Allergist Walsh sympathizes with food allergy patients, for he has food allergies, too. He explains how such allergies function and details how to identify and treat specific problems. Labeling on foods doesn't help all that much, he says, because monosodium glutamate, for instance, hides under several names and processes. Besides MSG, other major culprits are acidic foods, low-calorie sweeteners, and refined sugar. One should always suspect a food allergy as lying at the root of an allergylike problem, he counsels, and food allergies are too often discounted. Age doesn't protect from allergies, and one can become allergic to a food that never before posed any problem. Those who feel they might be allergic shouldn't immediately repair to an allergist, though. Instead, they should go to their primary-care persons, who will presumably look at the whole situation. If it then seems an allergy is possible, find a good allergist by using Walsh's advice. Other features of the helpful book include detailed diets, other practical approaches, and much psychological^B support. William Beatty
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Christopher M. Foley, M.D.
"I wholeheartedly recommend Food Allergies."


Margaret L. Williams, D.C.
"A powerful key to health. Dr. Walsh’s principles have revolutionized my personal health."


Loren C. Stockton, D.C.
"The information in this book demystifies food and chemical allergies and gives patients courage."


Walid A. Mikhail, M.D.
"This book will help many people with symptoms and discomforts they have had for a long time."


Science News, October 14, 2000
Dr. Walsh guides readers through the detection of food allergies and the assessmant of various foods' likliness of triggering food allergies.


Book Info
Author is a fellow of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. Consumer text discusses how different foods cause pain and discomfort and how to identify and avoid foods that cause them. Includes case studies and a diet tailored for adults and children who may be prone to allergies. Softcover.


From the Publisher
Food allergies can be subtle, insidious, and dangerous. Every year millions of people suffer from migraine headaches, persistent coughs, sore throats, eczema, abdominal discomfort, tiredness, and irritability–and don’t realize that their symptoms come from the food they eat. This book–the first comprehensive book on food allergies written by a noted allergist–helps us understand how different foods cause pain and discomfort and tells us how to identify the foods that have been afflicting us–so we can avoid them before the symptoms strike. In Food Allergies, Dr. William Walsh shares his extensive knowledge about the cause of food allergies, which foods and chemicals to avoid, and, ultimately, which foods will help you feel your very best. Filled with dozens of enlightening case studies and engaging writing, this unique guide offers a detailed, easy-to-follow diet tailored for adults and children who may be prone to allergies. It also includes clinically tested plan! s for cooking and advice on how to avoid troublesome foods at the store and when eating out.


About the Author
WILLIAM E. WALSH, M.D., is a consulting allergist with over twenty years of experience in diagnosing and treating food allergies. A former fellow at the Mayo Clinic, a diplomate of the American Board of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, and a fellow of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, Dr. Walsh appears frequently as an allergy specialist on radio and television.


Book Description
"I wholeheartedly recommend Food Allergies."

–Christopher M. Foley, M.D.

"A powerful key to health. Dr. Walsh’s principles have revolutionized my personal health."

–Margaret L. Williams, D.C.

"The information in this book demystifies food and chemical allergies and gives patients courage."

–Loren C. Stockton, D.C.

"This book will help many people with symptoms and discomforts they have had for a long time."

–Walid A. Mikhail, M.D.

Food allergies can be subtle, insidious, and dangerous. Every year millions of people suffer from migraine headaches, persistent coughs, sore throats, eczema, abdominal discomfort, tiredness, and irritability–and don’t realize that their symptoms come from the food they eat. This book–the first comprehensive book on food allergies written by a noted allergist–helps us understand how different foods cause pain and discomfort and tells us how to identify the foods that have been afflicting us–so we can avoid them before the symptoms strike. In Food Allergies, Dr. William Walsh shares his extensive knowledge about the cause of food allergies, which foods and chemicals to avoid, and, ultimately, which foods will help you feel your very best. Filled with dozens of enlightening case studies and engaging writing, this unique guide offers a detailed, easy-to-follow diet tailored for adults and children who may be prone to allergies. It also includes clinically tested plans for cooking and advice on how to avoid troublesome foods at the store and when eating out.

Now it all begins to make sense, May 18, 2002

Reviewer: Erika Mitchell (see more about me) from E. Calais, VT USA

This book is practically an encyclopedia of food allergies written for ordinary people. The author is a physician and allergy specialist with almost 40 years of experience in the field. He describes how in the beginning of his career, he had not been trained to recognize food allergies in his patients, but over the years, he became more and more sensitized to the kinds of symptoms that food allergies can cause. Over time, he noted that many of his patients were allergic to the same common foods, especially what he calls the MALS foods, MSG, acidic foods, low calorie sweeteners, and sugar. The skin tests that are so much relied on for detecting environmental allergies are less informative with food allergies. In response, he has developed a method for identifying food allergies that uses a diet that eliminates common allergy causing foods and then gradually re-introduces them while the patient notes when the symptoms lessen or begin to reoccur. This diet is described in the book, together with possible rotation menus and lists of additional foods that cause problems for some people and may need to be avoided.

If you try to read this book from cover-to-cover, you will find that it is rather repetitive at times, and the organization seems in some places to be more stream-of-consciousness rather than logical. At times the avoidance of technical language or explanations seems almost evasive, and it's amazing how a doctor could write an entire book about allergies without once using the word histamine. Since the book is addressed to general readers, it does not contain in-text references to scientific studies. Nevertheless, the bibliography is replete with such references, adding credence to Walsh's message.

This book confirmed many of the phenomena that I had observed about my own food sensitivities. For example, Walsh explains that allergies are additive, so that's why I can pet a cat so long as it's not hay fever season, or I can drink a small glass of milk now and then, but not a big glass every day. Walsh also suggests that readers should trust their instincts- -if they have a strong feeling that a food is making them sick, there is a good chance that it really is. After reading this book, there is no longer any question in my mind- -food can make you sick, and you can feel a lot better once you figure out what you've been eating that is causing you trouble.