Can you tell me if this is an allergy or just an intollerance to this season. No one I know has ever heard of an allergy to pepper. I visited an allergist once and he said there was no test for this and practically laughed me out of his office. What advice can you give? -- Dennis, Michigan

First of all, never characterize "some difficulty swallowing and slight breathing restriction" as not life-threatening. Food allergies can cause severe reactions. If you've already experienced these symptoms to a lesser degree when eating a certain food, your body has already warned you that it considers this food an intruder and will do all in it's power to fight it.

As the food continues to invade, your body builds more and more warriors (antibodies) to battle against it. Next time you eat it, your body may launch an all out attack, causing the tissues around your windpipe to swell and cut off your air completely.

For more information, see my article "Why do allergies make me sick?" in the June 2003 issue of National Allergy Supply Newsletter, here.

One of our patients has allergy to black pepper. We were able to test her with RAST. However, the fact that you experience this reaction every time you eat black pepper indicates that you are allergic to black pepper, even if testing is unavailable to you. You should avoid black pepper.

For more about black pepper allergy, see my article: Swelling of the windpipe (trachea)

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