“The first line in treatment for many conditions is identifying subtle or severe intolerance or allergy. Choosing and accurately interpreting the right test for you or your child is essential to the success of your treatment.”
What is it?
Food intolerance, sensitivities and allergies are becoming more prevalent with each generation. Allergies, intolerance and sensitivities are immune responses that can be to anything such as food substances, colouring’s, preservatives, or additives, environment toxins, pollen or insects, chemicals, moulds, and even medications. In fact, an immune reaction can become a reactant for you at any time to absolutely anything. Allergies or intolerance can be immune responses passed on from birth, or can develop over your life through periods of stress, compromised immune responses, or gut disease processes such as infection or inflammation. In some cases the symptoms are acute, and quite severe, making it quite obvious that you’re having an allergic response, though mostly, the symptoms are chronic and cause low grade inflammation, which lead to disease processes in your body that you consider are normal signs of aging, though are not. More severe cases may result in anaphylactic reactions which can be life threatening. Most people believe, if they don’t suffer these types of symptoms, they don’t have allergies, though after having tested over 2000 people for food intolerance, every one of them has come back with at least a few, with more than 90% having a hefty list, so don’t assume this doesn’t affect you, it could be the reason behind you just not feeling 100%.
What might you be experiencing?
Typically initially you may have signs of fluid retention, weight gain, mood problems such as irritability, depression or anxiety, fatigue, lack of happiness, or motivation, lack of focus and concentration, poor memory, or chronic stress. Allergic responses also present themselves as hives, rashes or other skin conditions, asthma or digestive problems, bloating, pain or nausea after eating food, sinus and hayfever.
Reactive foods or environmental substances may also be the underlying cause or be contributing to a variety of symptoms including clinical depression, anxiety or panic disorders, cognitive decline, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and other more severe mood or behavioural problems. Intolerance or allergies have also been found to be linked, due to their inflammatory nature, to dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease, narcolepsy, cataplexy, fluid retention, chronic inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, autoimmune or digestive diseases, malaise, chronic fatigue syndrome, thyroid conditions, heart disease, stroke, type II diabetes, circulation problems, hormonal imbalances, infertility in both men and women, stress, toxicity, nutrient deficiencies, leading to further intolerance, and much more. Regardless of your type of reaction, the right treatment may reduce or resolve the response over time. Considering food intolerance or allergy testing should be taken seriously as a first line of defence against any health condition.
Can I overcome food sensitivities?
No supplement or treatment will overcome an intolerance or allergy response without removing the offending substance immediately. A successful outcome will require a combination approach including identification and removal of all substances, and repairing the organs involved. Then to restore the immune response through managing all conditions that may impact it, including gut bacterial balance, nutritional deficiency, poor diet, genetic mutations, stress, and hormonal imbalance. Only then do we retest to identify the offending substances are desensitised. Completely overcoming allergy or intolerance is the aim for lifelong health, and with the right treatment by an experienced practitioner, may very well be possible.
No supplement or treatment will overcome an intolerance or allergy response without removing the offending substance immediately. Identifying the right test for you is essential to achieving the right results for recovery from illness.
What could be the underlying cause for my reactions?
For some born with weakened systems through common gene mutations that may affect up to 40% of the population, by no means rare, often leaves a patient more susceptible to suffering with food intolerance or allergies. In these situations, it is the gene mutation that must be identified and accurately managed through correct treatment in order to completely overcome the reactions to the offending substances in the future. Two very common gene mutations include the MTHFR gene which reduces the ability to detoxify sufficiently and absorb folate through our diet, whilst another known as Pyrrole Disorder reduces the ability to absorb B6 and zinc in adequate levels from the diet. In both cases, digestion and the immune system is affected amongst other things.
Learn more about the MTHFR gene and take the quiz to identify if you may be at risk.
Learn more about Pyrrole disorder and take the quiz to identify if you may be at risk.
What should I do first?
Remove your current allergens to reduce the risk of new sensitivities developing, breaking the cycle. The most valuable thing you can do for your health is to find out what food suits you and what to avoid. Be aware that not all food allergy tests are created equal, there are some tests that can produce false negatives, being a generic assessment looking for foods you’ve already had reactions to, rather than all foods you could be reactant to. Comprehensive food allergy testing is available that is highly specific, covering all types of allergy responses rather than just one type at a time, is only available in two laboratories in the world, and we’re lucky enough to have one right here in Australia. Food allergy immediately affects your fluid levels, and can have a delayed response lasting days, which in turn affects your electrolytes, causing cellular energy to diminish. Keeping off your allergens will keep your energy levels and brain functioning optimal, keep your body at your correct metabolic weight, reduces oedema, puffiness and cellulite, and reduces muscle or joint aches and pains. Continuing to eat foods that are allergens will keep your gut wall inflamed, allowing more foods, currently not allergens to pass through the gut wall and become new allergens, forever compromising your immune system, leading to chronic disease and early aging.
Check your gut flora. Bacterial or fungal infections, which are picked up through traveling or passed on from other people through contact or through colds and flu, release toxins, causing inflammation of the gut wall, compromising the cells known as gap junctions, allowing for food particles to slip into the blood stream. This activates the immune system, alerting it to the presence of foreign particles, which then signals immune complexes to mark that food particle as danger, which results in the beginning of a food sensitivity. You then not only have the immune response to deal with, but the added symptoms associated with bacterial infection such as chronic recurring colds and viruses, depression, mood disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia. A health gut bacterial balance is a crucial step to building strong foundations in your health, and protecting you from food sensitivity.
Check your hormones. Food allergy responses can cause hormonal disruption, as the immune system and the endocrine system are closely linked. Not only can you cause hormonal imbalances such as infertility, miscarriage, PCOS, menopausal symptoms, PMS, migraine or hormonal acne from food sensitivities, but the response can be a two way street. Hormone disruption caused by other factors, such as taking the oral contraceptive pill, Implanon, HRT, hormonal creams, Depo-provera injection, Mirena, or suffering with stress, can all lower your DHEA, which increases your sensitivity to food allergens. It can become a vicious cycle leading to depression, anxiety, insomnia, memory loss, fatigue, weight gain, osteoporosis, and some hormonal cancers.
Reduce stress. Whether it be emotional, physical, or biochemical, stress will cause your body to produce the hormone cortisol, producing inflammation. With long term cortisol production comes gut inflammation, leading to food particles being able to penetrate the gut wall, into the blood stream, producing new food sensitivities. Cortisol production also causes inflammation of the joints, and the eventual irreversible breakdown of the cartilage in the joints, leading to osteoarthritis. Deal with emotional stressors and take measures to reduce your stress load. Keep physical stressors such as excessive workloads, excessive exercise, or anything that causes inflammation to your physical body to a minimum. Finally, keep your nutrient levels up, with a healthy diet, to maintain all the necessary nutrients for your biochemical pathways to function properly, reducing stress on your internal organs and systems.
Exercise. Exercise not only releases endorphins making you happy, and reducing stress, but moderate exercise also keeps your muscles pumping, and your lymphatic system functioning, moving excess fluid retention out through your kidneys and flushing out toxins. Exercise is also a great way to keep your bowel functioning normally, helping to rid your body of toxins from allergens in the gut. Allergy can for some people cause constipation, where for others may cause diarrhoea. For those having trouble moving their bowel, exercise is a great way to stay regular, and keep fluid retention at bay.
Innate Immune Response
Innate immunity refers to nonspecific defence mechanisms that come into play immediately or within hours of an antigen’s appearance in the body. These mechanisms include physical barriers such as skin, chemicals in the blood, and immune system cells that attack foreign cells in the body. A wide variety of nonspecific or hidden symptoms, may develop within this short time frame after consuming or being exposed to an offending food or substance. This immune response can be identified through changes in size and number of leucocytes (a white blood cell response) determining a whole blood inflammatory reaction which may affect any system or organ of your body.
IgG and IgA Immune Response
IgA antibodies are produced as a first line of defence against viruses and bacteria, produced in mucous secretions throughout the body. Testing for IgA antibodies against specific foods may be raised when the lining of the intestinal tract or the mucous membrane become inflamed or damaged. Elevated IgA to specific foods can be a sign of damage to the mucous membranes in the gut. Individuals with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, or even those with suspected leaky gut may benefit from testing IgA food reactions.
Generally, an IgG reaction occurs hours to days after exposure to these food antigens. As IgG only last in the blood stream for up to two weeks, when doing an IgG test, it is recommended to eat a large variety of foods in the two weeks prior to testing. If foods are not included in the diet during this time, false negative results may be obtained as recent exposure to these foods may be required for antibodies to be present in the blood. IgG reactions occur to the remaining foreign matter after the innate immune system has responded initially.
IgE Immune Response
The IgE food antibody response may cause an immediate reaction (allergy or anaphylaxis) or non-immune response to specific foods.
The IgE allergic response is the most well-known food allergy reaction. IgE food allergy reactions usually occur immediately after the ingestion of offending foods, such as peanuts or shellfish, usually sudden, acute and may be life threatening. Some other common foods that people have an IgE-mediated reaction to are things like nuts, milk and eggs.
Which test is the right test?
Based on your history, your genetics, your current situation and the types of symptoms you are suffering with, an experienced practitioner will determine the right test for you to overcome your health concerns. All of these tests may return different results as they are measuring different responses in the body, however testing all of these responses is usually not necessary.