Please don’t yell at me, okay? I’m curious, not mean.
I can’t help being suspicious of some people I know who claim allergies. It seems that too many of them are of a type. Unsuccessful in romance, few friends, hungry for attention, and, for a better word, mousey women. (Sorry)
Are there any studies for imagined or made up allergies?
Peace,
mangeorge
Many of my patients claim allergies. Mostly to a variety of foods, but often to various products such as soap, vinyl, leather, etc.
Some claim it forcefully enough, with stated histories of anaphylaxis resulting in near-death experiences.
A fair number of these folks have gotten RAST tested for their claimed allergens. And in over 90% of the cases, the RAST testing is negative, which is a pretty good indicator that they do not have an actual allergy (an IgE-mediated reaction) to their claimed substance.
Since many of these substances are food, this is generally referred to as a food intolerance rather than an allergy. It is rarely life-threatening (biggest exception is celiac sprue) and it’s best served by just having the patient avoid the food they don’t tolerate.
100% of my current patients with these false allergy claims have had difficulties with the law and with authority in the past. 0% of them are women.
Of course, those same statistics apply to the rest of my patients, who either don’t claim allergies, or have true allergies.
So make of that what you will.
Define hypochondria. Supply references.
?
It’s a common word, look in the dictionary. I’d be surprised if there’s anyone at the SDMB who doesn’t know the definition.
And “references”? To what?
I honestly don’t get your point.
Help me understand. 
Okay, if you’re truly asking, here you go.
I don’t particularly care for swimming. When someone keeps asking me after I’ve said no, sometimes I’ll try telling them I am allergic to one of the chemicals used in pool cleaner, and without knowing which cleaner they are using it’s too dangerous to go in. This works better if the other person is drunk.
My roommate had watery eyes once after we played a video game and he lost. He told me he was allergic to losing. The real cause was that he wasn’t blinking enough and his eyes dried up.
It seems me to claiming allergies is a good way to get someone to quit bothering you about something you don’t want to do to, and will not be satisfied with just a no.
On the other hand, sometimes allergies are weird. I absolutely love bananas and kiwifruits, but my enjoyment of them is drastically hampered by the fact that shortly after consuming such fruit, my face swells up and my mouth itches like crazy. Similarly, I really enjoy hiking and mountain biking during the fall, and would like to spend my springs and summers doing so, but my seasonal allergies mean I really won’t enjoy it that much at all.
And, for what it’s worth, I haven’t done a skin test or anything of the sort, but have had all those allergies diagnosed by a medical professional.
Ah, I should clarify. I am not saying that there aren’t weird allergies out there, and that people don’t suffer from them. I just mean that if someone seems to be allergic to everything, maybe they just don’t want to do x activity with you but can’t find a better excuse.
Don’t forget that sometimes it’s laziness or a lack of wanting confrontation, too. For example, I actually am allergic to shellfish. My husband, who simply doesn’t like the stuff, finds it easier to claim ‘allergy’ rather than put up with people acting like he’s crazy for not wanting to eat crayfish, lobster, etc.
I’m *allergic *to shellfish, but I *don’t like *coriander. Personally, I wouldn’t lie about the difference, but apparently many people do. One Indian place I went to said that it was refreshing that when I asked about whether the naan came with coriander leaf on it (it did), I politely declined by explaining I didn’t like the taste of it. They said they found it annoying when customers would say they’re allergic to something when it’s simply a taste they don’t enjoy. I’m sure the customers were probably just trying to avoid looking like they were fussy, but the nett result was that the owners were kind of creeped out a bit that customers would lie over something so trivial. (As he said, “They’re allowed to not like it. We won’t chase them down and demand they eat it or anything! Why do they lie?”) Sure, there may be some people who actually are allergic to coriander leaf, but the number would be infinitely smaller than those who simply aren’t keen on the flavour.
I wonder how many of the ‘mousy women’ (as per the OP) are just trying to avoid confrontation?
As for the rest of 'em though, I’ve definitely met my share of attention whores who will use any excuse to make sure they get singled out for special attentions, even if it means lying about allergies where none exist.
I have reactions to several foods. Sometimes I can eat a little of the food in question, but eating a lot will result in a reaction. So I always claim that I am sensitive to black pepper, white pepper, shellfish, many artificial sweeteners, or whatever. I think that I am stating the facts as accurately as I can without going into a lot of detail.
The only person who really wants to hear the details of my explosive diarrhea after I eat pepper is my doctor. Even then, I doubt that he actually wants to hear them, he just needs to hear them.
Allergies are difficult 'cause they can come and go. Throughout my youth, I would be fine, then all of a sudden I’d develope hives, not small one HUGE all over my body and I’d get the “ubangi-lips” (sorry for the un-PC word there’s no better way to describe it), and black eyes 'cause they were swollen, then they’d go away, for years then they’d come back and last 6 months to a year, than just vanish.
When I lived in Florida my allergies got so bad, they sent me to Johns Hopkins and Mayo in Rochester. No one ever found out what was 'causing it. RAST tests, scratch tests, came out negative. When I was at Mayo, the doc there asked me if I had to live in Florida. He said that 'cause I was next to the Everglades, it could be impossible to find out, 'cause it might not be one thing but several things together that 'cause it. I stayed in Rochester and the allergies went away.
I found out that it wasn’t at all unusual for people to be allergic to things at one time in their lives and have it go away. It’s not common but it happens. When I was at John Hopkins they were conducting a chocolate study and it was interesting 'cause they found out that virtually no one was allergic to chocolate. There was like ONE person in the whole study who had a true chocolate reaction. Everyone else was either negative for everything or it was a peanut allergy or some other thing IN the chocolate that was from the factory that was making them ill.
When they fed them chocolate, made under strict conditions they were not allergic. So if you have a chocolate allergy, you may want to try companies that advertise “strict chocolate” facilitites.
As Doc Qadgop says a lot of people fail RAST test, because they don’t have actual allergies but I have heard they may have other reaction. An allergy is basically an error in your immune system, thinking somthing like a cashew should be attacked by the immune system. But if your getting stomach distress for example, you may call that an allergy and it may be a true physical condition but it’s not really an allergy.
Finally I think doctors, due to law suits over diagnose anaphylaxis. When I was a kid, I’d get the hives, my lips would swell, my eyelids would swell and I’d get black eyes from the swelling. I looked like someone beat me up. But I never had any issues with breating. But today they would call it anaphylaxis even though the swelling never was a danger to me. Just very itchy.
I know a number of my friends do say they’re allergic to foods or tastes that they simply don’t like in order to avoid confrontation. The Indian restaurant staff mentioned by Bites When Provoked may have appreciated the honesty, but here’s a typical situation faced by someone who doesn’t like a certain food and simply says they don’t like it:
Friend #1: Here, try a tamale!
Friend #2: Does it have cilantro in it?
1: Yeah!
2: Oh, I’m sorry, I don’t like cilantro.
1: Why not?
2: I just don’t like the taste, sorry.
1: No, these are great! You just haven’t had something made right!
2: No, really, I don’t like cilantro…
1: No one else complains about my tamales, just try one, you’ll like it, I made these specifically for you to try…
…and so on. Sometimes ending in hurt feelings or tears if the cook feels personally slighted. Honesty doesn’t always go over well.
Whereas, with the fake “allergy” excuse…
Friend #1: Here, try my tamales!
Friend #2: Do they have cilantro?
1: Yeah!
2: Oh, I’m sorry, I’m allergic to cilantro.
1: Oh, really? I’m so sorry. It’s a shame, they’re really good.
2: I’m sure they are.
1: Next time I make some, I’ll make you some without cilantro, okay?
2: Sure!
By “mousey” I mean timid, in personality and dress. It’s not meant as a put-down, but simply as a description.
There’s a woman at work who fits this description and has problems with allercies. One is to cigarette smoke (a common allergy, I hear). We were talking about that once when I mentioned that I had been a smoker, but she misunderstood me to say that I was presently a smoker. All of a sudden her started watering (very slightly) and she waved her hand in front of her face and backed up a couple steps. I told her that I hadn’t smoked in years, which surprised her. Then she said that it didn’t make any different, the smoke stayed in my body forever. :rolleyes:
I had been close to her many times before, with no adverse effects, and she realized it. Now she seems enbarrassed, and avoids me. Others who she works with know about her “allergies” and mostly put up with it.
That’s what I’m talking about.
Personally, I can’t stand to be in an elevator with someone who has doused her/himself with any kind of perfume, man or woman. I’m not allergic, I just can’t stand it. I hold my breath and push the button to get off at the next floor. I will, as politely as I know how, say “Your perfume is way too strong”. It doesn’t happen often.
Thanks. Your source indicates that hypochondria can be a real condition. There are clinical trials for treating it. (No ties with allergies are mentioned.)
But your personal definition of hypochoncria seems to be “some unreal thing a ditzy chick dreamed up to annoy me with.”
I had allergy testing when young. There were positive results, I took shots & certain symptoms disappeared over time.
A friend suddenly developed an allergy to sesame at 50 years old. His first bout led to 2 days in the hospital and he now carries an allergy kit with him wherever he goes. Anaphylactic shock is very real.
ETA: The “mousey” lady at work may just be too shy to request that you back off.
You skimmed the OP, didn’t you? :dubious: A reasonably careful reading would reveal that the OP is specifically about imagined allergies, not the hypochondria disorder itself. Yes, hypochondriacs can experience very real (to them) symptoms, I understand. It’s a disorder.
And allergies can be very serious. A good friend is allergic to bee sting. He carries an Epipen filled with epinephrine. He rides a motorcycle. :rolleyes:
But an allergy can also be easy to fake, and some do. Your “ditzy chick” didn’t dig up the hypochondria, she dug up the (imagined) allergy. It’s this imagined illness that is the disorder called “hypochondria”.
Mousey Woman always approached me because I’d listen to her. She’s lonely, as I described above in the OP. Being timid is the reason she now avoids me.
Ah, I thought this would be about the lady who claims to be allergic to sugar. 
As I commented in that thread, it is definitely true that a lot of people misuse the term “allergic” simply because they don’t realize that not everything that disagrees with you is an “allergic” reaction.
However, I do think you are on to something that certain kinds of personalities are more prone to claim allergies than others are. I actually know a few psychiatrists who have commented that it is not unusual for the more anxious or histrionic patients to have a long list of “allergies”.
I hate shellfish, and it seems to me that for some reason people are unusually pushy about trying to get others to eat shellfish (especially shrimp). If I’m at an event with for instance shrimp appetizers I experience this sense of dread because I know SOMEONE is going to try to force one on me. I have often been tempted to claim an allergy, because some people will just not accept “No, I really don’t like them” as an answer. There have been times where I was reduced to hiding bits of shellfish under a piece of lettuce on my plate or slipping them into a paper napkin to discreetly throw away.
Heh. I was at a banquet one time and the appetizer was shrimp cocktail. I didn’t know the others at my table, but I just said “I hate shrimp. Y’all can divide my appetizer however you want.” One guy did want to know if I was Jewish, but I just replied that I’m an atheist, and hate shrimp. I can’t stand shellfish of any sort.
Well, let’s stipulate that allergies are real things too. So if you’re just generally skeptical of allergies, then you know - wikipedia allergies, histamine, whatever.
But what you’re talking about - I don’t think it’s hypochondria. Hypochondriacs are people with real but trivial problems they think are fatal. The *OMG is this wart a melanoma? *crowd. I am one of those, btw.
What you’re talking about is like classical hysteria or what they now call somatization. People who seem to have physical problems which really are psychological problems. Usually people who are also very suggestible. 100 years ago hysteria was practically the raison d’etre for psychiatry, and now it’s a real backwater - supposedly rare. (It’s obviously not if you’ve lived among humans in the 21st century.)
Anyway way back then they kept noticing that it was more a mousy woman thing too - except there’s a bit of a confirmation bias - men do it also, but maybe in different ways or we believe them more (gulf war syndrome, just maybe?) Saying who’s imagining things and who’s not is just so subjective.
But hysteria’s one of those few areas where doctors a century were probably more savvy than we are today. You know - this is about unexpressable desires? A mousy woman may not be able to say “get that fucking cigarette out of my face you piece of shit.” For one thing - because her job is probably precarious and depends on her being pleasant, and she can’t risk picking fights? Maybe all her relationships are like that? Maybe she can’t risk even acknowledging that she wants to pick fights?
Or maybe it’s not even repressed aggression - maybe it’s repressed desire - maybe she wants attention but isn’t in a position to ask for it.
There’s all sorts of reasons you can think of, but the point is, for a lot of women and even some men, their social situation might have a lot more in common with a woman of 100 years ago than you’d think. And so might their behavior as a consequence. So maybe she doesn’t get “the vapors” to get what she needs - but she gets multiple chemical sensitivity, or chronic fatigue. Don’t knock it. It’s a solution to a problem.
Plus, we live in a society that medicalizes absolutely everything from impotence to the dark nights of the soul, so it’s not really a surprise that it turns out a lot of the “diseases” people have are bullshit. That’s just the language we use for everything.
Hence my husband using ‘allergy’, in his case, to explain why he doesn’t eat it. Me, I just don’t hang about with prima donnas who can’t accept that not everyone is going to like their food.
If *tears *were involved, I’d absolutely be cutting ties with that person. Someone who cries over tamales is way too high maintenance. I won’t say I’m allergic to cilantro, but if pushed I’ll say the truth: that the taste completely overpowers anything and that once it’s on something, all those other lovely flavours that are in there just disappear. Hence, her tamales would not be getting the audience they deserved. And no, I won’t make a special case just for her. (Heck, if they was a good enough friend that I should make a special case for their food, they wouldn’t be making me things with cilantro in. I don’t set out to feed MY friends food I know they hate.)
If it looks like a crazy response would be forthcoming, though, the final step is that I point out it’s not an uncommon reaction in people of Russian extraction. Which is something I read once, can’t cite, can’t remember the percentage stats on, but seems to make people quite happy once they hear it’s a genetic ‘flaw’. As far as I know, I’m telling the truth, but if I’m not … well, I don’t really care. 
Not sure where all the hostility to the OP is coming from. There is a whole cottage industry around “allergies”. Quack doctors do tests where they put an item in your hand and then push down on it. If it is easy to push down then you are “allergic”. Others claim that just sitting in a chair with the substance underneath can create a reaction. My sister thinks she is allergic to almost any chemical. Not sure what that is supposed to mean because everything is a chemical. For a while she wouldn’t eat bread because she thought it caused candida (yeast infection). Of course it’s a totally different kind of yeast and it’s dead after being cooked. There afre also slews of people who claim to be allergic to electro magnetic radiation. It gets so bad that some of these people line their walls with tin foil and never leave the house.
There are fads surrounding allergy. Sugar, wheat, and preservatives are common things that chiropractors tell their patients to avoid these days.