IMMUNE POWER DIET: CEREBRAL ALLERGIES

Allergic reactions can also be extremely damaging if they affect the brain. These are the cerebral allergies, which can create devastating emotional results. I have seen food sensitivities in my patients create a wide range of psychological symptoms: lethargy, anxiety, loss of appetite or sex drive, insomnia, incapacitating depression, and hyperactivity.

Severe sensitivities can precipitate crying jags, raging aggressive behavior, slurred speech, or irritability. I would like to know just how many thousands of people find themselves labeled neurotics and psychotics simply because their doctors don't know how to diagnose the subtle food sensitivities that are causing such emotional havoc.

That was what brought Audrey to my office. Audrey was only twenty-three when she and her new husband, Eric, moved to Manhattan. At first, everything had been wonderful. They each enjoyed their new jobs—he as a hospital administrator, she as a buyer for a department store. Their first year had been a whirl of settling into their first apartment, starting new jobs, and making new friends. Their lives were full and busy, but happy.

About a year later, Audrey noticed things starting to change. At first, she felt more tired and cranky than her usual cheery self. Going out at night with friends became more a chore than a joy. She was not quite able to focus on her job—her attention would wander, and she found the quality of her work slipping.

They both decided the time had come for a vacation and went to Mexico for two weeks. But there, things got worse instead of better. "It seemed like I spent the whole time nagging at Eric for every little thing. He'd misplace bus tickets, and I'd explode. He'd take a picture, and I'd get sulky. I spent that whole trip fuming, angry with Eric and with myself. I hated myself for doing it, and I knew I wasn't being much fun, but couldn't stop."

Back in New York, the situation became worse yet. Audrey started having crying fits in the middle of the day at work. She became clinically depressed—she had no energy or real sense of enjoyment or push.

Meanwhile, Eric's job was going well. He'd been promoted and was now directing a whole section of the hospital. Yet because of her erratic moods, Audrey's work suffered, and she saw others get promotions she felt she should have. After four months of this, she had come to the end of her rope.

"I felt everything I'd worked for—my marriage and my job— dissolving. New York was closing in on me."

Her doctor sent her to me for a series of food allergy tests. She seemed a likely candidate for food sensitivity problems. Her fair skin and strawberry blond hair suggested that she might well be allergy-prone, but more importantly, the range of her psychological symptoms—depression, mood swings, behavior disturbances, hopelessness—were the kind of broad symptoms food sensitivities are known to cause. Sure enough, her test reports came back checkered with positive results: wheat, milk, corn, beets, celery, lettuce, citrus fruits, legumes, beef, and shellfish were associated with severe reactions, and weaker sensitivities to a score of other foods were documented.

Audrey went on a special Immune Power Diet, geared to removing her toxic foods and rebuilding her immune system. Within two months, her psychological symptoms had completely disappeared. She was again full of energy, happy, and making up for lost time at work. Her boss had even commented on the change. The happiest was her husband, Eric, who accompanied her on her final office visit. "I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever see again the wonderful, bright person I married," he said. "Thanks for giving her back to me!"

I have seen hundreds of Audreys. All of these patients, once they identify their danger foods and carefully eliminate them from their diet, find their mental state much improved. I hear patients say "I'd forgotten how wonderful it felt to have a restful night's sleep," or "It's been years since I had really let loose and laughed with all my soul."

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