Food Sensitivity Testing
Food sensitivities also known as “adverse food reactions” can play a role in many common health conditions. A wide range of health complaints and/or diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome, crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, lupus, migraines, joint and muscle pain, acid reflux as well as fatigue are all symptoms which can be caused by our immune symptom’s “reaction” to foods, additives or other substances in our diet.
In the past an elimination diet by trial and error was required to figure out which foods were causing symptoms. Sometimes a “reactive” food can be easy to identify, like milk, but unfortunately, a chemical like solanine which is found in nightshade foods like tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, eggplant and even spices is not so easy to identify. Reactions can also be delayed and/or dose dependent. This means we may not feel the effects of a reactive food for 8 to 72 hours after ingestion. The problem is any food or food additive can be reactive. Even foods which are considered “healthy” such as chicken, blueberries, strawberries or even broccoli can be a reactive food causing symptoms.
Click on the link to view list of tested foods and chemicals.
Now, with advances in food sensitivity testing, a patented blood test called the Mediator Release Test® (MRT) can identify immune based, non-IgE mediated, adverse food and chemical sensitivities. The test exposes samples of blood to 170 foods and chemicals and measures whether the immune cells in your blood react. If a reaction occurs, chemical mediators capable of causing pain and inflammation such as histamine, cytokines, and prostaglandins are released. This can produce damaging effects on body tissues, leading to the development of chronic disorders. Based on test results, a multi-phase diet of tolerable foods is constructed to help heal the gut, reducing if not eliminate inflammation and give the patient relief of their symptoms.
To see if you might be a good candidate for the MRT blood test and LEAP program,
Contact Me to set up a pre-screening appointment.
This test and test report is provided solely for dietary manipulation and does not constitute for medical advice or treatment.