By naturopath Margaret Jasinska

People with food allergy or intolerance already have a hard time keeping away from harmful foods; now there is a new potential threat – traces of antibiotics in foods. This can make it incredibly hard to work out which foods are setting off your symptoms.

An article published in the September issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, reported the case of a 10 year-old girl who had a severe allergic reaction (anaphylactic reaction) to a blueberry pie. The child had a medical history of seasonal allergies and asthma, and known severe allergies to penicillin and cow’s milk. However, she didn’t have any known allergies to the ingredients in the blueberry pie.

After several weeks of testing both the child and the pie, the article authors concluded that a streptomycin-contaminated blueberry was responsible for the reaction. Streptomycin is an antibiotic that’s used in people to fight infections, but it’s also used as a pesticide in fruit, to prevent the growth of bacteria, fungi, and algae.

“As far as we know, this is the first report that links an allergic reaction to fruits treated with antibiotic pesticides,” said allergist Anne Des Roches, MD,FRCP, who is the lead study author.

This is a real concern. Sometimes a patient will have a severe allergic reaction after a meal and subsequent allergy testing cannot identify a culprit. This understandably creates a lot of anxiety about eating out, as you never know what could trigger another allergic reaction.

Anaphylactic reactions can be life threatening if not treated promptly. It’s a good argument for trying to purchase as much organic food as possible. It is also important to remember that you are far less likely to develop allergies in the first place if your gut health and liver health are good.

Modern living doesn’t do your gut any favours. Even if you eat well, the stress hormone cortisol increases gut permeability, causing leaky gut. Deficiency of stomach acid, digestive enzymes and bile increases the risk of bacterial and fungal overgrowth in the gut, as well as malabsorption. If you have a leaky gut and are nutrient deficient, you are far more likely to develop an allergy.

The Dr Cabot 15 Day Cleanse is an easy to follow plan that works on improving liver, gut and immune health. Leaky gut and nutrient deficiencies are addressed and corrected. Doing this cleanse has helped many of my patients restore their health and energy level.

References:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140903091425.htm
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24153250