact since food goes directly to your small intestine and is then absorbed into your bloodstream.
An essential first step is to identify possible food sensitivities, which can be hidden triggers for illness. Consider the proportion of your diet made up of processed sugar, trans-fats, processed grains, chemical additives, dyes, and preservatives. All of these items promote chronic inflammation.
Another thing to study is the proportion of fats in your diet from processed seed oils, such as safflower, soy, and sunflower. These oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids and low in omega-3 fatty acids. A high omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is inflammatory. Additionally, fats that are heated intensely turn into trans-fatty acids, which increase heart disease risk.
On the other hand, evaluate the proportion of your diet consisting of fatty fish, nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables. The Mediterranean diet is an excellent example of an anti-inflammation diet. It’s characterized by a high consumption of fresh and cooked vegetables and olive oil and moderate consumption of animal and vegetable protein.
Testing Food Allergies
As you endeavor to identify the cause of chronic symptoms and illnesses, consider undergoing testing for potential food allergies. There are numerous tests available, such as IgG, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and others. It’s essential to work with a healthcare practitioner specialized in allergies and who can provide the appropriate testing.
In the end, the key is to take a proactive approach, discovering potential allergens and eliminating them from your life. By doing so, you could say goodbye to chronic symptoms and welcome renewed health and vitality.
