There are foods that we like more and others that we like less, some of us may even hate them or that they cause us disgust, but that does not necessarily indicate the presence of a phobia. The aliumfobia is an irrational and excessive fear of garlic that conditions to end the life of the person suffering. It is not a mania, it is a phobic disorder that we tell you about in our dictionary of phobias .
What is alliumphobia
Alliumphobia is the fear of garlic. This phobia towards some food should not surprise us because we already know it in the case of mycophobia , for example, or the fear of mushrooms. The fear that some foods produce is tried to justify by a supposed danger of poisoning or even death if they are consumed. A fear that, without a doubt, does not come to justice.
We may be facing the explanation of that legend that says that vampires are alliumphobic beings that can be weakened with a simple garlic. So powerful are the effects of garlic that they can defeat beings as strong as vampires? Without a doubt, the fear of garlic must have an ancient explanation that escapes us. But let’s go back to the real world and the people who suffer from this disorder.
Symptoms of alliumphobia
What a person with alliumphobia does is avoid garlic , that seems clear. But you can’t always get it, right? Because they are not only afraid of eating garlic, but also of smelling it and that leads us to a limitation of their important social and family life . Meals with friends or family are a real torture for these people if any of the dishes has garlic.
The disorder does not subside with leaving the plate empty and skipping that food that contains garlic, because only with the smell of garlic can all the well-known symptoms of anxiety appear . Palpitations, dizziness, sweating, a feeling of unreality, shortness of breath and, in the worst situations, a panic attack. As you can see, it is not a question of gastronomic tastes , but a real problem that must be dealt with as soon as possible.
Causes of alliumphobia
But before looking for a treatment you have to look for an origin . Where does this irrational fear of garlic come from? Assuming that you are not a vampire, it does not seem that this food is too dangerous for your health, which leads us to think that it is a fear born of a previous anxiety disorder that generates fears with the most surprising stimuli.
As with all phobias, the traumatic experience is not ruled out as the origin of alliumphobia. A child who was forced to eat garlic when he really did not like it could have experienced this imposition with a strong emotional charge. They are disorders that are carried on throughout life and it is not advisable to look the other way because mental and physical health is at stake .
Treatment of alliumphobia
It is not advisable to try to overcome a phobia on our own. Phobias are important disorders that need the help of a professional and psychological therapy . In this case, the most indicative seems to be the successful cognitive behavioral therapy that has helped so much people with phobias and other disorders such as anxiety or depression.
In any case, given the misunderstanding that a problem such as alliumphobia can cause around us, it is interesting to go to help groups with people who suffer from the same phobia or others who are also considered rare . Without forgetting the importance of practicing relaxation techniques to reduce anxiety.
If you are interested in knowing more details about these irrational fears that cause so many difficulties and limitations in daily life for people who suffer from them, do not forget to visit our category of ‘phobias’ . You will find everything you need to know about its causes, its symptoms, its consequences and its treatment.