It seems there is such thing, but it’s rare for corn in particular. In the case of someone who does eat corn and break out in hives or a rash, obvious symptoms, it is quite real. 

I think the nonsense and woo-woo part comes in to play when people who experience “chronic fatigue” announce it is due to a corn allergy that has never been diagnosed by a doctor, just something they read online. Or parents whose children have a serious condition like Autism, starting reading strange “natural healing” books who advise them it is due to a corn or wheat or gluten allergy, and say their children’s behavior will be cured by eliminating allergic foods, or claim their intelligence and grades will improve if they stop giving them milk to drink.

These kids never had a rash, hives, swelling or actual signs of a true allergic reaction. I think it’s sometimes a case of “Moms Gone Overboard.”

Since I’ve posted the thread I had a chance to speak with my pediatrician further regarding the food allergy claims. She said there is a simple blood test that can help to detect food allergies. She also said that dozens and dozens of mothers with perfectly healthy kids demand the test with no reason to, and if there is the slightest result that would normally mean people could still eat the food without any problems, some of these parents immediately put their kids on strict diets eliminating the food altogether.

Jules - 17 April 2009 05:38 AM

I think the nonsense and woo-woo part comes in to play when people who experience “chronic fatigue” announce it is due to a corn allergy that has never been diagnosed by a doctor, just something they read online. Or parents whose children have a serious condition like Autism, starting reading strange “natural healing” books who advise them it is due to a corn or wheat or gluten allergy, and say their children’s behavior will be cured by eliminating allergic foods, or claim their intelligence and grades will improve if they stop giving them milk to drink.

It reminds me of “sick building syndrome”, where an entire family has a wide range of bizarre problems and when they move to a hotel, all of the symptoms vanish.

I read about one family that was only healthy in a hotel.  Even when they moved to a different house they all got sick again.

That is very strange, and sounds psychological in nature. If they had watched that Dateline NBC episode where hotel rooms were scanned with a black-light in the dark, they would know hotels are not especially “healthy” places. 

Of course, there are real allergies.  My first wife was extremely allergic to mushrooms and would react violently, losing the entire contents of her stomach, within an hour even if she didn’t know the food contained mushrooms.  My second wife is mildly allergic to eggplant, since it causes her to get oral irritation, however she enjoys that food so much she takes a couple of anti-histamines, hopes for the best and still eats food containing them.  My daughter is “allergic” to MSG and says she breaks out in hives and get strong oral swelling and reddening if the food contains any of that material.  However, she had no problem using soy sauce on Chinese food.  She made sure there was no MSG in its preparation, but didn’t know (and I didn’t tell her) that soy sauce generates MSG during its fermentation.  I experimented by not removing the MSG in one of my recipes when I made it.  She enjoyed it thoroughly, and had no hive or tongue problem.

Oh, I should add that when I go in for a medical procedure they always ask about my allergies.  I tell them that I’m allergic to penicillin and cats so they shouldn’t give me any medication containing cat.

Occam

Occam is waiting for the penicillin to end it a little quicker! 

Funny story about allergies, my dog went in recently and had allergy test shots (the dog mentioned above, which has been very sick on and off for several months.) I had to bite the bullet and get the tests done to just rule out some recurring health issues. So they sedated him, shaved his side, and gave him 30 or so shots of allergens to see if he was allergic to pollen, mold, dust, etc. Most of the tests showed only mild reactions except for one:

The dog is allergic to CATS! 

Good thing we don’t have a cat. But I thought that was just too funny. Well, at least the tests ruled out other allergies, so now we are 99% sure it WAS the food he was allergic to the last time I switched it. He’ll just have to stay on the expensive allergen free food. He’s old anyhow. I’ll give him whatever he needs. He’s a great little dog.

There is no reason she wouldn’t have a corn allergy. I know several people with corn allergies. It just isn’t as common as the health nut whackos say it is. There is no reason for two people in the same family to have the same allergy. The tendency to be allergic is inherited, not the allergen!