Micro-dosing is the spice of life for allergic Vinnie
TECHNIQUE HELPS CHILLI FAN TO OVERCOME EXTREME REACTION
A MAN who says he was told he could die if he ate spicy food now believes he has cured himself after more than 11 years of avoiding it.
Vinnie Irvine, 50, who lives in Carlton, says he “feels like he has life back” after realising he was again able to cope with chillis and hot dishes, but in small moderation.
His problems started back in 2010 when, at a gathering with friends, he was offered one of the hottest chillis in the world – something that, as a big fan of hot foods, he felt he could deal with.
“It made me really ill straight away,” he said.
“I had to lie down for a few hours. “The next time I had something spicy was two or three days later, and I just started violently throwing up and I could feel my throat closing.
“I took a lot of antihistamines and went to the walk-in centre.
“They told me that I had probably saved my own life as my throat had closed up nearly all the way.”
Mr Irvine was later diagnosed with an IGE allergy to chillis and told to avoid everything spicy, otherwise he would again be at risk of another potentially fatal reaction.
He also took antihistamines every day as a precaution.
A letter from NUH in 2010 after his diagnosis states: “This result would confirm Vincent is allergic to some chillis and hence I have advised him to avoid all chillies as much as possible. “I know this might be somewhat hard to somebody who is used to and loves eating spicy foods but he has to make a hard choice.”
According to health websites, it’s estimated that as many as 14 in every 10,000 people are allergic to chillis.
Symptoms of such allergies include swelling of the lips, wheezing or difficulty breathing, bloating and a swollen throat.
Symptoms also include nausea or vomiting.
So for years 50-year-old Mr Irvine did not touch anything with chillis in it.
That is until he began researching something called micro-dosing, which led to him to trying tiny doses of chillis every day over the course of four months.
He started adding 100th of a gram of chilli into his meals in the hope of slowly reintroducing it back into his system.
Last month – when his mum accidentally served him a spicy Malaysian curry filled with chillis – however, he still feared the worst.
“I waited for the reaction but no reaction came,” he said.
“I couldn’t believe it. It had worked. “The next day I tried some spicy curry-flavoured noodles and it was the same – nothing.
“I am still going to err on the side of caution.
“It may seem like a little thing but these sort of foods are a big part of who I am, being half Malaysian – it fits my identity.
“It does feel like I have my life back.”
Mr Irvine has stressed that he has yet to go back to hospital to have his potential cure proven and, as someone who still may react badly to spicy food, is taking no chances when it comes to his health.
I am still going to err on the side of caution but it does feel like I have my life back
Vinnie Irvine