COULD THE FOODS YOU EAT BE MAKING YOU SICK??
If you suffer from fatigue, malaise, headaches, difficulty losing weight, insatiable food cravings, food addictions, trouble concentrating, or simply that run-over-by-a-truck feeling that you just can’t shake, you may have food sensitivities that you are not aware of.
According to the experts, the rate of food reactions is consistently increasing. Poor diet, stress, trauma, infection, chemicals, drugs, environmental toxins and genetic predisposition are possible contributing factors to the development of food sensitivities.
These factors can affect the integrity of our gut wall – the interface between our external and internal environments. Leaky gut is when the gut wall becomes more permeable than it should be. Large food fragments may cross over the gut wall and activate an immune response, producing antibodies. Complexes of these antigens (the food molecules) and antibodies (the immune cells) then circulate through the body causing an inflammatory response, and eliciting non-descript symptoms such as skin eruptions, lethargy, poor concentration, mood imbalances, joint and muscle pain, sinus congestion, and more.
Are there different types of food allergies?
There are two major types of food allergies and two types of antibodies that play an important role in the immune response. IgE reactions are typically rapid in onset (within a few hours), causing symptoms such as asthma, itchy-watery eyes and nose, rash, swelling and acute gastrointestinal distress. In IgE allergies, the relationship between offending food and symptom is usually self-evident.
Sometimes referred to as food sensitivities, IgG reactions are another type of food allergy. The IgG cells tend to react more slowly, ranging from a few hours up to a couple of days after the food is ingested. Because of this delayed onset of symptoms, these types of food sensitivities are not as easily recognized, and may be silently taking their toll on your health without you being aware of them.
What can I do about food allergies?
The first step is to evaluate which foods are causing those IgG reactions that you may not be aware of. This can be achieved quickly and painlessly through a finger-prick test. A small drop of blood is taken from the end of the finger and sent to the lab, where it is analyzed and a report generated showing your individual level of reactivity to 96 different foods. Based on this, Dr. McFadzean will help you develop a plan of which foods should be avoided, which may be eaten on a rotation basis, and which foods may be eaten freely.
Will I have to avoid those foods forever?
In some cases, complete avoidance is the best plan. In other cases, three to four months may be sufficient to give the immune system a rest and allow the food to be eaten again. This may only happen, however, if steps are taken towards decreasing leaky gut, such as treating infections that may be present, addressing yeast overgrowth and recolonizing the healthy flora of the gut. Many individuals feel so much better off their offending foods that they happily choose to avoid them.
Most people who do food allergy testing are fascinated by the results. If you would like to find out which foods work well for you and which do not, contact our office about food allergy testing.