[Sca-cooks] OT? allergies

[Kirsten Houseknecht]

you know you can go into anaphylaxis without it being an "allergy"?

i am "allergic" to cigarette smoke..... i go into anaphylactic shock from
it.. and carry an epi pen.
BUT
by precise technicality it is a "chemical sensitivity" not an allergy. since
it doesnt involve a protein molecule (that we know of).. it does cause an
overwhelming histamine reaction. and it can kill me.

most folks, however... hear "sensitivity" and figure i am a crybaby.. so i
say "allergy" and they understand me (even if they dont always believe me).
while the term allergy is technically incorrect. it is *colloquially*
understood........

i am "allergic" to garlic, but the precise nature of my reaction has never
been fully tested. except that if i touch garlic juice or raw bulbs with my
bare hands i get a chemical -like burn....

<sigh>
i would be perfectly happy to use specific terminology, but so many people
don't understand it........

my pet peeve is people who sneak allergens into your food because "you cant
really be allergic".... nearly killed a friend of mine with a peanut
allergy.
or the folks who claim no one is allergic to food they like....
(for the record, a friend of mine developed life threatening allergies to
chocolate. which she adores)

i suppose its one of the things that got me more into cooking........
Kirsten
kirsten at fabricdragon.com
http://www.fabricdragon.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Phlip" >
> Welcome to Cook's List ;-)
>
> An actual allergy to garlic is unusual, althougfh it's quite possible,
just
> as allergies to any protein are- usually, as I said, it's a reaction to
the
> one mildly poisonous chemical in the little sprouts.
>
> Since you're new to the List, you're likely not aware of all the
discussions
> we've had about allergies and allergic reactions- there are a fair number
of
> people out there that use the word when there's actually something else
> going on, or who cry "allergy" when actually, they just don't like
> something, and I've been trying, off and on, to make sure people
understand
> the difference.
>