Have you ever eaten something and your tongue reacted immediately? That might be an oral allergy. If it occurs over and over again, it becomes oral allergy syndrome.
It is an allergic reaction mostly affecting the mouth, tongue, lips, and throat. There are other names for this, it is also known as “pollen-food allergy”.
In oral allergy syndrome, the body cross-reacts to certain proteins in foods. The proteins the body reacts to are similar to those found in pollens associated with seasonal allergies and hay fever.
Unlike those conditions, oral allergy is not seasonal because the foods containing those proteins are available all through the year. Oral allergy syndrome is common and it is possible to have it without knowing.
Symptoms of Oral Allergy Syndrome
The symptoms vary and they also change in different stages of life. Mild symptoms of oral allergy syndrome are:
- Swelling of the lips and tongue
- Numb lips
- Nasal congestion and sneezing
- Itching of the tongue, lips, mouth, and even throat
- Itching or tingling in the roof of your mouth
In severe cases, symptoms can include:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Swelling of the throat
- Hives (gotten from peeled, chopped, or grated foods) and asthma (gotten from blended or vaporized foods).
Causes of Oral Allergy Syndrome
Oral allergy syndrome happens when your immune system can’t tell the difference between proteins in food and pollens. The over-reaction of the immune system to proteins causes swelling, itching, and tingling of the mouth, lips, and throat.
This condition mostly affects teenagers and adults but little children can get it too. In most cases, the symptoms/reactions are Mild and they don’t last long.
The symptoms surface immediately after eating and can last up to an hour. However, the reaction can be severe in some people and that case, it is treated like a pollen allergy.
Conventional Way of Handling Oral Allergy Syndrome
Antihistamines and epinephrine are given in cases of severe reactions. Immunotherapy is also carried out. But for now, there isn’t a specific medication to treat oral allergy syndrome.
In rare cases, this can cause anaphylaxis, a life-threatening condition and some of the symptoms are:
- Dizziness
- Diarrhea
- Nausea and vomiting
- Hives
- Tightness in the throat
- Shortness of breath
Effective Ways To Handle Oral Allergy Syndrome Naturally
In naturopathy, we handle thing differently, we try looking for the root cause and fixing it and by doing that, the symptoms or illness goes away.
So the steps to follow while handling this condition and other types of allergies are as follows.
1. Eliminate your triggers
While trying to find out the root cause and fix it, you need to eliminate your trigger foods first and then you can return to them when you heal.
The foods to avoid depend on individuals. However, below are common trigger foods that can cause oral allergy syndrome or worsen it.
The allergies depend, some are allergic to birch and this is the biggest cause of cross-reactions. Potential triggers are:
- Plumbs
- Peppers
- Pears
- Peaches
- Parsnips
- Nectarines
- Kiwi
- Hazelnuts
- Fennel
- Cherries
- Celery
- Coriander
- Carrots
- Apricots
- Apples
- Almonds
Some individuals have an allergy to ragweed and examples are:
- Zucchini
- Sunflower seeds
- Watermelon
- Honeydew
- Cucumber
- Chamomile tea
- Cantaloupe
- Bananas
Some are allergic to grasses and foods to avoid are:
- Watermelon
- Tomatoes
- Peaches
- Oranges
- Honeydew
- Cantaloupe
- Celery
For some people, they are allergic to mugwort and foods to avoid are:
- Sunflower
- Peanuts
- Parsley
- Kiwi
- Fennel
- Coriander
- Celery
- Carrots
- Caraway
- Cabbage
- Broccoli
- Black pepper
- Bell peppers
- Apples
Latex allergy is also a common problem and a lot of people have it. Foods to avoid if you have this type of allergy are:
- Papaya
- Kiwi
- Chestnuts
- Bananas
- Avocados
These are some of the common foods that cause allergies, you should know the ones that cause your allergy and avoid it until you fix the root cause.
2. Heal your gut
This is the first step to take in healing food allergies and other types of allergies. There is a strong link between gut problems and allergies.
In the case of food allergies and oral allergy syndrome, a leaky gut might be the root cause. Almost 80% of all health problems you can think of originate from the gut.
Also, 80% of your immune system is in your gut. So, by healing your gut, you heal a lot of health conditions. Your gut also aids the absorption of nutrients and nutrients help in removing toxins from the body.
It is the duty of the gut to separate good and bad microbes and expel the bad ones. This can’t be done if the gut is not healthy. This sets the stage for all kinds of allergies and their progression.
A leaky gut is a condition in which gut lining is damaged and unwanted substances leak into the bloodstream. These unwanted substances include undigested food particles, toxins, and bacteria.
They enter the bloodstream and circulate through the body. You have to heal your gut to stop allergies and other reactions/complications leaky gut cause.
The right way to heal your gut is to detox by fasting. This should be done at your own strength and under the supervision of a doctor. Correct your diet, remove all unnatural, processed, and excess animal proteins.
Then you increase your intake of anti-inflammatory foods. Eat as many that you don’t react to. Then your focus should be on gut-healing foods.
Gut healing foods are mostly foods rich in probiotics, prebiotics, and fiber. All these heal your gut and improves it functions. Gut healing foods are fermented foods, green leafy veggies, and cultured beverages.
You also have to exercise. This helps expels toxins, especially when you sweat and it also helps with allergies and asthma.
3. Clean your colon
Death starts in the colon, healing starts in the colon. You will find immense recovery from any health condition if you cleanse your colon.
This can be at the hospital or you do yours in the safety of your home using an enema bucket or bag which can be gotten in your local pharmacy.
Sources;
- Oral Allergy Syndrome NCBI
