In today’s society, allergies to foods have become a growing problem, especially among those that are the most vulnerable such as children. Food allergies are classified under 2 types of reactions and they are based on the level of your body’s reactivity. The first one is described as a sensitivity in which there is enough of an immune response that your body will make antibodies, aka immunity soldiers to scout the scene. Sensitivities can produce a mild, even indistinguishable reaction in a person to constipation or a tummy ache after consuming the offending agent. The second type of response is what most people are familiar with because it can be dramatic – this is known as an anaphylactic reaction or anaphylaxis. A person’s body will produce an almost immediate response that can look like throat swelling, moderate to severe itching, vomiting, rash or even unconsciousness. It is this second type of food allergy that has brought on the addition of epinephrine pen injectors (i.e. EpiPen) for emergency cases. These injector pens can be prescribed by your primary care doctor or allergist so that an adult or a responsible child can carry it with them at all times.
So with anaphylaxis-causing foods, the goal is to simply avoid them and read labels. However, what is there to do with a “food sensitivity”? There are two ways one can learn about their sensitivities: diligently journaling your diet and reactions, or getting a food allergy test done. Here at Revolutions Naturopathic, we offer this testing to our patients through companies called Genova Diagnostics and US Biotek. These tests contain over 90 common foods in their panels. The results are not just used to tell patients to avoid foods for the rest of their lives but it is to help them maximize their nutritional choices by avoiding foods that cause the body’s immune system to react. These tests can also tell us several things such as which foods are more severe offenders and if there is an overall immune reactivity in the gut to many foods. Removing the foods from the diet is one important step, but this is also a chance for the doctor to begin repairing the gut using different tools. The gut is very important because this is where you are trying to absorb your nutrients from food, medications and supplements that you may be adding to your daily regimen. In addition, about 70% of the body’s immune system lies in the gut tissue. If your tissues are always fighting an attack, how optimal do you think your absorption will be?
Dr. Madga Peronel, ND