If you are allergic to coffee then you have an Allergies Type 1 is also called contact allergy. The immune system overreacts to the proteins found in the coffee. The immune system products antibodies that are designed to fight off the harmful coffee proteins. The reason the body overacts to certain foods is not clear and more studies are needed.

Most food allergy reactions usually happen within a few minutes to a few hours after drinking coffee. Most mild to moderate reactions last less than a day and can involve a rash on the skin, cramps, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, runny nose, watery eyes, wheezing and coughing.

What is interesting about coffee allergies is that it can also mimic mental disorders by producing a chemical imbalance in the human body. According to Drs McManamy and Schube, caffeine allergies can produce alternating states of delirium and mania, resembling schizophrenia. They maintained that many patients have been erroneously diagnosed with some type of mental illness.

Because of coffees stimulating effects the allergic symptoms are masked. Coffee consumption increases the adrenaline (epinephrine) found in the body. Epinephrine is used to halt allergic reaction and with the combined stimulate effect can product delusions. Some of the byproducts created by the breakdown of adrenaline by the human body can produce the same symptoms of schizophrenia.

A high level of creatine phosphokinase (CPK MM) has been associated with caffeine toxicity. Many studies carried out in the late twentieth century revealed that a high level of CPK MM was found in patients diagnosed with mental disorders, mania, BPD, depression, catatonia and schizophrenia. Many of the studies attributed the elevated CPK MM levels with mental disorders but none of the studies focused on caffeine allergy as a contributing factor.

Most of the recent studies have overlooked caffeine allergy as having any factor in any mental disorders. Bengzon proposed, in the late 1960's that high levels of CPK MM and aldolase might be a contributing factor in explaining schizophrenia. Patients were not put on restrictive diets and the study concentrated on medication and various other factors but failed to include caffeine as a possible factor.

Dr Marshal Mandell of Norwak, Connecticute has found that 92.2 percent of the hospitalized schizophrenic patients were allergic to one or more of the common allergy causing foods; wheat, corn, and milk.

Is being allergic to coffee responsible for a variety of mental problems? It is the option of this author that more studies are needed to determine if Allergies Of Any Type are the cause of or have a contributing factor in mental illness problems. The treating of the symptoms for mental illness instead of finding the cause of mental illness is a great disservice to our mentally ill patients by our medical professionals.

Always consult your doctor before using this information.

This Article is nutritional in nature and is not to be construed as medical advice.