Some of the typical symptoms of food intolerance can also be caused by simply breathing too deeply. When we breathe we take oxygen into the body and expel the waste gas, carbon dioxide, or C02. Our normal breathing pattern keeps oxygen and carbon dioxide at a level to which our bodies are well adjusted. But we have to have some spare capacity in case we want to run for the bus or climb Everest (where the air is less oxygen-rich). So we have the ability to breathe faster or take deeper breaths, as required.

The problem, in those who hyperventilate, is that they have got info the habit of breathing faster all the time. Yet they are unaware of doing this. The level of C02 in their blood falls below the normal level, and this alters the pH (acidity-alkalinity) of the blood, producing a wide range of mental and physical symptoms. The type of symptoms produced by hyperventilation are shown in Table 2.

The importance of hyperventilation depends very much on your point of view. Some of those who are dismissive of food intolerance, see hyperventilation as a widespread cause of vague, multiple symptoms. They claim that large numbers of those who are diagnosed as food-intolerant are actually hyperventilators. The belief that they are ‘allergic’ to a particular food or environmental chemical makes these patients hyperventilate when they encounter it -breathing more deeply is a natural reaction to fear or anxiety. The hyperventilation brings on the symptoms, but the patient perceives them as a consequence of the food or chemical – so the pattern of behaviour is reinforced.

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