★ The author, Shintaro Suzuki, is an associate professor in the Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergic Diseases at Showa University School of Medicine, as well as a board-certified allergist and training physician. His areas of expertise include adult food allergies, anaphylaxis, and drug allergies. In 2022, he received the Meritorious Service Award from the Japan Medical Association’s “Red Beard” Prize.
★ Have you been troubled for a long time by “unexplained discomfort”? — After being told, “The tests show nothing abnormal” or “It’s probably just old age,” your chronic cough, fatigue, hives, or gastrointestinal issues still won’t go away. In many cases, these symptoms are actually due to “hidden allergies.” Hidden allergies are characterized by atypical, fluctuating symptoms, making them hard to detect.
★ A man in his 50s, who loves surfing, developed hives all over his body, palpitations, and difficulty breathing the day after eating natto at dinner. He was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with anaphylactic shock. The cause: when he was younger, he had been stung by a jellyfish, which triggered the production of antibodies in his body; later, eating natto set off a cross-reaction. This type of “delayed allergy” came as a surprise even to him.
★ The book also discusses beer allergies, red-food allergies, painkiller allergies, contrast-agent allergies, and “food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis”—where symptoms only occur after exercising following the consumption of certain foods. Adult allergies differ from those in children, and this book is specifically written for adults.

“I’m getting older, so there’s nothing I can do.” “The tests came back normal.” After hearing such words, many people resign themselves to enduring a persistent, vague sense of discomfort. Symptoms like easy fatigue, a lingering cough that won’t go away, a tight throat, hives, or feeling unwell when visiting certain places—behind these complaints, allergic reactions are often at play.
This book, written by a pulmonologist and allergy specialist, introduces surprising cases—such as “Could something like this really cause an allergy?”—while explaining how readers can recognize the connection between their own symptoms and allergies. It covers a wide range of topics, from the types of allergies and which symptoms serve as warning signs, to which medical department to visit and what tests to undergo, as well as key precautions for daily life. In particular, it focuses on common adult allergies like food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis, and also discusses beer allergy, natto allergy, red-food allergy, as well as allergies to painkillers and contrast agents—unexpected allergies that might make you think, “I never imagined it could happen to me.”
A must-read for anyone troubled by unexplained discomfort!

Shintaro Suzuki (Suzuki Shintaro)
Allergist and supervising physician. Associate Professor, Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergic Diseases, Division of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Showa University; also Associate Professor, Division of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, Showa University. His areas of expertise include food allergies (adolescence to adulthood), anisakiasis-related allergies, anaphylaxis, drug allergies, occupational health, gastrointestinal allergies (adolescence to adulthood), eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases, asthma, and respiratory diseases.

Chapter 1 The True Face of Neglected Allergies
Chapter 2 Allergies That Are Actually All Around Us: Food Allergies
Chapter 3 Allergies That Are Actually All Around Us: Drug Allergies
Chapter 4 Allergies That Are Actually All Around Us: Everyday Life
Chapter 5 Living Well with Allergies
Chapter 6 Evolving Allergy Treatments