Could you be allergic to additives in food or drugs?

Doctors disagree on whether food additives like dyes, preservatives, stabilisers and other substances can provoke a true allergic reaction

When Kammy Eisenberg broke out in hives last December, she attributed it to stress. But the rash persisted, and Eisenberg was covered in hives “from head to toe” for eight months.

“It was everywhere,” said Eisenberg, 52, who lives in Atlanta. “I was beyond itchy.” Even powerful drugs like prednisone provided only moderate relief, she said. “My allergist was at a loss.”

She eventually consulted Robert Swerlick, an Emory University dermatologist known to take on difficult cases, who reviewed her medical record and suggested that since she was allergic to sulfa drugs, she might also be sensitive to dyes used to colour