Food Intolerances, Sensitivities & Allergy Testing Sunshine Coast

Some allergy testing, food intolerance, allergy and sensitivity testing can be completed onsite in our Sunshine Coast clinic with our Naturopaths.
Many factors can lead to the development of food sensitivities and allergies, including genetics, unbalanced diets (e.g. eating a lot of one particular food for a prolonged period of time), infections, stress, medications, and toxins.
The gastrointestinal system’s health also plays an important role in food reactions. A healthy gastrointestinal lining ensures that food proteins do not escape the gastrointestinal system and enter other body areas. However, the lining of the gut can become ‘leaky’ (a term known as ‘leaky gut’ or impaired intestinal permeability), and food proteins can escape into the bloodstream and cause inflammation in various areas of the body.
What is a Food Sensitivity?
Food sensitivity occurs when a person is exposed to hard-to-digest or ‘reactive’ food over a long period of time. These reactions are not as severe as allergic reactions. However, they can still greatly impact overall health and quality of life.
Food sensitivities are generally much harder to identify than food allergies, as signs and symptoms are delayed (it can take hours or days for the reaction to occur). In response to the offending food, IgG and/or IgA antibodies are produced. IgG antibodies cause an inflammatory process that can occur in any part of the body, which is the reason food sensitivities can cause such varying signs and symptoms (e.g. gastrointestinal, headaches, joint pain, etc.). IgA antibodies are found mainly in the mucous membranes (e.g. gastrointestinal tract) and are the body’s major defence against bacteria and viruses. IgA antibodies may produce in certain foods when the lining of the gastrointestinal tract (the mucous membrane) becomes inflamed or damaged.
What is an Allergy?
An allergy is a reaction that occurs when the immune system is overly sensitive to a substance that is normally harmless. This substance is usually something in the environment, such as food, dust mites, pollen or animal dander. Allergies to medications, bites and stings can also occur.
Immediately or soon after the body is exposed to the allergen, an immune reaction occurs, causing IgE antibodies to produce in the body. During this process, inflammatory substances, such as histamine, are produced. Symptoms include swelling/itching of the face, lips, tongue, throat, and eyes, hives, wheezing, asthma, abrupt gastrointestinal symptoms, and anaphylaxis.
The most common food allergies are cow’s milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, sesame, soy, fish, shellfish and wheat. However, other foods can also cause IgE allergies.
How Do I Know If I Have a Food Sensitivity or Allergy?
Most individuals are unaware that they have food sensitivities (or are not sure exactly which foods are causing the problem) due to the delay in the presentation of symptoms. Testing the blood for antibodies (IgG, IgA and/or IgE) is an easy way to determine which particular foods/food proteins the body is reacting to.
If you suffer from any of the below symptoms, sensitivities or allergies may be the trigger, and clinical testing may be warranted:

• Asthma or breathing difficulties

• Nasal congestion or sinusitis

• Fatigue

• Migraines or headaches

• Bloating, reflux, constipation, abnormal bowel patterns

• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Coeliac Disease

• Leaky gut / malabsorption

• Itchy skin, hives, eczema, dermatitis

• Autism, ADHD, hyperactivity, epilepsy

• Chronic fatigue syndrome

• Joint and muscle pain

• Anxiety

• Insomnia

Once food sensitivities and allergies have been identified, your practitioner can easily formulate a food plan that is specific to your body and what it is able to tolerate.
Integrated Wellness Clinic offers patients the most comprehensive and accurate food sensitivity and allergy testing available. It is important to get the right sort of testing done for your individual condition.

What are the different types of Sensitivity tests available?

IgA Antibody Testing
IgA antibodies are one of the most important antibodies, as they are the body’s first line of defence against bacteria and viruses. IgA antibodies may produce in certain foods when the lining of the gastrointestinal tract (the mucous membrane) becomes inflamed or damaged. Individuals with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease, or even those with suspected ‘leaky gut’ may benefit from IgA testing. Asthma, headaches, eczema, fatigue and irritable bowels are common conditions associated with IgA reactions.
Available IgA Panels:

• 96 General (Western) Foods
• 96 Asian Foods
• 16 Inhalants
• 95 Vegetarian Foods

The foods tested in a 96 general (Western) foods panel include:
Almond, Amaranth, Apple, Apricot, Avocado, Banana, Barley, Beans (Kidney, Lima, Pinto),  Beef, Beet, Blueberry, Broccoli, Buckwheat, Cabbage, Capsicum (green), Carrot, Casein, Cauliflower, Celery, Cheese (Cheddar, Cottage, Mozzarella), Chicken, Clam, Cocoa, Coconut, Cod, Coffee, Corn, Crab, Cranberry, Cucumber, Egg White (Chicken), Egg Whole (Duck), Egg Yolk (Chicken), Garlic, Gliadin (Wheat),  Gluten (Wheat), Grape, Grapefruit, Halibut, Hazelnut, Honey, Lamb, Lemon, Lentil, Lettuce, Lobster, Milk (Cow, Goat), Mushroom, Oat, Olive, Onion, Orange, Papaya, Pea (green), Peach, Peanut, Pear, Pecan, Pineapple, Plum, Pork, Potato (Sweet),  Potato (White), Pumpkin,  Radish, Raspberry, Rice (white), Rye, Sesame seed, Salmon, Scallop, Shrimp, Snapper, Sole, Soy bean, Spelt, Spinach, Strawberry, String bean, Sugar cane, Sunflower seed, Tomato, Tuna, Turkey, Walnut, Wheat, Whey, Yeast (Baker’s, Brewer’s), Yoghurt, Zucchini.
IgG Antibody Testing
IgG antibodies are the most common type of antibody found in the blood. IgG reactions generally occur hours to days after exposure to food antigens. It is often difficult to diagnose the foods that cause these delayed reactions due to the time between consumption and the reaction. IgG testing provides an effective tool for detecting the foods causing the response and allows your practitioner to easily structure an elimination diet.
When doing an IgG test, it is recommended to eat a variety of foods in the two weeks prior to conducting the test. Include as many of the foods that are being tested in the specific panel you have chosen. If foods are not included in the diet during this time, the results may show false negatives, as recent exposure to these foods is often required for antibodies present in the blood.
Available IgG Panels:

• 96 General (Western) Foods
• 96 Asian Foods
• 16 Inhalants
• 95 Vegetarian Foods
• 48 Herbs & Spices

The foods tested in a 96 general (Western) foods panel include:
Almond, Amaranth, Apple, Apricot, Avocado, Banana, Barley, Beans (Kidney, Lima, Pinto),  Beef, Beet, Blueberry, Broccoli, Buckwheat, Cabbage, Capsicum (green), Carrot, Casein, Cauliflower, Celery, Cheese (Cheddar, Cottage, Mozzarella), Chicken, Clam, Cocoa, Coconut, Cod, Coffee, Corn, Crab, Cranberry, Cucumber, Egg White (Chicken), Egg Whole (Duck), Egg Yolk (Chicken), Garlic, Gliadin (Wheat),  Gluten (Wheat), Grape, Grapefruit, Halibut, Hazelnut, Honey, Lamb, Lemon, Lentil, Lettuce, Lobster, Milk (Cow, Goat), Mushroom, Oat, Olive, Onion, Orange, Papaya, Pea (green), Peach, Peanut, Pear, Pecan, Pineapple, Plum, Pork, Potato (Sweet),  Potato (White), Pumpkin,  Radish, Raspberry, Rice (white), Rye, Sesame seed, Salmon, Scallop, Shrimp, Snapper, Sole, Soy Bean, Spelt, Spinach, Strawberry, String bean, Sugar cane, Sunflower seed, Tomato, Tuna, Turkey, Walnut, Wheat, Whey, Yeast (Baker’s, Brewer’s), Yoghurt, Zucchini.
IgE Antibody Testing
IgE antibodies are mainly found in mucous secretions (from the nose, mouth, throat and gastrointestinal system). An IgE reaction usually occurs immediately (within minutes to a few hours) after exposure to an allergen, food or inhalant. This reaction can be referred to as a ‘true allergy’ or type I immediate hypersensitivity reaction. Asthma, headaches, eczema, fatigue and irritable bowels are common conditions associated with IgE reactions. Common IgE food allergies include eggs, nuts and milk.
Available IgE Panels:

• 96 General (Western) Foods
• 96 Asian Foods
• 64 Inhalants
• 95 Vegetarian Foods

The foods tested in a 96 general (Western) foods panel include:
Almond, Amaranth, Apple, Apricot, Avocado, Banana, Barley, Beans (Kidney, Lima, Pinto),  Beef, Beet, Blueberry, Broccoli, Buckwheat, Cabbage, Capsicum (green), Carrot, Casein, Cauliflower, Celery, Cheese (Cheddar, Cottage, Mozzarella), Chicken, Clam, Cocoa, Coconut, Cod, Coffee, Corn, Crab, Cranberry, Cucumber, Egg White (Chicken), Egg Whole (Duck), Egg Yolk (Chicken), Garlic, Gliadin (Wheat),  Gluten (Wheat), Grape, Grapefruit, Halibut, Hazelnut, Honey, Lamb, Lemon, Lentil, Lettuce, Lobster, Milk (Cow, Goat), Mushroom, Oat, Olive, Onion, Orange, Papaya, Pea (green), Peach, Peanut, Pear, Pecan, Pineapple, Plum, Pork, Potato (Sweet),  Potato (White), Pumpkin,  Radish, Raspberry, Rice (white), Rye, Sesame seed, Salmon, Scallop, Shrimp, Snapper, Sole, Soy bean, Spelt, Spinach, Strawberry, String bean, Sugar cane, Sunflower seed, Tomato, Tuna, Turkey, Walnut, Wheat, Whey, Yeast (Baker’s, Brewer’s), Yoghurt, Zucchini.
Contact Integrated Wellness Clinic for more information regarding allergy testing. If you do not live on the Sunshine Coast we are still able to arrange testing for you.

We suggest requesting a free naturopathic assessment consultation to determine the correct type of testing for you. Consultations can be done in person or if you live afar it can be done via phone or Skype. Phone  (07) 5458 4800 .
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