SO MANY of us have inexplicable health niggles that have often left our doctors baffled and given us no choice but to grin and bear them.
I - reporter Jon Cooper, of the Derbyshire Times - am one such sufferer and my ailment - although not as frightening as those found on Channel 4’s Embarrassing Bodies - has plagued me and prompted concerned looks and blushes.
It has also blighted my efforts as a cycle road racer and often led to chest infections. To put it bluntly - it’s an uncontrollable snotty nose that I thought I would be stuck with until the end of my days.
But that is not the case, thanks to Chesterfield’s Gymophobics owner, allergy therapist and nutritionist Mari-Vic Gomez who has an incredible system for identifying what foods are best suited for an individual and which are likely to trigger allergic reactions.
The mother-of-two has also successfully applied her knowledge to keep her seriously ill children AJ and Elise in great shape as they battle with the deteriorating condition Friedreich’s Ataxia.
She said: “We react differently to different foods and many of us may suffer different physical problems as a result and can be unaware that the causes could be down to eating habits.
“If we can work to identify which foods to eat and which to avoid we can temporarily change diets to address allergies. This allows the body to adapt and the foods which may have once caused problems can even be re-introduced without any of the side effects.
“My nutritional driving force is my children and with the right, tailored foods they are staying healthier and stronger.”
Mari-Vic explained so many of us become resigned to problems and our usual diets that we continue to operate below capacity.
She added: “This can affect how happy we are and how we react to opportunities or problems in our lives and at work.”
For years doctors believed my nasal torment had been triggered by a broken nose during a rugby match and I have even undergone two very bloody operations which did not resolve the problem.
My motivation to fix my nose surfaced again this year as I entered what is likely to be my last season as a 44 year-old ropey, road racer desperate to gain any advantage that will allow me to keep up with my younger contemporaries.
Mari-Vic’s allergy therapy customers undergo thorough testing at Gymophobics, on Rose Hill, so she can gauge strong or weak physical reactions to a vast collection of vials containing food essences.
From this evaluation she establishes which foods are most likely to have a debilitating effect and she is able to arm the individual with a suitable new diet and through a process of elimination she will get to the hub of any food allergies.
Mari-Vic added: “It’s not just about the body, it’s about looking after every aspect of yourself inside and out. If you do not look after your body correctly your whole system stagnates but by identifying food allergies your energy levels will lift and in the long-term you will begin to feel more positive.”
By removing dairy products, wheat, beef, cod, cauliflower, nuts and other foods and by introducing rice, goat dairy products, haddock, beans, apples and other foods, I am already beginning to breathe sigh of relief without a hanky in sight.
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