Dr. Zachary Rubin

There could be issues related to how food is processed and prepared.

There could be a pollutant.

We don't really know, but I can guarantee you it's not one particular issue.

As most complicated chronic diseases are, it's multifactorial.

So what happens, unfortunately, is if you have that abnormal immune response, it can present in a multitude of ways.

It could be mild, it could be severe and potentially life-threatening, and no testing I can offer can determine

The next time you eat something, if you're allergic to it, if it's going to be a mild, moderate, severe, potentially life-threatening situation, it's how the immune system responds to it, what chemicals are being released, where are they being released, and does it trigger a cascade of events towards something called anaphylaxis.

That's a continuum where your immune system, if it leads towards shock, could cause your blood from especially the periphery in your arms and legs to pull out and it causes the blood leaving your vital organs like your heart and your brain.

So in rare instances, if you develop anaphylactic shock, your blood pressure drops, and that can cause a heart attack, stroke, or even death.

It's not common, but you hear about it on the news every so often.

Even if you give epinephrine, which is the first line of treatment, anybody experiencing a severe allergic reaction should carry that with them at all times.

But if you delay use of it or there's potentially some underlying issue going on,

In very rare instances, even with epinephrine use, we've had tragic cases where people have passed away just from eating a food that normally would sustain us, but it actually can cause significant harm to a small group of people.

And that's very hard for people to understand, but that's why we have to take food allergies seriously.

It's quite variable.

I can't predict based off of testing what it is.

Any type of food allergy could be mild where you get itching or a mild rash.

It could be severe vomiting, potentially diarrhea.

It could be wheezing, difficulty breathing, swelling of different parts of the body.

The concerning aspect would be like the tongue or your throat could swell.