Allergies & Sensitivities

Purpose: A page for distinguishing allergy, irritation, intolerance, and speculative sensitivity.

Definitions

• Allergy: immune-mediated reaction, sometimes testable.
• Irritation: direct skin or gut irritation without a true allergy.
• Sensitivity/intolerance: symptoms after exposure, mechanism unclear.
• Hypothesis: a proposed explanation that still needs evidence.

Contact triggers

Contact dermatitis may be irritant or allergic. Natural products can still irritate skin, so oils, clays, lime juice, soaps, plant resins, and topical mixtures should be patch-tested cautiously.

Food trigger tracking

Use repeated observations before labeling a food unsafe. Track dose, preparation, timing, co-factors, and whether the same reaction occurs on re-challenge.