Allergic to sea salt??

[ny biker]

Does this sound crazy?

As mentioned elsewhere, I had a big problem with hives and dermatographia (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/Dermatographia/DS00755) back in July. I had crab cakes for lunch that day, so most likely it was an allergic reaction to the crab meat. The allergist did tests which were negative, but he also said that food allergy tests are more likely to return a false negative than tests for other allergens (like pollen), so I need to do a field test by actually eating a small bit of crab to see what happens. I have not done this yet, because I was waiting for winter to come so I don't wind up with another case of hives that keep me from enjoying good cycling weather. In fact, I have avoided all shellfish since that day.

But, I have had three milder cases of the same allergic symptoms since then. The only unusual thing I ate before the first (and worst) of these three cases was Newman's Own pepperoni pizza. The second time, I had tried one of the new holiday Cliff bars (cranberry and orange). The third time, I had eaten Amy's organic frozen pizza rolls. All the other foods I ate on those days were things I eat frequently with no allergy symptoms.

The common ingredient in all three foods is sea salt. I think the pizza had more of it than the other foods, based on the amount I ate and the fact that they use sea salt to naturally cure the pepperoni.

I googled, and found some web sites where people say they are allergic to sea salt. But I know you can find pretty much anything on the internet, and it might not actually be true; there might be other things that really cause the symptoms that people have not been able to isolate. So does it sound crazy to be allergic to sea salt? I think the idea is that the salt itself is not the problem; rather it's microorganisms that remain on it after the sea water has evaporated. So the same proteins that cause a shellfish allergy might be involved.

I have some other foods at home with sea salt in them (Kashi crackers, low-sodium soups, organic canned kidney beans) so I'm going to do more testing. But knowing there could be a placebo effect, I was wondering what you alls thought.

Thanks as always for your wisdom!!

p.s. the cranberry-orange Clif bar was tasty.

[shootingstar]

Interesting. Can't be of help since I don't have that type of allergy.

But here's a question: If you ate seaweed, would you have same allergic reaction? I'm not sure if nori sheets for sushi qualify for this. But certainly any packaged seaweed, dried, then rehydrated for cooking, could be part of the test.

I know, esoteric. But something to add to your arsenal of testing.

So it sounds as if for restaurant eating, you have been and continue to be like a hawk in terms of what you order?

I haven't even gotten around to buying any salt for home since I moved. That's nearly past 3 wks. I've been relying on abit of soy sauce to flavour savoury food dishes.

[KnottedYet]

Could it be the higher levels of iodine?

Contrast CT scans can get really exciting when the patient turns out to have an iodine allergy...

[Crankin]

Oh yea, I have that allergy.
I ate shellfish all of my life until, at age 35, we were on a vacation here, on Cape Cod, searching for a house in the Boston area, preparing for our move from AZ. I ate a lobster roll and within 10 minutes was having a serious reaction, lips tingling, etc. I took my allergy meds and inhaler and never touched shellfish again. This was at the time I was having a lot of asthma/allergy issues. For awhile, I couldn't drink wine, either (sulfites). I can eat scallops, though.
Three years ago, when I was going through all of those medical tests, I had an abdominal CT scan. Within 10 seconds of the dye being injected, my right eye swelled shut and I had the hive the size of an egg on my wrist. Although I had no issues breathing, etc. I totally freaked out, so they shot me up with Benedryl and epinephrine and DH had to come get me at the ER. I kept telling them I didn't want the dye, as my mom had an iodine allergy. But no, they insisted.
I hope I never need stress test where they need to see your arteries, or any of the other things my DH has had.

[tulip]

I don't believe that sea salt has iodine. It is to added in commercial salt, but does not occur naturally in sea salt.

Could it be MSG? I'd be surprised if Newman's and Amy's had MSG, but with all the huge company buy-outs, it would not surprise me if those companies have been bought be a larger company that did not stay true to the founders' philosphy of healthy food.

Stay away from shellfish. I get slight tingling in my fingers and lips, but that's enough to keep me away.

[KnottedYet]

Iodine does occur naturally in sea salt.

It does not occur in NaCl commercial salt, which is why it is added during manufacture.

Man-made table salt has standardized amounts of iodine. Sea salt iodine occurs in varying amounts.

[teancum144]

The common ingredient in all three foods is sea salt. I think the pizza had more of it than the other foods, based on the amount I ate and the fact that they use sea salt to naturally cure the pepperoni.

I too react to most sea salts. Sea Salt is naturally high in nitrates/nitrites and so is pepperoni. So it could be the nitrates/nitrites. Also, sea salt can contain anti-caking agents (e.g. yellow prussiate of soda, Sodium aluminosilicate comprising sodium, aluminium, silicon and oxygen, etc.). Also, there is such a thing as artificial sea salt. Sea Salt from the Dead Sea can be dangerously high in Bromide. Sea salt from our polluted oceans can contain harmful pollutants.

Bottom line is we don't know what type of sea salt food manufacturers are using in the foods we eat. My current preference is Redmond Real Salt. It is a naturally occurring sea salt that is mined from underground ancient seabeds that dried up thousands of years ago (in theory, no pollution).

Here's another interesting thread on the topic: http://ehealthforum.com/health/sea-s...s-t134409.html