The Sensitive Issue

'Oh my GAWD! You are so SENSITIVE!!!!'

How many times have we heard that, said that or thought of that statement?

We say this when someone's feelings get hurt too easily. Someone whose 'emotional skin' that is paper thin. Someone whose 'emotional skin' that is not thick as an elephant's hide. Someone who takes every statement to be insulting. Even when it is not. And cries buckets and waterfall amount of tears when pricked by hurt the size of a needle. And some become vindictive and revengeful and lash out at others before they could produce another 'sensitive' statement.

For people like me, the word 'sensitive' concerns our health. It concerns our well-being. It concerns our life. It can be akin to the 'emotional sensitivity'. It is our body, our system that gets hurt instead.

The word 'sensitivity' in the medical world can be interpreted as an adverse physical reaction when exposed to triggers in a susceptible person. In other words, a 'sensitive person' or a 'hypersensitivity'. A few examples of the triggers that can create havoc in a sensitive person are salicylate, glutamate, aspartame, amines, food colourings, preservatives, and food dye.

A sensitivity involves no immune system response, BUT it can yield results which are similar to allergy-induced reactions. A hypersensitivity is a result of the inability of certain individuals to metabolically process the offending chemical in food substance.

People with IgE-mediated food allergy MUST avoid the offending triggers (food, dust... etc) altogether. Where else people with non-IgE-mediated food hypersensitivity can OFTEN eat SOME of the amount of offending food without developing symptoms. The threshold of each individual varies. Some can tolerate low amounts of the offending food, others cannot.

Sad to say, there are no tests today which are available for people with hypersensitivity. The only setting that is available is through food challenge studies in a controlled environment.

Food hypersensitivity can be diagnosed by using the elimination diet, followed by food challenges and gradual reintroduction of foods and food chemicals. It is VITAL that this is conducted by an allergist who is familiar with this procedure as the re-introduction of food and food chemicals could trigger an anaphylactic attack!

In the event of proper food elimination, proper intake of anti-histamines and other medications, the threshold or tolerance levels of individuals can improve. Again, it is vital to work with an allergist (and sometimes together with a dietitian) who are aware of hypersensitivity and the danger it poses and is equipped with the knowledge of this ailment.

So in future, if you come across people like me, but you cannot fathom or understand what we go through, put yourself in this situation. Think back during the time when you had a VERY high fever. And  your joints and limbs were aching from the raging fever. And someone comes and grabs you at the places you hurt most and you scream out in pain. And then that person retorts and say, 'Oh my GAWD! You are so SENSITIVE!!!!'