Almond, Apple, Apricot, Asparagus, Avocado, Baker’s Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), Banana, Barley, Beef, Beet, Blueberry, Brewer’s Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), Broccoli, Buckwheat, Cabbage, Candida albicans, Cane Sugar, Carrot, Cashews, Casein, Celery, Cheese, Chicken, Cocoa, Coconut, Cod fish, Coffee, Corn, Crab, Cranberry, Eggplant, Egg White, Egg Yolk, Flax, Garbanzo Beans, Garlic, Gliadin, Goat’s Milk Cheese, Grape, Grapefruit, Green Bean, Green Pepper, Halibut, Hazelnut, Honey, Kidney Bean, Lamb, Lemon, Lentil, Lettuce, Lima bean, Lobster, Milk, Millet, Mozzarella Cheese, Mushroom, Oat, Onion, Orange, Papaya, Pea, Peach, Peanut, Pear, Pecan, Pineapple, Pinto Bean, Pistachio, Plum (Prune), Pork, Potato, Pumpkin, Radish, Rice, Rye, Salmon, Sardine, Sesame, Shrimp, Sorghum, Soybean, Spinach, Strawberry, Sunflower, Sweet Potato, Tomato, Tuna, Turkey, Wheat Gluten, Walnut, Watermelon, Wheat, Whey, Yogurt and 75+ more…

There are 2 types of FOOD ALLERGY tests available. In our office we use ONLY the IgG test.

 First is the IgE test: Your medical doctor or Allergist might order tests for IgE (or immunoglobulin E) mediated allergies which are immediate responses to a foreign substance that has entered the body. These foreign substances can come from food or inhalation. This can usually be done as a scratch test on the patient’s arm or back.

IgE allergies can cause very serious symptoms like difficulty breathing, swelling, and hives. In even more severe cases IgE reactions can lead to anaphylactic shock. This test measures the blood level of IgE, one of the five subclasses of antibodies. Antibodies are proteins made by the immune system that attack antigens, such as bacteria, viruses, and allergens. IgE antibodies are found in the lungs, skin, and mucous membranes. They are associated mainly with allergic reactions (when the immune system overreacts to environmental antigens such as pollen or pet dander) and parasitic infections.

 A common example of a typical IgE response to a food allergy is peanuts. Suppose a person with a peanut allergy eats a peanut. B cells in the body (a type of white blood cells that are part of your adaptive immune system) are exposed to peanut allergens. B cells begin making IgE antibodies to fight the peanut “infection” because your body recognizes peanuts as poison, not food.

It is our opinion that getting an IgE test is a bit late… most clients already know when they are having an IMMEDIATE reaction to any food or substance.

 Second is the IgG test: These are antibodies that provide long-term resistance to infections, called Immunoglobulin G (IgG). They have a much longer half-life (around 28 days) than the traditional IgE allergy.

This is where food sensitivities come in because they are much more subtle and most people live with them for years, if not their entire lives. A food sensitivity is an adverse reaction to a food with no antigen-antibody response.

Symptoms range from headaches and nausea to depression, anxiety, and hyperactivity, or simply just fatigue, bloating, or mood changes after eating. Dark under-eye circles when you are well-rested also indicate a negative liver response to a food, especially in children.

These symptoms may occur hours or even days after the offending food has been ingested. The degree and severity of symptoms vary widely because of the genetic makeup of the individual.

 The complete elimination of IgG-positive foods may bring about substantial improvements in symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, autism, ADHD, cystic fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and epilepsy as demonstrated in numerous clinical studies performed at the National Institute of Health.

Everyone should get IgG tested for food sensitivities/Allergies, so they know what foods work for their body and what foods don’t. It’s no different than putting the right type of gas in your vehicle to help it perform the best.

You might get your results back and notice that wheat or gluten is NOT registering, or that dairy and eggs are NOT registering as positive on the results. That does NOT mean that you should indulge in those foods as we know for a fact they are very inflammatory. It simply means your IMMUNE system is not reacting to them… but you could still be having issues digesting them.

For that reason we strongly suggest you follow a true WHOLE FOOD diet. 

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It seems that a vast majority of people suffer from the same group of symptoms: headaches, insomnia, stomach problems (nausea, bloating, digestive issues, gas, rumbling, loose stools, constipation), skin issues (eczema, psoriasis, acne, rashes), and fatigue.

Is there a common culprit behind these “mystery” symptoms that no medical doctor has yet figured out? We think there is…

Mystery Symptoms Afflict Millions

It is estimated that anywhere from 45%-60% of the general population struggles with what we call “mystery symptoms.” Millions of people every year see their doctors because of them and often leave frustrated because no diagnosis is made, and treatment usually defaults to antidepressants.

It’s equally frustrating for both doctors and patients. But before you give up altogether, take heart … your health “problem” may not be the problem at all.

Have you ever thought that it might be what you eat that’s making you feel sick?

Food is a Foreign Invader

Food, specifically protein, can be identified by your body as a “foreign” invader. This elicits an immune response to attack the invader and defend your body. There are two kinds of immune responses to food:

• Immediate– this is the immune response that can be deadly, like peanuts in kids. It’s driven by the antibody IgE. But this is not the reaction that we are talking about in this post.
• Delayed– this is the response we want to focus on, what we call food sensitivity. It’s driven by the antibody IgG. The response here is slower and more chronic. It’s this delayed reaction that can result in the “mystery” symptoms. This low-grade, chronic immune response causes a heightened inflammatory state that can damage cells and tissues, producing the symptoms that drive millions of people to their doctors’ offices.

Let’s take a look at how we can identify which food is causing the delayed immune response and all of those symptoms.

A BIT MORE DATA…

Put simply, a food allergy is an allergic response to the protein in a food. When you think of food allergy, you may think of eating something that suddenly causes hives or shortness of breath, an anaphylactic response that sends you to the hospital. This type of reaction is a true food allergy called an IgE response and is classified as a hypersensitive severe immune reaction that may affect the respiratory tract or circulatory system. These food allergies are very serious, and you probably know which foods to avoid if this is you, as the onset usually occurs during early childhood. The most common IgE allergies are nuts and shellfish. According to the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network, only about 4% of the United States population has a true food allergy.

There is another type of food “allergy” that is more insidious and may take up to 72 hours to surface. This is a delayed food allergy and is technically a food intolerance, an IgG response, which refers to the IgG antibody, the largest circulating antibody in your system. What happens in this situation is that the IgG antibody marks certain food particles as antigens, and when you eat these foods, the body mounts an inflammatory immune response and attack. There is quite a bit of confusion about food allergy, food intolerance and food sensitivity. Food allergy is IgE allergy and food intolerance or sensitivity is IgG.

Food sensitivity means that you can bite a food and you’re typically going to react to a chemical in that food, perhaps a protein

• But it’s mostly a small molecule, maybe a sugar, maybe a fat, maybe a spice
• And with that, people can get headaches, people can get bloating and any of the other myriad of symtpoms:
• Gas
• Migraines
• Eczema
• Rash
• Acne
• Heartburn – acid reflux
• Fatigue
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Hay fever symptoms (itchy, watery eyes, sneezing)
• Asthma
• Insomnia
• Brain fog
• Joint pain
• IBS or Crohn’s
• Itchiness
• Stomach pains
• Weight issues
• Arthritis
• Autoimmune disorders
• Food cravings
• Behavioral problems in children
• Hoarseness
• Puffiness in face and eyes
• Fainting, dizziness

With a food sensitivity, people get bloating, people get headaches, but they’re not going to have a fatal reaction. The symptoms instead cause a poorer quality of life.

Some estimates say that up 80 percent of people have IgG food allergies. Many practitioners use food allergy testing in their practices to help determine which foods are problematic. By avoiding those foods, one may lose weight, heal leaky gut syndrome, improve IBS or Crohn’s, heal eczema, and just plain feel better, because the allergy response creates inflammation that can lead to weight gain, leaky gut, and a host of other problems.

The symptoms that develop depend on what regions of the body are impacted by the antibodies produced to combat the problematic food.

With food sensitivity, people get bloating, people get headaches, but they’re not going to have a fatal reaction. The symptoms instead cause a poorer quality of life.

Many medical doctors not being versed on the difference between food allergies (IgE testing at an allergist office) and food sensitivities (IgG testing done with functional/natural practitioners)… might state, “The immune system is not reacting at all in that state of a food sensitivity”

Actually…. They are both right and wrong…it CAN react, but it reacts with a different pathway than an allergic pathway.

If you have enough lactose and you keep drinking lactose, your body can send some immune cells to try to break it down, and that causes inflammation.

For some people, ingesting certain preservatives or emulsifiers, their immune system doesn’t like these chemicals. They’re seen as foreign, and for some people, the immune system reacts but it reacts with a different pathway than an allergic pathway. And the end result is INFLAMMATION somewhere in the body (brain, joints, gut, organs, etc.)

We had one client who has terrible bloating with mushrooms because a certain chemical in them mushroom bothers her immune system – the minute she even smells the mushroom, she gets an immediate reaction in her gut that causes her to vomit!

• But it’s not a food allergy in the normal medical sense with an IgE response
• It’ IS an intense reaction of the nervous system to that food chemical

Joint pain is the most common symptom of sensitivity. This is because immune complexes often settle in or invade the joints. Certain foods such as dairy, soy, and gluten trigger inflammatory responses that can disrupt joint movement and function. Furthermore, when inflammatory foods are regularly consumed, the body may develop a resistance to cortisol and insulin, which further increases the risk of chronic inflammation in the joints and elsewhere.

How a food allergy begins 

 When a baby is born, perhaps their skin is a little rough and a little dry and there might be microscopic holes in that skin. That happens a lot now a lot of children have dry skin. With that little dry skin, the epithelial cells that are typically connected and form a nice beautiful barrier, they separate, and our body doesn’t know how to deal with this separation too well. It thinks it’s a mosquito bite, and it’s like, “Wait, what the heck is happening? I have a little hole in there.”

It reacts to these types of holes as if it were a mosquito bite!

And all of a sudden in the air you have dust that might contain hazelnut protein or in this case, peanut protein, and that comes settling in and it goes through this hole [in the skin].

Our body has a very prehistoric way of dealing with this, which gets back to parasites back in our history.

Allergens come in by passive aeration, it drops down on the skin. The body tries to pick it up, and the immune system tries to sense, “What the heck is this? Is this good or bad?”

Then it says, “Wait, this is bad. I’m not supposed to have food through my skin. I’m supposed to have food through my gut.”

So the cell [the macrophage] takes it up and activates the allergic pathway because it thinks it’s a parasite, it thinks it’s a mosquito bite.

The macrophage takes up the food, processes it, teaches a T cell to interact with that food antigen and then a B cell starts to make IgE against that very same food antigen. Now, the next time that baby eats a peanut, even if it eats it through the gut, that little IgE molecule will have been made by the B cell and it’s sitting around in the blood

IgE will bind to the peanut protein that the baby eats.

Remember, the IgE is a very small percentage of the concentration of proteins in the blood, but it is a potent molecule. It’s literally the match that lights the fire behind allergies!

In a person with an allergic reaction to peanuts (as an example), that IgE binds to the peanut and then this part of the IgE molecule is recognized by a receptor on another cell. The IgE bound to the peanut allergen now docks via the antibody’s Fc region into a receptor on a cell and activates histamine release by that cell [shown in the figure below]

That occurs within minutes.

Within 6 minutes, histamine goes through the body and causes swelling and mucus release (in your lungs, eyes, or nose), itching on your skin. The itching is very similar to what would happen if you got a mosquito bite.

In the same way that your body wants to get rid of that mosquito, it wants to get rid of that food. The body’s trying to do something that it was meant to do prehistorically, but it doesn’t help the person at all.

Histamine levels become so high that it can sometimes cause death!

Within minutes if you already have asthma or lung issues… that mucus can become so strong that it clogs up your lungs. It can even affect your blood pressure leading to dizziness and heart issues.

So we mentioned dry skin as an issue… but there is a lack of certain other factors that predispose a person to food allergies.

Having a poor microbiome (“good dirt”)in the gut helps to decrease the likelihood of food allergies. Children who grow up on farms and have a lot of exposure to animals tend to not have as many food allergies. Kids who grow up with animals like dogs and and cats have less food allergies… we think this is most likely due to the microbiome.

We know that having plenty of vitamin D3 is important.

We also know that babies being around a lot of detergent is at risk (due to drier skin!)

Pollution or tobacco smoke… pesticides being sprayed around your home can all affect a persons’ lungs and gut leading to food allergies.

So many times a person wants to blame their allergies on DNA or genetics… not so… it really is environment and diet.

My advice for babies and even adults:

1. Improve your skin barrier by keeping it moisturized. Stay away from petroleum or paraffin based products as these are not natural to the skin.
2. Choose products that have natural lipids like ceramides.
3. Rinse everything!!!! Food, toys, etc.
4. If you’re a new mother… breastfeed your baby

We know that the environment is changing… with different detergents, different emulsifiers, different chemicals in our food, different pollutants, different viruses… our bodies are sometimes having a tough time keeping up…

So, you’re telling me that I can develop these food sensitivities even in later life?

Food intolerance may be hereditary and detected during childhood, but it can also emerge later in life. Your body can develop an aversion to certain foods as you age or after a change in diet. A sudden sensitivity to certain foods can also occur as a result of taking medications (e.g. antibiotics) for a considerable time or due to a stressful life event like losing your job, going through a breakup or divorce, undergoing major surgery or battling a serious illness.

I ate completely plant based for years living on vegetables, potatoes, nuts, seeds and beans. After 8 years eating this way I started to develop gut issues that seemingly came out of nowhere. I redid my food intolerance test and was sensitive to potatoes and almonds, cabbage and broccoli. Shocking yes… but… I’m older, and recently went through a recent 2 year long stressor that obviously changed my gut!

IgG Food Allergy Test w/ Candida

IgG (immunoglobulin G) testing is a useful guide for structuring elimination diets in many chronic conditions. Individuals with neurological, gastrointestinal, and movement disorders often suffer from IgG food allergies. These people may continue to eat offending foods unaware of their potential effects. IgG antibodies provide long term resistance to infections and have a much longer half life than the traditional IgE allergy. Symptoms may occur hours or days after the offending food has been eaten.

The 192 foods tested in the IgG Food Allergy Test w/ Candida can identify problem food so it can be eliminated from the person’s diet.

This elimination of IgG positive foods can improve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, autism, AD(H)D, cystic fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and epilepsy according to numerous clinical studies.

Candida is also checked. Candida problems are caused when the benign yeast form of Candida albicans mutates to its fungal form. Candida can take over sections of the intestinal wall causing numerous symptoms. As it grows out of balance it produces toxins that create holes in the intestinal lining, leading to leaky gut syndrome. After entering the blood, Candida albicans cause an inflammatory immune system response. A wide range of disorders have been linked to Candida including autism, multiple sclerosis, depression, and chronic fatigue. The use of antibiotics, oral contraceptives, chemotherapy, and anti-inflammatory steroids greatly increases susceptibility to Candida.

Research and clinical studies suggest food allergies identified by IgG testing can be a major contributing factor in many chronic health conditions (IBS, SIBO, Etc.). Food rotation and elimination diets can reduce stress on the immune system, lower gut inflammation, resolve food cravings, and reduce the potential for eating disorders. Individuals with neurological, gastrointestinal, and movement disorders often suffer from IgG food allergies. These people may continue to eat offending foods unaware of their potential effects. IgG antibodies provide long term resistance to infections and have a much longer half-life than the traditional IgE allergy.

Symptoms may occur hours or days after the offending food has been eaten. The 93 foods tested in the IgG Food Allergy Test w/ Candida can identify problem food so it can be eliminated from the person’s diet. This elimination of IgG-positive foods can improve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, autism, AD(H)D, cystic fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, SIBO, and epilepsy according to numerous clinical studies.

DAIRY ALLERGIES

After testing hundreds of clients for food allergies and sensitivities we have noted that 1 for 1 have some level of issues with DAIRY. Most individuals assume a DAIRY intolerance or allergy means they are “LACTOSE INTOLERANT”. That is NOT always the case!

Certainly, a lactose intolerance can be present. You could be reacting poorly to the lactose, the casein, the whey, or all of it. So let’s break this down and take a look at lactose, casein, and whey, etc.

LACTOSE (sugar) INTOLERANCE: Lactose intolerance occurs when people stop making lactase, the digestive enzyme located along the small intestinal wall that breaks lactose into glucose and galactose for easy digestion. This usually occurs around the age of four or five (lactose intolerance is incredibly rare in infants, for obvious reasons). Without lactase enzymes, lactose is metabolized instead by bacteria which can cause: stomach upset, flatulence, diarrhea, bloating, nausea, and a host of familiar but unwelcome gastrointestinal symptoms. Lactose intolerance can develop in people who have stopped producing lactase enzymes as a baby. Some lactose intolerance comes and goes due to damage to particular cells lining the intestines. And then some lactose intolerance stems from gut dysbiosis (an imbalance of gut bacteria).

CASEIN OR WHEY INTOLERANCE: A dairy protein (whey or, more commonly, casein) intolerance or allergy causes a number of symptoms. In an allergy, consumption of the offending food elicits an immediate, acute, unmistakable immune response. You might get severely plugged sinuses, itchy skin, hives or rashes, hypotension, diarrhea, vomiting, an elevated heart rate, and difficulty breathing.

Intolerances to the proteins in dairy are a bit more confusing. Some of the symptoms are similar to, if milder than those of allergic reactions. For some people, it manifests as constipation. For others, diarrhea. Still, others get tingly fingers, joint pain, and a foggy head. Whatever the symptoms of a dairy protein intolerance, they usually take longer to appear, making identification difficult.

Causes: A major, and in my opinion likely, candidate for the cause of dairy protein intolerance is intestinal permeability or leaky gut. An overly permeable intestine (all intestines are permeable to a certain degree; it’s excessive permeability that’s the main issue) allows protein fragments from the digestive tract into the bloodstream. When the immune system identifies these errant proteins as invaders, it does what it does in response to any other invading pathogen: mount an attack and fortify the body’s defenses by releasing histamine (which tries to get rid of the “pathogen” by inducing diarrhea, sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, and all the other symptoms you might get from an allergic or intolerance reaction). In a perfect world, casein may not be inflammatory in and of itself, but its presence in the bloodstream can invite an inflammatory response.

Casein-rich foods: ALL cheeses, Greek yogurt (yogurt with the whey drained), cottage cheese, casein protein powder

 Whey-rich foods: ricotta, whey protein powders, etc.

Foods with casein and whey: milk, yogurt, kefir, butter

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Can a Simple Finger Stick Hold All the Answers?

Unfortunately, identifying which of the many foods you regularly consume that may be causing your symptoms, or the specific natural or artificial compound contained in any of those foods, can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

There are as many food allergies and sensitivities as there are symptoms. And until recently, the available detection methods have been rudimentary at best. The good news is that advances in individualized blood testing now enable you and your doctor to zero in on the compounds that may be causing your problem.

It’s called the COMPREHENSIVE IgG FOOD ALLERGY TEST – This particular IgG test measures your sensitivity to certain foods from an antibody-mediated immune response. The antibody measured in this test is IgG. Our COMPREHENSIVE IgG FOOD ALLERGY TEST comes conveniently packaged as a kit. It requires a “finger stick” blood spot to be collected and shipped directly to the laboratory in a pre-paid envelope. All necessary components for the “finger-stick” are included in the kit with a complete set of instructions for easy collection.

With the results in hand, you can methodically and definitively eliminate the food causing the symptoms from your diet. This means you can start feeling better fast.

The Benefits of Testing

• Helps determine if food reactions are contributing to physical or mental symptoms
• Removal of highly reactive foods from the diet is a non-invasive, food-based therapy that often mitigates a patient’s symptoms
• Research and clinical studies suggest food allergies identified by IgG testing can be a major contributing factor in many chronic health conditions

Food elimination diets can reduce stress on the immune system, lower gut inflammation, resolve food cravings, reduce the potential for eating disorders, help to balance hormones, and relieve inflammation in the body.

Give our office a call today 337-989-0572 to get your own personalized food allergy testing kit sent to your home. It’s a simple finger blood spot test that almost anyone can do either at our office or in your own home. It’s then sent to the lab. We get the results in approximately 17 days.

Sample of FOODS TESTED:

Almond, Apple, Apricot, Asparagus, Avocado, Baker’s Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), Banana, Barley, Beef, Beet, Blueberry, Brewer’s Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), Broccoli, Buckwheat, Cabbage, Candida albicans, Cane Sugar, Carrot, Cashews, Casein, Celery, Cheese, Chicken, Cocoa, Coconut, Cod fish, Coffee, Corn, Crab, Cranberry, Eggplant, Egg White, Egg Yolk, Flax, Garbanzo Beans, Garlic, Gliadin, Goat’s Milk Cheese, Grape, Grapefruit, Green Bean, Green Pepper, Halibut, Hazelnut, Honey, Kidney Bean, Lamb, Lemon, Lentil, Lettuce, Lima bean, Lobster, Milk, Millet, Mozzarella Cheese, Mushroom, Oat, Onion, Orange, Papaya, Pea, Peach, Peanut, Pear, Pecan, Pineapple, Pinto Bean, Pistachio, Plum (Prune), Pork, Potato, Pumpkin, Radish, Rice, Rye, Salmon, Sardine, Sesame, Shrimp, Sorghum, Soybean, Spinach, Strawberry, Sunflower, Sweet Potato, Tomato, Tuna, Turkey, Wheat Gluten, Walnut, Watermelon, Wheat, Whey, Yogurt

Legal: The information provided is not intended as a means of diagnosis or treating illness or as a replacement for any medicine or advice from a competent physician. Individuals having serious health problems should consult a competent licensed physician specializing in their condition. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. We assume no responsibility for anyone choosing to self-administer any suggestions in this publication; they do so on their own determinism. The information in this publication is for educational purposes only.

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