My ears pop or block as I eat certain foods, anyone else? And anyone get sweaty?

[goonIcantakeit]

Hello,
Does anyone else get ear popping or blockage immediately on eating certain foods?
Suspects include: natural yoghurt, rubbish like children's birthday cakes (these also make me sweat) and oranges.
I have perennial allergic rhinitus so assume my Eustachian tubes are a bit "challenged" by all the allergy events happening near the nose.
With some foods the reaction is almost immediate. With others it takes a few minutes.
Oh, and does anyone else cough when they drink red wine?

Does it matter? It bothers me in that being clogged up always increases my anxiety levels. But other than that, need I do anything? Is everyone going to say eliminate dairy?

Thank you for reading.

I'm CMPI and I get blocked ears all of the time. Not going to say eliminate dairy of course, its your call

My dd has multiple allergies to many things. She has never told me hers block. However, I can tell you if she eats certain fruits she will instantly start franticly itching and rubbing her ears. Even to things she has tested negative too. Some things cause her to immediately get distressed with her ears and it is usually fruits. Her consultant pead believes she may have oral allergy syndrome. She is on meds for her pollen allergy in the summertime. You obviously suspect dairy also but hay fever could explain the problem with the oranges maybe, esp having a pollen allergy as oranges are linked to grass pollen in regards to oral allergy syndrome.

Thank you both.
What is CMPI please?
Oral allergy syndrome sounds like I can guess what it is, but any explanation would be helpful.

CMPI aha, cow's milk.

So, jilted, may I ask how you found out that you had this intolerance? And have you stopped drinking cow's milk? (And do you have hayfever?).

Cows milk protein intolerant?

oops.
red wine makes my nose run, almost instantly.
I have blocked ears frequently too.

Thanks Fram.
What diagnosis do you have please?

Aha, I have googled oral allergy syndrome. I don't get any noticeasble lip/mouth problems...

I think it's an overload of histamine.

I find I can only take so much (so either in allergens such as pollen or from foods/drinks high in histmine).

Sugar certainly sets me off.

If you google high-histamine foods you might be surprised.

Some info here too:

thelowhistaminechef.com/faqs/

I get tickly ears in conjunction with terrible hayfever symptoms. Strange thing is this often comes on suddenly during the night, to such a degree that the tickling in my ears wakes me up so presumably not linked to something I ate?

Red wine makes my nose blocked almost instantly though. I think that's quite a common one.

Dust mites Queen? from bedding? I get those hideously tickly ears too, sadly often after a glass of white wine...

I have none.. hence me hanging around your thread

I understood the wine/nose thing was linked to the finings. Indeed, organic wine (not made with finings) doesnt usually set me off.

I did wonder about dust mites what with our ancient crumbling house being dust central but its seemingly random, happening once a fortnight or so from about April to October. Happens not just at home but in other peoples' less dusty houses too. I'd have thought if dust mites it would happen more often?

Fram, I had a lovely experience of drinking three glasses of a local French red wine three years ago without any symptoms - I wonder if that is to do with what you said? What are finings please? Have you ever been to the doctor? I was so embarrassed last time I went as I felt like a time-waster so I am putting it off.

Queen, re your symptoms, if it's April to October wouldn't that suggest something other than dustmites as they are there in winter too?

Jamais, I'm just off to follow that link.

jamaisjedors,

I followed that link. It's exciting but also scary - I don't think I could just launch into a new diet without seeing a health professional first. What has your approach been? Base it on your own food diary?

By the way, is anyone else able to tolerate Green and Blacks chocolate but experience symptoms with other cheaper chocolate?

The other thing I can't figure out is how much it all matters .... I don't want to become obsessed.

Sorry- have googled. It's sulphites that are not present in organic wine, they're used to stabilise the wine (apparently).

thanks Fram, that excuses me from having to look up finings!

Do you think it's worth me buying some organic wine from the supermarket for a change and glugging it back?

Do you find it's a tricky balance between experimenting with what works and getting faddy?

HI again Goon,

It's difficult. For the chocolate thing, I suspect there is less sugar in G&B chocolate than others?

I don't want to become obsessed either and don't keep a food diary.

For a year or two I totally gave up alcohol and chocolate, because my eczema had got out of control (flared up on my face so I looked burnt).

Then that still wasn't enough and I had to give up running (exercise releases histamine, which is why going for a run and then having a beer was making me bright red the next morning!).

I was upset and low and wondered if I was going to have to do this for the rest of my life.

What I took from that site (and others) was that even if I am not officially "allergic" to certain foods (I had had blood tests which came back negative), that some foods have high levels of histamine, and that my body can only take so much at once.

So I will be pushing it if I have several glasses of wine, and a chocolate dessert (and a late night), whereas I can probably get away with one of those occasionally (I certainly do).

And pizza with beer for example is a big no-no (pizza = yeast + tomato + hard cheeses which = histamine overload) - but I still eat pizza anyway.

I have also started taking high levels of vitamin C (500mg per day) and a quercetin tablet with vit C, both things I got from the site.

But stress also releases histamine, so that is something to address to (not doing that well on that one either).

Stopping the alcohol/running/chocolate for a couple of years, combined with hypnotherapy to stop me scratching, has got me to a place where my skin had a chance to heal.

I still get eczema flare-ups - my hands are bad at the moment because I have been painting, which I know is bad for me, but it's relatively under control.

I haven't put myself on a diet, but I at least feel I now "know" what is going on, so it's no surprise to wake up red in the face or scratching if I overdosed on pizza and wine the night before.

I've stopped taking anti-histamines year-round, I now take them when I know I will need them.

BTW - did you drink the wine when you were on holiday?

My mum said she could never work out why she could drink red wine on holiday but at no other time - again, it's the overload - normally she would be stressed + the histamine, so overload.

My skin also improves inordinately when we are away - I often say I am allergic to our house but I think it's the stress levels!

Orange juice makes me go bright red and sweat, especially if it's made from concentrate, I think because of the oils from the peel. I'm not so bad if I just eat satsuma segments, though I still get flushed.

Alcohol makes me flushed, but not sweaty

My DD had / has CMPI which she has largely grown out of, but still gets eczema.

I've never suffered from hay fever, but in the last year or so I've noticed a very mild rhinitis which seems to be permanently there.

Oh and I get blistery dermatitis and cracking on my fingers when I'm stressed.

I'm sure it's all linked somewhere! I did read somewhere that being of Celtic origin makes you higher risk for CMPI but I don't think there's been any proper studies on it.

Jamais,

Yes, I was on holiday.

What I like about the histamine theory is that it explains all the variations and ties in with the allergies. Have you ever suggested this to your GP? How did they react?

Hi Purply, good to know someone else does the sweating thing! Yes, it does seem it must be linked doesn't it, which is scary because Drs aren't very good at the whole holistic thing. Have you ever told your doctor?

I agree with you about the explanation thing.

I have spent years looking for triggers and allergies etc. and trying to work out why I suddenly flare up.

Now it still happens but it doesn't feel so irrational and I feel more in control iyswim.

I've never mentioned it to my GP, he just hands out cortisone cream. I mentioned it to my dermatologist (along with the hypnotherapy) and he just said, well if it works for you that's good.

I suspected that about the drs.

But you would think there would be lots of guidance on NHSmaterials.