Naperville Integrated Wellness
NAPERVILLE'S TOP RATED LOCAL® FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE FACILITY
Food Allergy and Food Sensitivity Testing? – From our Functional Medicine Doctor
If you have been researching blood testing and functional medicine, you may have heard the terms ‘food allergy testing’ or ‘food sensitivity testing.’ You may even think that the two terms are one and the same. Perhaps you have gone to an allergy doctor and been tested for food allergies. Maybe you have even left the doctor feeling confused and disappointed because your results and food avoidances resulted in no appreciable change to your symptoms. If you can relate to any of this or, are curious about the types of food testing, then read on. Here at Naperville Integrated Wellness, we often receive calls from individuals who want a blood test for food allergies or sensitivities. Food blood testing and functional medicine are very much linked. It is important to understand the different types of food testing. This article will provide a summary of the types of testing and the difference between testing for food allergies vs food sensitivities. You will also learn the importance of how the results are interpreted and utilized by a functional medicine doctor. There is a significant difference between a food allergy and a food sensitivity. If you go to an allergist and to get a blood test or scratch test for foods, you will be tested for food allergies. Many times, the results come back “negative” …meaning you don’t have any food allergies. If you had a blood test, it was measuring the levels of an antibody called IgE. A true “food allergy” will show elevated levels of this IgE antibody to that food. Unfortunately, most of us are not suffering with symptoms due to true food allergies (IgE). Rather, we are dealing with food sensitivities (IgG or IgA antibodies). An allergist will not typically test for food sensitivities. So, in many cases, you end up leaving the allergist’s office with a negative IgE test, believing that food is not a problem for you. You conclude, therefore, that you can eat whatever you want. This often leads to frustration and disappointment as you are left with no answers and feeling no better. Food sensitivity testing is also a blood test, but we are looking at different antibodies. We are not looking at the IgE immune antibodies described above. Instead, we measure the level of two different antibodies; IgG and IgA. If you have elevated IgG or IgA to a specific food, then you have a sensitivity to that food. In our office we test for all 3 antibodies so that we can get a better understanding of which foods you are reacting to. And how to create a dietary plan based on those results. One of the most important considerations in food testing is the quality of the testing. If you want to get the most out of your food test results you need to make sure that a reputable lab is processing your specimen. A second important consideration of food testing is how the results of the test are utilized. The most common mistake I see regarding the use of food testing is in the interpretation of the results. Many people come to my office with food tests that were ordered from a different doctor and the first question I ask them is, “What did your doctor tell you to avoid, or limit based on this test?” I ALWAYS GET THE SAME ANSWER; “I was told to avoid or rotate only the food that came up positive.” This is a grave mistake and one which will not lead to any significant changes for a patient. Instead, the results of the test should be utilized to identify food relationships. Without a physician’s understanding of food types and food relationships, the results are seen only as a bunch of random and unrelated foods! The resulting course of treatment will likely result in no success in addressing the problem the patient is facing with his/her food issues. Case in point, I recently saw 2 patients around the same time period; one was from St. Charles and the other from Orland Park; they both had food sensitivity testing done and both were given the advice “avoid and or rotate the foods that came up positive.” As you may guess, neither of these individuals saw any health improvements from that advice and had to continue searching for another physician to help with their symptoms. This establishes the final and most important consideration in effectively utilizing food test results. It is essential that the results are interpreted by someone who understands the food relationships. They can create an appropriate diet plan based on those results. The purpose of functional medicine is: Understanding health problems, knowing how and where to investigate, understanding what to look for, understanding what is found and creating a plan of action to correct the root cause of the health problem. This is what I do, this is what I love, this is functional medicine, this is why Naperville Integrated Wellness exists. I hope you have found value in this information. I wish you health, happiness and a better quality of life! If you would like more information about functional medicine and integrative medicine or Dr. Sexton go to napervilleintegratedwellness.com Do your own research, inform yourself and ask lots of questions. When collecting information, you MUST consider the source. There is no shortage of false, misleading, outdated, profit-driven and utterly biased information in healthcare today. Even from the most respected sources and organizations. This approach to healthcare is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate, or prevent any disease. Why? The FDA enforces its position that these words can only be used with drugs. This approach does not use drugs.Food Allergy Testing
Food Sensitivity Testing
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Escape From The Food-Confusion Maze!
