The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1945-06-27
Your Health
Allergies Due to
OverSensitiveneSs
to Substances
By HERMAN n. BUNDESEN. MD.
BY HERMAN VI. BUNDESEN. NJ. D

BY HERMAN VI. BIZ NDESEN. NJ. u
By HERMAN N. BUNDESEN. MD.
ALLERGY refers to condition
in which an individual is over-sen-
sitive to some food, pollen, dust or
other substance. The substance
may get into the body by being
breathed in, or by being eaten. In
allergy, the patient may have vari-
Gus symptoms, depending upon the
part of the body affected. Common
forms Of allergy consist Of peren-
NAL rhinitis and asthma.
In perennial rhinitis, there is
almost a continuous watery dis
charge from the nose with a great
deal of sneezing. In asthma, there
is wheeling, cough, and the bring
ing up of sputum from the lung.
Treating Allergy
In treating these allergic disor-
iers, an effort is made to find the
substances to which the patient is
sensitive and to eliminate contact
with them. According to Doctor
Herbert J. Rinkel of Kansas City,
Missouri, it is usually not difficult
to discover the substances to
which the patient is sensitive that
get into the body through the air
passages, but it is more difficult to
find foods to which the patient re-
acts. Of course, skin tests are made
to obtain this information, but
these skin tests are not always ac-
curate.
A skin test is carried out by in
jecting a few drops Of extracts Of
the various foods, under the skin,
and noting whether a reaction in
the form Of a red swelling occurs.
Trying Various Foods
Doctor Rinkel has devised sim
plified method for trying various
foods to determine if the person is
sensitive to them. Among the foods
to which the patients react most
frequently are wheat, eggs, milk,
corn. oranges and tomatoes. The
patient may also have suspicious
that some certain foods cause his
difficulty.
Average servings of these sus-
pected foods, according to the plan
of Doctor Rinkel, should be in
cluded regularly in the diet for at
least two weeks. Then they are
avoided completely for a period of
four days. For five hours before
the test, the patient takes no food
or fluid. For four hours preced-
ing the test he takes no medicine
and does not smoke. The food To be
tested is prepared early, without
any seasoning, then an amount
which may be eaten within FIVE
minute period is served TO the pa
tient.
II definite symptoms do not arise
within a hour after eating the
food, the feeding is repeated with
a half portion.
Observed for Symptoms
For one-half hour before the
test, for one hour after the first
feeding and for one-hak hour
after the second, the patient is OBJ
served to see if he has such symp-
toms as sneezing, itching Of the
nose, running of the nose, clearing
of the throat, coughing or Wheel
ing.
At the end Of the thirty-minute
rest period before eating, and at
intervals of twenty, forty and
sixty minutes after eating, the pa
tents pulse rate, breathfsg rate
and blood pressure are recorded.
Blood counts are also made to de-
termine the number of white blood
cells, particularly the number Of
eosinophils present. These eosino-
pills are increased in number in
patients who suffer from allergy.
At the time Of the blood count,
questions are asked concerning
such symptoms as tiredness, head
ache, itching, upset stomach, chill
ing and sweating. All of these
symptoms may be an indication Of
allergic disorders.
1t is perhaps possible that with
this method Of testing foods 10 de-
termine il they are causing al
leroy, offending substances may be
found and eliminated from the
diet.