There is a disease that is well known to doctors, although it does not feature much in medical textbooks. It is called ‘thick note syndrome’. Those who suffer from it are waiting-room regulars, and they have been referred to innumerable consultants for further examination – which is why their medical notes are so voluminous. Their symptoms are usually minor ones, but very varied, and they affect many different parts of the body – they may have headaches, indigestion, diarrhoea, aches and pains, rashes and a host of other problems. In most cases, no physical disorder can be found to explain them.

It is generally assumed that patients with ‘thick note syndrome’ are suffering from psychosomatic illness (which is discussed in the next chapter). But as food intolerance has become more widely recognized, doctors have begun to realize that many of these people may be sensitive to food. Multiple symptoms, affecting any and every body system, are a key feature of this disorder.

The second part of this chapter looks at each of those symptoms in turn, while the first considers the general features of food intolerance. Because so little scientific research has been done on food intolerance, much of what follows is based upon general impressions gained by many different doctors treating large numbers of people. This is not hard evidence, from a scientific point of view, but it is all we have to go on at present.

Given the controversial nature of food intolerance, many of the statements in this chapter might be disputed by some doctors. Ideally, we should qualify each contentious statement, but this would make the chapter very long and ponderous. We have therefore summarized the arguments over food intolerance in the previous chapter. On the basis of the evidence presented there, we believe that the case for food intolerance is very strong, and the present chapter is written from that viewpoint.

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