# Imaginary diseases, allergies, and conditions

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imaginary-diseases-allergies-and-conditions/173771>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [May 7, 2003, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imaginary-diseases-allergies-and-conditions/173771 "2003-05-07T22:03:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imaginary-diseases-allergies-and-conditions/173771/21 "2003-05-09T10:20:40Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Earl Snake-Hips Tucker \*  
> I was sitting in a restaurant with a guy who went to great pains to ask very thoroughly whether or not the food he was ordering contained any hidden onions. He said, “I’m very _allergic_ to onions, and if I eat any, I’ll end up in the Emergency Room.”
> 
> OK. I know people who don’t _like_ onions, but going into anaphylactic shock?
> 
> I didn’t buy it, but who knows. . . .

This irritates me no end.

Allergies have _nothing_ to do with liking or not likely a food. It has to do with your body’s reaction to a food.

I actually _like_ some of the foods I’m allergic to - they still make me wheeze, vomit, break out in hives, and so forth.

When someone is allergic to a food they are NOT being “picky”, it’s not a matter of they don’t like the food, and yes, even “hidden” or microscopic amounts have the potential to make a sensitive person seriously ill or even kill them.

Yes, some folks use “allergy” when they really mean “I don’t like this” - and they should be subjected to many paniful and embarassing medical procedures until they repent.

And a person can be allergic to ANY food, including onions

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Contrary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/db5fbb/32.png) [@Contrary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrary)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imaginary-diseases-allergies-and-conditions/173771/22 "2003-05-09T13:29:17Z")

</div>

And keep in mind that while a person may not experience an anaplyactic reaction, that doesn’t mean the person is able to take the meds, eat the food, use the product or whatever.

I throw up whenever I take any codeine or codeine-based pain pills. I do not have any sort of anaphylactic reaction – no hives, no difficulties breathing – but I do throw up. It happens with codeine, Percodan, Percocet, Tylenol #3, and Fiorenal (sp?). So now I don’t take them any more. I tell my physician about throwing up and I tell everyone else I’m allergic to it, simply because it’s easier to just say that and be done with it.

Latex and sulpha drugs are different for me – I do have anaphylactic reactions to both of those. But I don’t bother differentiating between them and the codeine, again except for my doctor.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imaginary-diseases-allergies-and-conditions/173771.md?page=1)