A brain allergy is recognized by a limited, somewhat disputed body of literature as any abnormal reaction to a food or other chemical that causes psychological, emotional, or neurological symptoms. Indeed, allergy symptoms can have far-reaching implications beyond their irritating effects on the nose and gastrointestinal tract. An allergic reaction can affect many emotional and behavioral symptoms, including anxiety, agitation, confusion, depression, palpitations, sweat, lack of focus, and mental slowness, also known as “brain fog.”
“Brain allergies are responses of the brain to food or chemical allergens. An allergic reaction occurs when contact with a substance causes the body’s immune system to overreact and release the chemical histamine into the blood, thereby causing allergic symptoms ranging from mild to severe.”
For example, newer research suggests a connection between brain fog (or brain allergies) and digestive dysfunction. An overwhelming majority of individuals with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) agree that taking offending foods causes mental abnormalities.
A tiny chemical called Zonulin maybe how the brain experiences negative symptoms during a food allergy or other abnormal digestive processes. Increased zonulin levels can open up the spaces between the intestinal lining cells, resulting in a “leaky gut” and increased gut permeability, plus a bunch of immune system warning bells.
Surprisingly, Zonulin can affect the permeability of the blood-brain barrier, a protective mechanism in the brain that stops harmful substances from passing over. Moreover, increased blood-brain barrier permeability could result in a “leaky brain,” with symptoms similar to a brain allergy, including brain fog, impaired focus, and inflammation. As Hippocrates defined it, “all sickness starts in the gut”- evaluating digestive function, nutritional absorption and assimilation, and the immune system’s involvement throughout the digestive process should have been the first steps in treating a brain allergy.
To help reduce the negative cognitive impacts associated with leaky gut and allergies, try the following natural remedies:
- Avoid food allergies and triggers
- Look into molkosan
- Maintain the integrity of the gut wall.
- Reduce histamine levels