DO YOU HAVE FOOD INTOLERANCES?
August 13, 2012 by admin
Filed under Health Blog, Healthy Lifestyle
Do you suffer from fatigue, flatulence, headaches, bloating, excess burping, indigestion, joint pain, sinus congestion, skin rashes, stiffness, constipation or diarrhoea, or are you finding it hard to lose those excess kilos? If you said “Yes” to one or more of these, you may have a food intolerance.
WHAT IS A FOOD INTOLERANCE?
Food intolerance (also known as food sensitivity) can result from your body reacting adversely to certain foods. Often the foods we eat regularly or the foods we crave may be the ones causing the problem. Food intolerance symptoms may be due to several factors – an enzyme deficiency, for example in lactose intolerance; sensitivity to certain chemicals, for example amines in chocolate and red wine can cause migraines; or an IgG immune response as indicated by your test results.
Research has shown that food intolerance can be linked to IgG antibodies raised by your immune system when you eat certain foods (1) and these antibodies are easily identified by a simple test.
Under normal circumstances these antibodies form complexes with proteins in the food. These complexes are then eliminated by your immune system without any ill-effects. If the immune or digestive systems are compromised, these complexes may be deposited around the body causing inflammation and can result in a wide range of symptoms such as fatigue, IBS, bloating, migraine or obesity because your body sees the food as a “problem” food. Symptoms can last for several days or longer and are often intermittent, making it very difficult to identify ‘which’ foods your body is struggling to deal with. I’ve often had clients strongly believe they knew what the culprits were, and were very surprised when the test results showed antibodies to completely different foods they had never thought would be an issue for them. Avoiding these foods then resulted in dramatic changes to their health.
Food intolerance should not be confused with food allergy as this is a totally different condition which can cause serious and immediate effects, such as anaphylactic reactions in children with peanut allergies. Food intolerances, on the other hand, don’t cause life-threatening reactions but if left untreated, they can cause discomfort and long-term damaging effects to the body, which can result in chronic illness.
TESTING FOR FOOD INTOLERANCE
By taking a simple, finger-prick blood sample, either at home or at our clinic, it is possible to measure food-specific IgG antibodies in your blood. Your IgG antibody readings are then shown in your personal Food Intolerance Test results. The results will help you identify which foods you need to avoid to eliminate your symptoms and for your optimum health.
Consult your Naturopath to organize a simple test that may really improve your health or your children’s health.
Yours In Great Health,
Sar Rooney BHSc., ND., DC., DASc., GDSc. (Hons), MATMS, MNHAA, MHATO
Naturopathic Medicine Practitioner, Lecturer, Researcher
Earth Medicine TM
Email: [email protected]
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Helping you achieve optimal wellness, hormonal balance and disease prevention with personalised, professional naturopathic health care, clinical pathology testing and high-quality herbal medicines and supplements
Sar Rooney is a Naturopathic Medicine Practitioner specialising in Anxiety and Depression |Women’s Health| Hormonal Imbalances | Thyroid Disorders | Digestive Health | Genetic Polymorphisms (MTHFR/Pyroluria) | Nutritional Medicine | Optimal Wellness & Disease Prevention
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Disclaimer: The information provided is not intended to replace medical advice or treatment. Please note: I am not a medical practitioner.
1. Dietary advice based on food specific IgG results. Geoffrey Hardman, Gillian Hart, University of York, Heslington, York, UK Nutrition and food science vol 37 no 1 2007 pp16-23
