back to list Many medical experts predict that between 50%-60% of all Americans have negative reactions to some foods. These reactions are not only restricted to the intestinal tract but can cause brain, immune system, genitourinary, musculoskeletal, respiratory and skin symptoms (see chart below). Most food reactions go undiagnosed as they are not related to the digestive system or occur immediately on ingesting the food. The problem can be with a protein in the food, such as casein in milk, a starch in the food, such as gluten in wheat, or by additives to the food product, such as preservatives and food colorings. One of the standard tests for allergies, the skin patch test, is ineffective for many food allergies. Other laboratory tests, like the RAST test, are costly and do not address the problem of food combining. This leaves three testing methods that effectively can help isolate food sensitivities. First, there is an elimination diet. The problem here is what to eliminate. The possibilities can be almost anything that you eat or drink. If your symptoms improve, you eat the food you have eliminated for a number of days. If you were sensitive to it, and had headaches, for example, they would return with a vengeance. Secondly, there is a test that uses the response of your heart to what you ingest. In this test, you take your pulse rate before you eat and again ten minutes after you finish eating or drinking. If your pulse rises, and you haven’t consumed caffeine or exercised, you have consumed something you are sensitive to. The last test is a provocative challenge that tests your body’s response to your tasting or ingesting a liquid or food. This is done in the office and allows us to find both singular substances and combinations of foods that may be creating your symptoms.
Food Allergies
AFFECTED AREA
POSSIBLE SYMPTOMS
Digestive
Canker sores, diarrhea, gastritis, stomach upset, irritable colon, colitis, gas
Genitourinary
Bedwetting, bladder infection
Brain
Headaches, hyperactivity, inability to concentrate, insomnia, irritability,
confusion, personality changes
Musculoskeletal
Joint pain, muscle aches
Respiratory
Breathing Problems, asthma
Immune
Chronic infections
Skin
Acne, hives, rash, itching
Other
Irregular heart beats, edema, swelling, itchy throat, sinusitis
One of the advantages of the in office testing is that we can often determine what can be done to help you overcome the sensitivity. Sometimes, it is a failure of proper digestion. In these cases, supporting your digestive system so that you can more fully breakdown your food will eliminate the symptom pattern. For example, think of a protein as a long extension ladder. In the digestive process, the sides of the ladder are split away and the steps (or rungs) are split in two. This final product of protein digestion leaves us with singular amino acids that are assimilated into our blood stream from the digestive tract and are then used to for rebuilding or producing hormones, among other things. If the digestion is faulty, you absorb chunks of protein that are not easily used and can create symptoms.
Once we have determined what you are sensitive to, there are several options. The first is just avoiding the food. This is not easy if the food is milk, soy, corn or wheat as these are found in many foods. The second is to use a rotational diet. In this case, you rotate the foods that you eat every four to five days. For most foods, this will stop the sensitivity, but it is hard to do. The next option is to make your body work better so that you do not have the symptom.
This could entail boosting your digestive, detoxification, and/or immune systems. Finally, sometimes you can be desensitized to the foods that you are allergic to.
Choosing which options are right for you and your lifestyle depends on what you are sensitive to and how many foods or food products are involved.
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