Can I train myself to overcome a food allergy?

amother

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 8:26 am

Did anyone ever have success in overcoming a food allergy? Not talking about intolerance, but an actual allergy.

Is there anything at all to do? I was hoping that as an adult, it would’ve worn off. But it hasn’t.

Jello

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 8:31 am

It depends on the nature of the allergic reaction. If, for example, your mouth itches when you eat plums, you should continue to eat plums whenever you like and it's possible that you will eventually overcome the allergy.
However, you should NEVER EVER do this with foods that spark a severe/anaphylactic reaction. While there are treatments that exist to help overcome these allergies, they should only be done under the treatment and supervision of a very experienced allergist.

amother

Magenta

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 8:33 am

Look into NAET. I know a couple of people who claim to have overcome severe food allergies with this therapy.

Kiwi13

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 8:51 am

Be careful. Some allergies will worsen and generalize to other foods with repeated exposure.

My sister is allergic to apples. She developed the allergy in childhood. It started with itchiness when she ate apples, and nobody thought too much of it. Each exposure became worse (swelling, throat closing) until she was finally prescribed an Epi pen. She also couldn’t eat mangoes anymore, or berries (if I remember correctly), and a few other fruits. Her allergist told her that if she stayed away from the offending foods, then an occasional mixup (such as drinking juice with an apple base by mistake) wouldn’t result in as severe a reaction. But if she continued to expose herself, it would keep getting worse and could lead to anaphylaxis, chas vshalom.

I realize this isn’t the case for all allergies, and there are people who overcome/outgrow allergies. For example, I used to have a skin reaction to olives as a kid/teen, and as an adult I don’t anymore. But it had nothing to do with ME overcoming anything. My body changed as I got older.

There are also people who do “challenge tests” for allergies. When doctors thought my daughter had a severe milk protein allergy as a newborn (ended up being something else, so her case is irrelevant to this discussion), they talked about planning a challenge test for her when she would turn 3 years old. I don’t know if that would be an attempt to cure the allergy or just test if it’s still there though. And like I said, her case is irrelevant because it wasn’t a true allergy even though it looked like one.

My point is, don’t mess with allergies on your own. Talk to a doctor who specializes in allergies. Be under close watch while trying any of this stuff.

amother

Ghostwhite

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 10:05 am

NAET!!!

We did it for my son. We had to stop so we never finished with all my son's food allergies. However, he used to be allergic to eggs (plain and cooked in other foods). He now eats omelets.

We never picked it up again and now that he's older and in yeshiva, it's hard to find time to go. (We also moved to another state and I'm not impressed with the few that practice near me.)

amother

Alyssum

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 11:04 am

My family member did OIT. But you need to do it under a doctor, you can’t just trying alone

amother

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 11:29 am

Are any of these treatments covered by insurance? (US/NY)

amother

Ghostwhite

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 1:14 pm

Quote:

Are any of these treatments covered by insurance? (US/NY)

I tried to get NAET covered by insurance in NY, but we couldn't find any acceptable codes. It's not cheap, but was worth every penny.

amother

Wandflower

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 1:52 pm

I am not the op, but also interested in getting rid of my allergies. Who did you go to for naet treatment in ny and how much did it cost you. You say it was worth every penny. Could you elaborate please?

amother

Dandelion

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 7:49 pm

Do you have an allergist who is experienced with food allergies to consult with? That would be the best and safest place to get information applicable to your personal situation. Hatzlacha rabba.

amother

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 8:21 pm

amother [ Dandelion ] wrote:

Do you have an allergist who is experienced with food allergies to consult with? That would be the best and safest place to get information applicable to your personal situation. Hatzlacha rabba.

I don’t. I simply avoided this food, so I never really had a need for maintenance.

ladYdI

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 8:34 pm

Is this the method that they do in John Hopkins?
I think blimi frank talks a lot about this on chazak hotline

amother

Ghostwhite

Tue, Jul 05 2022, 10:54 pm

amother [ Wandflower ] wrote:

We went to Chris Lorentzen in long Island. It was a bit of a shlep. It was a few years back, but I believe it was 60 a session but the initial consult was more.

My son is anaphalactic to dairy, nuts and peanuts. (Breaks out in hives to touch). He also had egg allergies but not anaphylaxis. We had to stop before finishing treatment, but he can now eat eggs .

My second son has asthma. He was landing in the hospital or put on steroids too often. We decided to try NAET for his asthma. Fast forward 8+ years and he hasn't been in the ER since and only on steroids once for wheezing
when he had the flu. (Yes, he's also on asthma meds and being monitored by a regular doctor.) We only stopped this time because we moved out of state. We couldn't find a new naet provider that had the proper credentials, but bh didn't need it either.

amother

Olive

Thu, Jul 07 2022, 6:18 pm

Has any one tried this by dr shick in highland park?