Desensitization: have you tried it?

[wmonique2]

Hello y'all!

I was reading an allergy article about a study done in N. Carolina to test children who suffer from egg allergy. The study exposed children who were severely allergic to eggs in a way that is not generally accepted because of the danger that it can pose.

What the researchers did was expose the kids incrementally to the allergen, in small doses and over a period of time increase the exposure to the allergen with bigger doses. It is a form of desensitization, like what's done with vaccines. Or even the premise behind homeopathy. A small amount to get the immune system accustomed to the irritant. The results were very good.

My question here is: Have any of you tried it with foods that are not tolerated? And if so, how did you do it and what were the results? Since we all love being our own guinea pigs, I am certain that someone tried it.

Here's the link if you interested in reading the article itself which I already explained in my Reader's Digest version above
http://news.unchealthcare.org/news/2012 ... gg-allergy


Love,

Monique

[Deb]

Monique, I was very interested in this too. Tex has some info in his book and here is a link to a previous discussion. http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewt ... ht=#127262 I had allergy shots for years and they helped immensely. Hopefully they'll get this figured out. Deb

[tex]

Hi Monique,

Yes, oral desensitization can be used to develop a tolerance for a food to actually prevent clinical symptoms. Unfortunately though, we continue to produce antibodies to those foods in our intestines. The antibodies can't be detected in the blood, (why is why the medical community believes that the oral desensitization techniques are safe and effective), but the antibodies can be detected in stool samples or in intestinal biopsy samples, and according to research, the damage continues to accrue in our intestines.

Here's a reference to verify my point:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21714123

When I was still reacting, I proved to myself that I was casein-sensitive (by eating lactose-free Breyer's ice cream), so I cut all dairy products out of my diet, along with many other foods. After I had been in remission for a year or so, I found that by starting slowly, with small amounts, I could tolerate dairy products. Last December, though, I decided to check it out, once and for all, so I sent a stool sample to EnteroLab, and they confirmed that I was producing anti-casein antibodies. My test result was 24 units, so there is no question that I was producing antibodies, because that result is too high in the positive range to leave any doubt of it's accuracy.

Love,
Tex

[wmonique2]

Hi Tex,

Thanks for your reply and for the NIH link...It's pretty clear that inflammation remains present.

I was wondering when there is no inflammation and there is presence of antibodies, is it necessarily a bad thing in every case? For instance, I know that I produce antibodies for the exogenous insulin I take daily. Don't we produce antibodies for all things that are not endogenous?

Just a thought...

Love,

Monique

[tex]

Monique,

As far as I'm aware, we don't necessarily produce antibodies to every exogenous agent — only to exogenous antigens. But I'm certainly no expert on immune system reactions. So I could be wrong about that.

For example, most people in the general population do not produce antibodies to the alpha gliadin peptide in wheat gluten, but virtually all celiacs do (and so do most of us who have MC).

I'm not familiar with the way that the immune system addresses exogenous insulin, but I would guess that it might be one of those agents that cause everyone to produce antibodies. It's probably a safe bet that anyone who has to use it long term, develops a tolerance for it.

When we receive an inoculation by means of a vaccine to protect us from some given pathogen, the vaccine induces a sensitivity to that pathogen and causes the production of antibodies. Those antibodies fade away, as the reaction matures, (but the antibody level doesn't decrease to zero, at least not for many years, in most cases, because a few antibodies are necessary, to remain on guard at all times for a new "invasion" of that pathogen). Consequently, once we're sensitized, (within practical time limits, of course), any subsequent exposure to that pathogen results in detection by one of those vigilant antibodies, and this triggers the prompt escalation of the production of additional antibodies, which then serve to trigger a massive immune system attack against the pathogen, in order to wipe it out before it can become established in our body. The system works, because the immune system is able to successfully control the infection, and totally destroy the pathogen.

With food sensitivities though, the system doesn't work, because we continue to bombard the digestive system with the pathogen (which in this case is in the form of antigens produced during the digestion of certain foods), so that the "pathogenic attack" goes on endlessly. When an attack never ends, or is repeated on a daily basis, the antibody production continues to increase, so that antibody levels get higher and higher, and the inflammation continues to increase, because the immune system can never complete the job.

The bottom line is that our immune system is working correctly, but it's flummoxed when we continue to expose it to exogenous antigens on a daily basis. Doctors describe this as an autoimmune reaction, because it eventually prompts the immune system to produce antibodies against a natural enzyme in the body. But as I point out in my book, (as part of my theory of the origin of autoimmune disease), all we have to do to stop the reaction is to stop ingesting the exogenous antigens. What could be simpler than that? So how could such a reaction be described as an autoimmune reaction, if it's due to an exogenous antigen? The answer is that obviously it can't legitimately qualify as an autoimmune reaction.

Love,
Tex

[Gabes-Apg]

I have done desensitisation via two methods, via acupuncture and via Bio Impedence (BIA)

The BIA system rates foods, chemicals, various other items etc similar to the MRT system as low, medium and high reactants. it can also do treatments to reduce or minimise the reaction.

For the treatments, some ingredients we had great results, some ingredients we had so/so results and in the case of a few ingredients, one namely being soy, we had no luck at all. Despite 10 desensitisation treatments we could not change the level for Soy
For the ingredients with so/so results, post the treatment we thought it had worked. When I returned for the next appointment it was back at the level prior to the treatment, we did manage to get some of these from medium to low, but it did take some time.

This was a new thing for the practitioner, no other patient had been like this with the BIA. This and some feedback from other practitioners and what was happening to others on the forum was the basis for some posts I did ‘gabe ponderings’ about our immune system. It is like once MC kicks in, the immune system speaks a completely different language in a whole new world! And can not be reprogrammed
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewt ... =pondering


Keep in mind that there is difference between food allergy and food intolerance, and how the body reacts to each of them.


This is my personal opinion, - I think that once we have had chronic symptoms due to MC, the damage is done. This thought is supported by how long it can take for most people to figure out their MC management plan (only about a ¼ get control within 3 – 6 months). People can heal and introduce some foods back into their eating plan, but I believe (and I am happy to be corrected) there is no medication free MC’er eating all the foods they ate before MC was Dx’d.

As we age and the more flares we have, the time to heal can take longer, and likewise the ability to desensitise will reduce.

[wmonique2]

Tex, Gabes,


Thank you so much for your wonderful posts---very informative.

Gabes, I have to do some reading on bio-impedance (Joe mentioned it in one of his posts and I need to get up to speed on that)...



Deb----I read your link, thanks.

Love,

Monique

[Gabes-Apg]

Monique

When Joe did his second trip to Aus, his BIA was an appointment with the same practitioner that i go to.

i dont believe he has had BIA again since then. Finding the BIA was a bit of a flook, i was jealous of PP'ers having access to MRT, and i sought out something similar here in Aus, when i made the appointment i thought that I would get an assessment similar to MRT telling me what are my low, medium and highly reactive food items. I was chuffed when the BIA could also do treatments and desensitatisation.

[Joefnh]

Hi Monique, I was very impressed with the BIA session that I had near Gabes house, since the trip to Oz I have not found a practitioner in my area here that has the equipment or expertise that I experienced in Toowoomba

Of note when I had my first experience with BIA the results said I had a problem with my C5- C6 vertebrae...I stated I was fine, no issues with my c5-c6 vertebrae.....sure enough not 6 months later I was in pain and diagnosed with a bulging disc at that location and in PT

Here are some links that I wrote about that experience or ones that were quite informative with Gabes input about her experiences:


http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewt ... hlight=bia

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewt ... hlight=bia

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewt ... hlight=bia

I hope this helps

[wmonique2]

Gabes, Joe,

Thank you both for the help and the links...I did a cursory search and all I find in BIA is how it measures body fat composition...I am going to read your links which are probably more informative...

Joe, sometimes other countries are more advanced and daring than we are----like in France, doctors frequently recommend homeopathy---you could never get an American doc to do that! They poo-poo anything that is not traditional allopathic medicine.

Regards,

Monique