Hormonal Imbalances and Hormone Allergies

Filed in archive Allergy: Research and Development , Food Allergies , Hay Fever , Other Allergies on February 12, 2007

Everybody beyond the age of puberty has heard of hormonal imbalance and the various symptoms and conditions it brings about. But who would have thought the symptoms that manifested due to hormonal imbalance may actually be a result of an allergic reaction?

Russell Roby, M.D., director of the Roby Institute, Dr. Dick Richardson, professor at The University of Texas at Austin, and Dr. Aristo Vojdani, of Immunosciences Lab, Inc. in California, found that female patients who experienced health changes during their menstrual cycle had higher levels of IgE antibodies against progesterone and estrogen than control subjects. An increase in IgE antibodies is typically associated with allergic response.

Hormones haven't been implicated in allergic response in the past, because it was thought that hormone molecules were too small to create an allergic response. The researchers found that estrogen and progesterone combine with other proteins and that the hormone part of the molecular complex is recognized as the antigen.

Dr. Roby explains Hormone Imbalance-Hormone Allergy in his website. I'm not totally sure I get it completely, but it seems that the theory is that all the more serious adverse effects of hormonal imbalances such as anxiety/panic attacks, premenstrual asthma, menstrual migraine, fibromyalgia, interstitial cystitis, arthritis, and chronic fatigue syndrome are all allergy symptoms. In his blog, Dr. Roby also says that hormone allergy can also contribute or worsen other allergies such as allergic rhinitis.

This is a whole new concept for me, and I am just starting to think what it's implications are. But, like puzzle pieces falling into place, it does paint a very plausible picture, doesn't it? I wonder if this can also explain why infants outgrow their (food) allergies? Could it be that they're, at least in part, hormonal allergies?!?