Depressed All The Time? Could Food Allergies Be Your Problem? - By: Al Jeffries

Hundreds of thousands of people in the United States. alone are on a variety of medicines and treatments for depression and anxiety symptoms. If you happen to fall into this category, have you ever thought of being tested to see if you are allergic to any types of food?

For many people, it is worth asking the question. Looking through the scientific literature, it has long been recognized that food allergy can impact moods, mental states, and so on - hardly ever does a doctor prescribe a food allergy test for someone suffering from depression.

If you have been diagnosed as having depression, and your doctor has never given you a food allergy test, it may be time to take things into your own hands. You can schedule your own test. There are many reputable organizations that can give you the test and, in general, they are inexpensive.

One of the earliest studies showing the relationship between food allergies and mood states was performed by Dr. Joseph Egger in the mid 1980's. The study took place at the University of Munich in Germany and involved thirty patients who had a history of anxiety and depression. The test was a double blind, placebo controlled test so that no patient was sure of what they were being given to eat at various times.

First, each of the participants were given a test to determine which foods they were allergic to. And then, once the test began, they were given either small quantities of foods that they were allergic to or placebos. But they never knew what they were being given. The outcome of the test was eye-opening to say the least.

It would be an understatement to say that the results were astounding. The study clearly showed that, in most cases, the allergens alone were enough to induce feelings of depression and anxiety. And even though most of the foods that the people in the study were allergic to where wheat, milk, sugar, and eggs - the result would no doubt be similar to those who are allergic to other foods. The common term coined for these types of allergies are brain allergies.

Other studies since then have shown that many people are allergic to many of the preservatives that are put into modern processed foods. It doesn't take much of a leap to notice the startling increases in the number of people suffering from all sorts of mental problems to make the link between these problems and the food choices that we make.

In reality, even though it is easy to find out, very few people today have any idea of what foods they are allergic to. And, if you are suffering from any type of mental problems, your doctor or psychiatrist should ultimately be the person whom you listen to. But, you have to take some responsibility for your health as well. And a start would be to at least pinpoint your own food allergies to determine if going on an allergy free diet could also improve your mental health.

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