Do you suffer from allergies or intolerances but have not been able to find a solution? Perhaps it's time to consider the role your emotions play in creating hypersensitivities.

It's springtime! While this signals flowers in bloom, the smell of mown grass and warmer weather, it can also mean the onset of allergies. In Australia the frequency of allergic disease has roughly doubled in the last couple of decades and it is now estimated that at least one in three Australians will be affected by allergies at some time in their lives.(1)

An allergy is basically a condition of hypersensitivity to a substance (allergen) which might be considered harmless to most people. The immune system reacts (or overreacts) to a substance, causing inflammation symptoms. This condition of hypersensitivity can be caused by many things such as the toxicity or acidity of the body, poor liver or kidney function, parasitic or fungal infections, hormonal imbalance and so on. But often overlooked is the role which emotions may play in creating hypersensitivities.

At first this concept may seem quite far-fetched, but when you consider that stress is a common cause of numerous bodily reactions, it makes perfect sense. An allergy or allergic reaction may quite simply be due to a basic Pavlovian response. The body learns by association and when you experience strong emotions during a time of stress, your body may create an association with any substance you come in to contact with during this time.

This emotional connection can be explained by science in the field of Psychoneuroimmunology, which is the study of the interaction between psychological processes and the nervous and immune systems of the human body. Dr Richard Ader conducted the first study of how the body can be conditioned to associate to external events with the foods ingested during those events.

Initially Ader gave mice an immune-suppressant drug in a saccharin solution. Then he began giving the mice the same saccharine solution without the drug. What he observed was that the saccharine alone was enough to decrease their immune system function. The mice had quickly associated the taste of saccharine to simultaneous immune suppression. (2)

This explains why the human body may create negative associations, if it experiences a trauma and this trauma is linked to a particular food, smell or substance, the body may remember to react as if in trauma when exposed to the food, smell or substance in the future - it has been conditioned through a strong association. What also needs to be taken into account is that this can mean emotional trauma.

This is exemplified by a client who had suffered from severe wheat intolerance from the age of fifteen. Her ‘association' related to being bullied while working in a bakery at the time when the allergy started. This meant wheat was triggering a fear response in her body - it was reacting with the same emotions she felt at this traumatic time. Once the client's body learned that it no longer needed to go on high alert when exposed to wheat, the intolerance cleared up.

All illness is basically a state of dis-ease in the body. Something has upset the body's balance and symptoms result as the body attempts to re-establish this balance. Your body is always doing its best to maintain balance and protect you - this is why it creates these signals. It's actually pretty clever. I'm sure you can think of a particular food or alcoholic drink that makes your stomach churn - this is because you have had a ‘bad' experience with it once before. Your stomach churning is the body's protective and guiding intelligence at work; it's saying "Don't go there again!

Remember what happened last time?!"

Emotions are critical to the body's encoding system in playing this protective role because ultimately it is how you feel about something which causes you to be attracted to it or wish to avoid it. Perhaps you can recall a party food such as chocolate crackles. Unless you once ate too many and threw up all over your best friend, you probably have a warm, fuzzy feeling of fun and happiness when you think about them - it's not necessarily the taste of the food but the emotions associated with the taste that enable you to think of them fondly.

The bottom line is that your emotions, particularly when linked to trauma or stress, play a critical role in managing your body and maintaining its healthy balance - you might want to consider this the next time you choose a topic of dinner-table conversation!

Sources:
(1) Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy http://www.allergy.org.au/
(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoneuroimmunology

Belinda Morris is a Registered Kinesiologist, Mind Detox Practitioner and founder of Well Mind, Well Body. She is passionate about assisting people in using their mind-body connection to become energised and empowered to realise their full potential. For more information refer to www.wimwib.com or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it