Can a food allergy cause muscle pain, muscle spasms, joint pain, bursitis, lack of energy, water retention, and disturbed sleep? How about numbness and tingling in the hands?
Case Study: A 51 Year-Old Male.
The patient is a 51-year-old male, with a fairly clean medical history. The patient does not take any medications, either prescription or over-the-counter. The patient is in excellent physical condition. He has participated in athletics over his life, which included bicycling, weightlifting, springboard diving, running, swimming, gymnastics, tennis, kayaking, among a few other sports. The patient’s diet is well varied, comprising lean meats, fruits, low fat cheese, yogurt, vegetables, and unrefined grains. The patient generally avoided carbonated beverages, refined sugar, and fried foods. Once a week, however, on Friday, he would indulge in Pizza for dinner. From August to December 2008, the patient reported he had four cases of food poisoning, from eating in local restaurants.
Approximately six to nine months ago, the patient began to develop shoulder pain. The bursae and tendons in the shoulder region were found to be inflamed. Hip and knee pain followed about a month later. Muscle spasms developed, which the patient attributed to a heavy work schedule. Occasional numbness and tingling in the hands began to worsen over time. The patient noticed energy levels began to decrease significantly, for which no reason could be identified. Mild water weight gain was noticed, worse at some times than others. The patient obtained chiropractic care and massage therapy, with only marginal results.
Based upon the complete patient history, an IgG4 ELISA food allergy test was ordered. The actual lab report can be found at the end of this article. The test revealed a severe reaction to casein, a protein found in milk, cheese, yogurt, and other dairy products. In fact, the reaction to casein was so severe, it was literally off the scale. Several mild food allergies were noted, which included many foods the patient has just started eating in the last few months. These mild food allergies most likely followed the four cases of food poisoning. After obtaining the lab report, further questioning of the patient revealed that he began eating the Friday night pizza dinner about a year ago.
The recommendation was given to the patient to avoid all reactive foods found in the lab results. Foods containing casein, such as dairy products, yogurt and cheese, must be completely eliminated from the diet. A free-form amino acid supplement was recommended, to speed the healing of the digestive tract lining. Probiotics were also recommended, in order to restore the microbial flora which was undoubtably disrupted by the four recent cases of food poisoning.
After three days, the patient lost 3 pounds, attributed to water weight loss. In only two weeks, the shoulder pain is reported to be 90 percent better. The numbness and tingling in the hands is completely gone. Hip and knee pain are completely absent. The patient is sleeping much better, and energy levels have increased significantly.
Three common signs of an IgG food allergy are 1) joint and muscle pain, 2) fatigue or lack of energy, and 3) water retention. These symptoms are often overlooked or ignored for a long time, until they begin to interfere with daily life. Food allergies are often mis-diagnosed as Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or written off as “just the normal aches and pains of life.” The truth is that an IgG food allergy causes systemic inflammation. In this case study, every symptom the patient experienced was a result of inflammation. Once the cause is found, as in the above case study, any symptoms related to the cause can be expected to resolve.
This case study represents a real life application of discovering the cause of a disease, rather than just covering up the symptoms. The protocol followed is outlined in the book book Why Am I Sick? And What To Do About It , available on Amazon today.
Below is the lab report for the IgG4 food allergy test. You may have to use your browser magnifier to clearly see the results. Note the antibody levels reactive to casein of >2000. Casein must be avoided, in this particular case, for at least a year, and cannot be reintroduced into the diet without retesting. The mild food allergies, in this case, most likely followed the 4 cases of food poisioning, The mild allergies are expected to resolve quickly, and are not too much of a concern.
