Knowing what foods you are allergic or sensitive to can change your health in radical ways.
Inflammation is often the root cause of many chronic diseases. Inflammation is an immune response that occurs when the body senses an outside threat such as an injury or stress. This response activates certain proteins to protect the body from injury. However, if the body does not call off the protective response, the cells responding to the threat will do more harm than good.
Recurrent exposure to foods that we are allergic to can cause an abnormal immune response, which results in inflammation appearing throughout the body. For those suffering from food intolerance or sensitivity, inflammation occurs through a negative reaction to food, often in or around the gut. These negative reactions may be immediate or delayed, but if these reactions go untreated, they can become chronic issues.
Avoiding foods you have sensitivities to will lower the risk of inflammation in the body and help with weight loss. Bloating and joint pain will vanish, the digestion process will ease, and many other physical symptoms will fade or disappear altogether.
Food Allergy, Sensitivity, and Intolerance: Understanding symptoms
Both mood and a sense of general well-being are directly linked to our diets. The symptoms of food allergy, sensitivity, and intolerance may all present themselves in a similar manner. It is important to understand the variations in symptoms as they range from life-threatening to slightly irritating. The most severe responses generally stem from a food allergy, while those suffering from a food sensitivity may only notice mild effects.
Food Allergy
A food allergy occurs when the immune system has an adverse response to a certain food. Symptoms of a food allergy can be quite severe and include, but are not limited to, swollen airways, wheezing or coughing, hives, fainting or dizziness, and abdominal pains.
Food Sensitivity
A food sensitivity is characterized by the delayed reaction time of symptoms. Often symptoms are mild or are similar to common ailments, such as headaches, eczema, or itchy eyes. This makes food sensitivities especially difficult to diagnose; without proper testing, those suffering from a food sensitivity may go their entire lives without knowing they have one.
Food Intolerance
A food intolerance is caused by the body’s inability to digest a particular food. While a food allergy triggers the immune system, a food intolerance is purely dependent on the digestive system. Dairy and grain products are two of the most common aggregators of food intolerance.
Why get tested?
Food allergies and food sensitivities are abnormal responses to a food component triggered by the immune system in the form of immunoglobulins (IgE, IgG, IgA). Depending on severity, the response will occur with either an immediate or delayed response. It is important to know what foods are best for your body and which may be causing sensitivities. Headaches, nausea, fatigue, and bloating are common side effects of an allergy or sensitivity. Food is the fuel that powers your daily life. The foods that make up your diet help you perform at your best. Eating right is no different than putting the right type of gas in your vehicle.
Certified Wellness Practitioner and Nutrition Consultant
Dr. Arminta Phelps, D.C, C.C.W.P., is a certified wellness practitioner and nutrition consultant. She has been awarded her C.C.W.P. (Certified Chiropractic Wellness Lifestyle Practitioner), a certification in a postgraduate education by the ICA Council on Wellness Science. A C.C.W.P. is educated in the areas of evidence-based protocols for chiropractic care in regards to recovery, wellness, performance, and prevention.
The program examines the four different protocols that should be performed by a chiropractor for wellness treatment. The protocols cover care methods from examining the patient’s genetic nutritional requirements to improving their mental attitude through behavior change. These concepts include chiropractic and lifestyle, nutrition and supplementation, spinal and physical fitness, and psychosocial fitness.
Alletess Food Allergy Testing
Alletess Medical Laboratory specializes in food and inhalant allergy testing, food sensitivity panels, and other comprehensive testing to assess the immune system.
Achieve Balance uses a noninvasive finger prick analysis allergy test. With a simple finger prick, you can choose from one of two tests. The first option looks at 96 different foods, while the second looks at 184. Once the finger prick is completed, we send your blood directly to the Alletess lab where it is analyzed using advanced diagnostic technology. Alletess quantifies the levels of specific antibodies in your blood serum to identify the degree and extent of your allergies or sensitivities.
Tests We Offer
- 96 Comprehensive Food Panel, IgG
- 184 Comprehensive Food Panel, IgG
IgG are anitbodies that provide long-term resistance to infections, called Immunoglobulin G (IgG).
Even if you are not showing signs of an allergy or sensitivity, it is important to still get IgG tested so that you know what foods work with your body and which ones do not. As mentioned above, many times a food sensitivity will go undiagnosed as symptoms present themselves in a similar manner to common afflictions like headaches or dry skin. An allergy test is the only method of diagnosing and confirming a food allergy or sensitivity.
Ready To Optimize Your Health?
No assumptions are made that your case will be the exact same as someone else’s case.
No matter what, big or small, painful or not, we are here to help you get on track or stay on track with a healthy lifestyle that you want to be living. Chiropractic care can provide a base for your body to heal from or help you manage the symptoms of your case.
All of our doctors have been appropriately trained and licensed as certified Doctors of Chiropractic so that we are able to take care of you in the best possible way.
