Yoooou bet we can! I mean, I dunno about clinically allergic, but it definitely brings out the rashes and the bloating and all manner of fun reactions.
Kelly
No. Allergies are the immune system incorrectly reacting to proteins that are actually harmless (specifically an immunoglobulin E or IgE reaction).
Sugar is definitionally not a protein so cannot be involved in an allergic reaction. Now people can have a “sensitivity” to sugar. And I suppose it is possible that could be a side effect of depression, though I have never heard of it.
Screwball
Daniel here. I am allergic to sugar.
And cola. And pork. And chocolate. In other words, all my favorite foods… X(
I’ll admit, I’m no doctor, but it was medically diagnosed that essentially it can & used to quite often have a rather negative effect on me. One of those is my body starts producing as much insulin as it can, to the point where that part of my body almost burnt itself out & shut down.
Another effect (probably related) is that it…destabilizes my emotions, sending my on a wilder ride than a pregnant lady with overacting hormones. When I was happy, I was the happiest kid on the planet. When I was sad, I was pretty bad (with 1 prescription meant to help me sending me deep into suicidal depression land, stopped immediately thank God…). And when I was angry….RUN! FOR! THE! HILLS!! Enough said there…
And no, this is not Screwball & Daniel the Human’s Daniel, this the REAL Daniel. I am allergic to sugar. I was tested for allergies halfway through Aussie Year 8, & I literally completely changed personality within the week I was sent cold turkey on wheat was my favorite foods. I also went through withdrawal symptoms, because all my favorite foods, with all their reactions including the mind-altering, were now off limits.
This is all 100% truth.
My head may be pretty messed up now, in many ways directly & indirectly due to my allergies, but at least I know about it & have learnt to control & manage it. If I hadn’t, I know I would be either in jail, in a looney-bin or in a hole 6 feet under…
das-g
Not a medical doctor, either, but what you describe (except for the severe emotional side effects, maybe) sounds more like (Type II(?)) diabetes than an allergy.
Screwball
Diabetes is when you don’t produce insulin. What my body does is produce too much insulin, to the point where it almost burnt that organ out & became diabetes. I usually just say I’m the opposite to a diabetic, They don’t make enough/any, I make too much…
That’s only exclusive to Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 is when your pancreas doesn’t produce insulin correctly (but still produces it). Most often it’s not enough, but too much can also happen.
Screwball
Fair enough, but that’s just 1 effect my allergies have on me. Plus they were rather specific in that it wasn’t diabetes when my Mum got worried about that…
Just noticed how much of a rant my “allergy declaration” 😛 was, sorry about that. It’s just I’ve had to tell people about it many times, & a few of those times they didn’t believe me. Almost got in trouble once or twice at work because my allergy to Alcohol (the sugar in it + the alcohol itself), too much fumes & my head spins, meaning I gotta sit & reset. They thought I was slacking off (yet they were the slackers), not believing my allergy…
Yet_One_More_Idiot
I agree, I don’t think you can technically be allergic to sugar. I definitely have some type of sensitivity to sugar too though (and no, I’m not diabetic – my GP has confirmed that with blood tests), as consuming foods or drinks high in sugar makes me feel really sleepy.
At my last job, I took a bottle of juice to the office each day to drink while I worked, to help me keep awake. It always made me really tired and I’d start to nod off at my desk. When I switched to the bottle of juice for one of water, I had no trouble staying awake all day at my desk. Thus I figured, it was the sugar making me feel sleepy. So instead of getting a sugar rush, I tend to get a sugar crash. :/
Screwball
LOL, turning into a Me Vs Everyone debate about my own allergies I’ve lived with for 22 years…
…strangely enough, It’s not entirely unusual…
Yeah, for me the extra insulin usually gives me a bit of a cheap sugar rush, adding to the destabilized emotions. I have learnt to to control & manage the emotions well enough for me to CAREFULLY power up a bit with strategically consumed sugary foods. After a long Friday night shift I’ve been known to keep going Sat with the help of a lollipop… 😛
Evan
Allergies are not just “foods that have a negative medical effect”–they’re a specific form of autoimmune reactions that can lead to anaphylaxis in certain individuals.
Not saying that what you have doesn’t severely suck, but there’s value in being accurate here.
Kryss LaBryn
It certainly sounds like you have a severe reaction to it! 🙁 That’s unfortunate; I’m glad you’ve figured out what’s causing it!
I’m curious; do antihistamines have any effect? Do they help at all?
antihistamines are for environmental allergies. They don’t help with food allergies.
Screwball
You know, noone’s ever suggested those. That said, if ^Dragon is right, that’ll be a good reason why… 😛
Despite it being around 22 years ago, I still remember the doctors telling me about my newly discovered allergies. Bit hard to forget, considerably-life-changing-event & all. LOL Batman had his parents killed in front of him, Iron man got shrapnel in his heart, I discovered I was allergic to my favorite foods & went cold turkey complete with withdrawal symptoms… 😛
A
There are always way too many people ready and willing to fight you on your own life story. The author of this comic could sympathize.
Sorry so many people are way too quick to correct everyone on their personal experiences. Also, RIP your sweet tooth. Sadness.
Pookarah
I have a friend with similar over-production of insulin, and it turns out there is an illness that is sort of a reverse diabetic situation, where the pancreas is overactive as is the thyroid, and it reallllly screws with you on a mental/emotional level. Idk if you’ve seen an endocrinologist or other specialist for hormonal hijinks, but it might be worth looking into?
Raibean
Sounds like hypoglycemia to me! Hypoglycemia even causes people to have symptoms similar to clinical anxiety!
Dakhran
Not entirely accurate – there are sugars that can cause a true allergic reaction (drastic increase in IgE level, leading to anaphylaxis). One example is galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose (alpha-gal), which is contained in meat and is the source of a strange tick-borne contagious meat allergy in rural parts of the US. Some researchers are also suspecting some corn allergens to be sugar-based instead of protein-based. Plus, there are rare triggers of anaphylaxis that do not involve an immunological response – cold urticaria, for example.
…but yeah, regular food sugar is probably not a trigger. 🙂
Morid
You should look up the Alpha-gal allergy. It is spread in the US, by the Lone Star tick. It has made me break out after eating anything with mammalian meat in it.
Sugar is only a “poison” in the absolute loosest sense. In that sense, every calorie we burn is a poison, and so is oxygen. Which can be a valid way of looking at things, especially when considering things like aging. But yeah sugar isn’t any more (or less) a poison than lipids (fat) and protein.
Mind you, getting, say, 80% of your calories from simple sugar will be worse for you than getting 80% from complex carbs or something. But that is just what humans are balanced for. Hummingbirds do just fine, after all.
I wish I could say I didn’t know Billie’s morning worry there.
But meh. 2 lovers in each other’s arms. Cute.
Disloyal Subject
That explains why shows like Mirai Nikki and Madoka Magica are so well-loved.
MeghanTheDreamCrusher
Mirai Nikki never wanted to be cute it reveled in how disturbing it was, hell I just watched it see how insane she could become, though I finally had to quit cause the writing gradually got worse as it progressed (and it wasn’t that great to start with…)
She would be a lot better than Deanna Troi, that’s for sure.
Cholma
“I sense . . . booze . . . and strong sexual attraction, Captain.”
“No shit, Counselor. Please tell me we aren’t PAYING you for these observations!”
“Commander Riker has me covered on that, sir.” *winks*
ouch. thats a really familar feeling, that little burst of worry and anxiety that your partner spontaneously died overnight. it doesnt have to make sense to cause anxiety.
196 thoughts on “Breathing”
Ana Chronistic
Speaking of sugar mamas…
Kris
Except the sugar is hard alcohol.
Doctor_Who
So, Rum Mama?
Ana Chronistic
Bahama Mama moar liek
DarkoNeko
More like mama bear.
Yet_One_More_Idiot
Dontcha mean “Mama Beer”? 😀
Plasma Mongoose
Well sugar is a poison of sorts, so…
inqntrol
I read some once that people who suffer from depression can get allergic to sugar.
DuckDuckMoose
Yoooou bet we can! I mean, I dunno about clinically allergic, but it definitely brings out the rashes and the bloating and all manner of fun reactions.
Kelly
No. Allergies are the immune system incorrectly reacting to proteins that are actually harmless (specifically an immunoglobulin E or IgE reaction).
Sugar is definitionally not a protein so cannot be involved in an allergic reaction. Now people can have a “sensitivity” to sugar. And I suppose it is possible that could be a side effect of depression, though I have never heard of it.
Screwball
Daniel here. I am allergic to sugar.
And cola. And pork. And chocolate. In other words, all my favorite foods… X(
I’ll admit, I’m no doctor, but it was medically diagnosed that essentially it can & used to quite often have a rather negative effect on me. One of those is my body starts producing as much insulin as it can, to the point where that part of my body almost burnt itself out & shut down.
Another effect (probably related) is that it…destabilizes my emotions, sending my on a wilder ride than a pregnant lady with overacting hormones. When I was happy, I was the happiest kid on the planet. When I was sad, I was pretty bad (with 1 prescription meant to help me sending me deep into suicidal depression land, stopped immediately thank God…). And when I was angry….RUN! FOR! THE! HILLS!! Enough said there…
And no, this is not Screwball & Daniel the Human’s Daniel, this the REAL Daniel. I am allergic to sugar. I was tested for allergies halfway through Aussie Year 8, & I literally completely changed personality within the week I was sent cold turkey on wheat was my favorite foods. I also went through withdrawal symptoms, because all my favorite foods, with all their reactions including the mind-altering, were now off limits.
This is all 100% truth.
My head may be pretty messed up now, in many ways directly & indirectly due to my allergies, but at least I know about it & have learnt to control & manage it. If I hadn’t, I know I would be either in jail, in a looney-bin or in a hole 6 feet under…
das-g
Not a medical doctor, either, but what you describe (except for the severe emotional side effects, maybe) sounds more like (Type II(?)) diabetes than an allergy.
Screwball
Diabetes is when you don’t produce insulin. What my body does is produce too much insulin, to the point where it almost burnt that organ out & became diabetes. I usually just say I’m the opposite to a diabetic, They don’t make enough/any, I make too much…
AustKyzor
That’s only exclusive to Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 is when your pancreas doesn’t produce insulin correctly (but still produces it). Most often it’s not enough, but too much can also happen.
Screwball
Fair enough, but that’s just 1 effect my allergies have on me. Plus they were rather specific in that it wasn’t diabetes when my Mum got worried about that…
Just noticed how much of a rant my “allergy declaration” 😛 was, sorry about that. It’s just I’ve had to tell people about it many times, & a few of those times they didn’t believe me. Almost got in trouble once or twice at work because my allergy to Alcohol (the sugar in it + the alcohol itself), too much fumes & my head spins, meaning I gotta sit & reset. They thought I was slacking off (yet they were the slackers), not believing my allergy…
Yet_One_More_Idiot
I agree, I don’t think you can technically be allergic to sugar. I definitely have some type of sensitivity to sugar too though (and no, I’m not diabetic – my GP has confirmed that with blood tests), as consuming foods or drinks high in sugar makes me feel really sleepy.
At my last job, I took a bottle of juice to the office each day to drink while I worked, to help me keep awake. It always made me really tired and I’d start to nod off at my desk. When I switched to the bottle of juice for one of water, I had no trouble staying awake all day at my desk. Thus I figured, it was the sugar making me feel sleepy. So instead of getting a sugar rush, I tend to get a sugar crash. :/
Screwball
LOL, turning into a Me Vs Everyone debate about my own allergies I’ve lived with for 22 years…
…strangely enough, It’s not entirely unusual…
Yeah, for me the extra insulin usually gives me a bit of a cheap sugar rush, adding to the destabilized emotions. I have learnt to to control & manage the emotions well enough for me to CAREFULLY power up a bit with strategically consumed sugary foods. After a long Friday night shift I’ve been known to keep going Sat with the help of a lollipop… 😛
Evan
Allergies are not just “foods that have a negative medical effect”–they’re a specific form of autoimmune reactions that can lead to anaphylaxis in certain individuals.
Not saying that what you have doesn’t severely suck, but there’s value in being accurate here.
Kryss LaBryn
It certainly sounds like you have a severe reaction to it! 🙁 That’s unfortunate; I’m glad you’ve figured out what’s causing it!
I’m curious; do antihistamines have any effect? Do they help at all?
Dragon_Nataku
antihistamines are for environmental allergies. They don’t help with food allergies.
Screwball
You know, noone’s ever suggested those. That said, if ^Dragon is right, that’ll be a good reason why… 😛
Despite it being around 22 years ago, I still remember the doctors telling me about my newly discovered allergies. Bit hard to forget, considerably-life-changing-event & all. LOL Batman had his parents killed in front of him, Iron man got shrapnel in his heart, I discovered I was allergic to my favorite foods & went cold turkey complete with withdrawal symptoms… 😛
A
There are always way too many people ready and willing to fight you on your own life story. The author of this comic could sympathize.
Sorry so many people are way too quick to correct everyone on their personal experiences. Also, RIP your sweet tooth. Sadness.
Pookarah
I have a friend with similar over-production of insulin, and it turns out there is an illness that is sort of a reverse diabetic situation, where the pancreas is overactive as is the thyroid, and it reallllly screws with you on a mental/emotional level. Idk if you’ve seen an endocrinologist or other specialist for hormonal hijinks, but it might be worth looking into?
Raibean
Sounds like hypoglycemia to me! Hypoglycemia even causes people to have symptoms similar to clinical anxiety!
Dakhran
Not entirely accurate – there are sugars that can cause a true allergic reaction (drastic increase in IgE level, leading to anaphylaxis). One example is galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose (alpha-gal), which is contained in meat and is the source of a strange tick-borne contagious meat allergy in rural parts of the US. Some researchers are also suspecting some corn allergens to be sugar-based instead of protein-based. Plus, there are rare triggers of anaphylaxis that do not involve an immunological response – cold urticaria, for example.
…but yeah, regular food sugar is probably not a trigger. 🙂
Morid
You should look up the Alpha-gal allergy. It is spread in the US, by the Lone Star tick. It has made me break out after eating anything with mammalian meat in it.
Kelly
Sugar is only a “poison” in the absolute loosest sense. In that sense, every calorie we burn is a poison, and so is oxygen. Which can be a valid way of looking at things, especially when considering things like aging. But yeah sugar isn’t any more (or less) a poison than lipids (fat) and protein.
Mind you, getting, say, 80% of your calories from simple sugar will be worse for you than getting 80% from complex carbs or something. But that is just what humans are balanced for. Hummingbirds do just fine, after all.
AustKyzor
Actually, oxygen is toxic… it just takes a long-ass time to kill us. It’s why anti-oxidants are so important in our diets.
Amazi-Stool
Still toxic enough to be the reason of the first global mass extinction of life on earth.
We all are creatures like Poison Ivy: Being able to live with and through the toxin!
Blue
As my biology advisor once said, everything is toxic. The only question is the lethal dose.
Rowen Morland
That’s worrying.
DarkoNeko
Just when I thought it couldn’t go cuter.
Someone
This is less cute and more dark and worrying.
-Sentinel-
Dark and worrying, yes, but it DOES make me want to reach into the comic and hug them in sympathy.
JustCheetoDust
Well, one person’s “dark and worrying” might be someone else’s “cute.”
(for the record, I categorize this under the former)
DarkoNeko
I wish I could say I didn’t know Billie’s morning worry there.
But meh. 2 lovers in each other’s arms. Cute.
Disloyal Subject
That explains why shows like Mirai Nikki and Madoka Magica are so well-loved.
MeghanTheDreamCrusher
Mirai Nikki never wanted to be cute it reveled in how disturbing it was, hell I just watched it see how insane she could become, though I finally had to quit cause the writing gradually got worse as it progressed (and it wasn’t that great to start with…)
DarkoNeko
At first people are all like
“oooh I want a yandere girlfriend !”
but then
“hurr durr don’t kill me”
DarkoNeko
Found it. sort of.
inqntrol
That’s why Yandere Simulaltor exists,to fullfill some people’s …ahh…pleasures.
Plasma Mongoose
2D Yandere is the only safe yandere.
Mada
It’s cute until that last panel.
nothri
I like to call them hordorable.
Doctor_Who
“Just when I thought it couldn’t go cuter…I was right!”
otusasio451
Priorities.
Opus the Poet
Make sure your GF is still breathing is a thing for college students? I thought that was reserved for us fogeys.
gkheyf
there’s a nice little rest period in-between
Freezer
The difference is why you have to check.
Cephalo the Pod
Shit, man.
rachel
yeah whoa this is a little rough 🙁
Lapin
Well, that’s depressing. And kind of scary.
Doctor_Who
“That means the next fifteen minutes are solid handholdin’ and smoochin’ minutes, ‘fore ya gotta go check again!”
gkheyf
some sentences are universally applicable!
DarkoNeko
Genius !
StClair
*eyetwitch*
Plasma Mongoose
Remember kids, it doesn’t count as necrophilia if she was alive when you started having sex.
Cholma
SOMEbody’s been reading Oglaf! 😀
(hint: it was me)
Plasma Mongoose
*checks out Oglaf* Crikey Moses, it has been a while since I last checked Oglaf out, talk about timely.
Gojira
I hope this was an Oglaf reference, because my dong twinged in pain just reading that sentence.
Plasma Mongoose
Lets just say it was, that way your dong can be in less pain.
-Sentinel-
Your mind works in strange and terrifying ways, Plasma Mongoose. I do not envy you.
Plasma Mongoose
Since I might very well have an undiagnosed personality disorder, that’s to be expected, but I’m too old to worry about it too much any more.
Ana Chronistic
ok Oglaf
nothri
I feel like whatever lesson was to be taken from this, that definitely wasn’t it.
Rutee
Ah, you two. I love you both, but jeez, you need counselling.
JessWitt
* Paging Dr. Leslie Bean *
Plasma Mongoose
She would be a lot better than Deanna Troi, that’s for sure.
Cholma
“I sense . . . booze . . . and strong sexual attraction, Captain.”
“No shit, Counselor. Please tell me we aren’t PAYING you for these observations!”
“Commander Riker has me covered on that, sir.” *winks*
nothri
Dr. Jack Daniels just isn’t cutting it anymore.
rezby
ouch. thats a really familar feeling, that little burst of worry and anxiety that your partner spontaneously died overnight. it doesnt have to make sense to cause anxiety.
Cephalo the Pod
Y’know, Ruth’s arms wrapped around her should have been enough for Billie to know that Ruth was still alive.
I mean, it would have been pretty difficult for Ruth to kill herself while maintaining that position. Also pretty dickish.
David Alexander McDonald
Death by alcohol poisoning.
Opus the Poet