[HairOfTheDog]

I have a friend who believes all this stuff. She obsesses about the ingredients in everything from her food to her toothpaste and laundry soap, and is convinced she and her children are 'allergic' to nearly everything. She says stuff like "Junior is allergic to tomatos and pickles. They make him hyperactive". If a child has a bad day, it must have been because he ate an unauthorized cookie somewhere.

Though I think we are what we eat, and I have no basis to argue with her, I know that she and her kids are always sick, and I (who eats nothing but junk food or whatever else is around) have not been sick in years. I don't know which came first, the obsession with ingredients or the constant illnesses, but she is, nevertheless, a hypocondriac.

[Mamzelle]

I had one of these allergy-obsessed mothers next to me at one time. She carried around epipens (injectable epinephrine) for fear her kids would go into anaphylactic shock. No one ever witnessed an episode...finally it turned out she was one of those "Meunchausen Syndrome by Proxy" nuts. Bizarre.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

I have a no-coffee allergy. If I have no coffee I get cranky. ;)

Seriously, foods do affect the way you feel. I found out about a year ago that sugar upsets my system purely by accident. I cut sugar out of my diet and have felt great every since.

As to making them misbehave I do not buy it. Sure it may make you cranky but so does going without enough sleep. That is no excuse for poor or out of control behavior.

[js1138]

hypocondria can be distinguished from allergy by a blind skin patch test. (usually)

[TruthSetsUFree]

Don’t be so quick to judge. Those who have numerous food intolerances and/or allergies also have a hyper immune system and to tend to be sick more, at least until their immune system calms down after staying off their intolerances/allergies long enough for their bodies to heal.

I have several food intolerances, and I can tell you that when I get those foods they affect more than my health. They can have a significant neurological effect on many people, to varying degrees. Likely most ADD kids are getting foods that their bodies don’t produce the right enzymes to break down properly.