Food Sensitivity Testing
Toronto Naturopathic Doctors
Do you wonder if you have a sensitivity to a particular food or group of foods? Food intolerance symptoms can be varied and include digestion problems, as well as headaches, migraines, skin issues, fatigue, brain fog, asthma and joint pain.
Sometimes the specific foods are easy to identify but often it is difficult to isolate the offending foods. Reactions to the offending food can be quite delayed - from soon after eating a food to the next day or two.
As many people know, food sensitivities can cause a lot of dysfunction and disruptions. Problematic foods can be identified using a functional elimination diet approach or by doing a lab test panel called the IgG Food Sensitivity Test.
Function Testing – The Elimination Diet
An elimination diet is a functional approach to identifying problematic foods. Your Naturopath gives you a list of foods to avoid for a specific period of time and then directs you in how to add back and test the foods by reintroducing them one at a time and monitoring of symptoms to return.
Lab Testing – IgG Food Sensitivity Test
An alternative and easier option is the IgG Food Sensitivity test. Your Naturopath sends you to a blood draw office to provide a blood sample and then this sample is assessed by a Life Labs affiliate lab called Rocky Mountain Analytical. The test report then identifies which foods you reacting to by assessing the production of IgG antibodies to each test food. These IgG antibodies attach to the food antigens and are what cause a wide variety of food reactions that can take hours or days to develop. Symptoms of a delayed IgG food reactions can include:
- Systemic: Fever, fatigue, chills, sweating, weakness, puffiness
- Skin: Itching, redness, swelling, rashes
- Brain: Mood & memory disturbances, behavioural problems
- Lungs: Bronchitis and asthma symptoms
- Musculoskeletal: Joint pain, muscle stiffness, swelling
- Digestive Tract: Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, gas, bloating
After your food sensitivities are identified, then your Naturopath will instruct you on removing the problematic foods and recommending alternatives to these foods. They will also help you repair your gut which can allow you to eat some or all of these foods again.
Gut Repair is What We do.
Book your appointment with Dr. Andresen and discover how naturopathic medicine can effectively help you identify and address your food sensitivities.