Despite hundreds of people claiming that they suffer from an allergy to gluten, an Ohio-based allergy specialist and assistant professor of pediatrics at Ohio State University recently gave a presentation to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, in which he debunked the mythical allergy as an Internet-based fad.
"There's this claim about 'gluten allergy' which really doesn't exist," Dr. David Stukus told Today.com. "It's not really a recognized allergy. Wheat is a recognized allergy - but a lot of people will misinterpret that as gluten."
After years of patients coming to him claiming that they suffer from an allergy to gluten, Stukus was compelled to create a special presentation in which he divided fact from fiction.
"Gluten has been blamed for all that ails humanity," Stukus said, adding that there are only three recognized diseases attributable to gluten, including celiac disease, wheat allergies and non-celiac gluten sensitivity, all often mistaken for a "gluten allergy" in today's age of medical googling.
"Use the Internet for guidance, but don't rely on it as your sole source of health information," Stukus advised. "It's a great place to formulate questions that you can take to physicians."
He went on to debunk other myths, including claims that there are such things as "hypoallergenic" pets, that if you have an egg allergy you should never have a flu shot, and that black mold can cause terrifying diseases.
"There is absolutely no scientific link of a causal disorder to black mold to [seizures, fibromyalgia, bipolar disorder, cancer]," Stukus said, adding that black mold can cause trouble if you're allergic to it.
As for hypoallergenic pets, he told Today.com that every pet secretes allergens, though some people have not as bad of a reaction to certain breeds. Stukus advises his patients to rub their faces on animals to determine whether or not they are truly allergic to a particular animal.
