Food sensitivities, now what? -Part 2

Once you have discovered a sensitivity some steps need to be taken to heal your gut and the rest of your body. Simply removing the food will decrease symptoms, but the gut damage is still there, allowing waste to continue leaking out. The "4 R" program is great for healing gut integrity.

1. Remove the food irritant
2. Replace lost digestive function with enzymes as needed
3. Reinoculate your gut with good bacterial probiotics
4. Repair your gut mucosal membrane to seal up holes

I have several "4R" products available in the office. Gut integrity is extremely important, most of our immune system is located in our gut! By effectively sealing off your gut lining the bad stuff (poop) stays where it is supposed to and is eliminated by your body. This leads to a dramatic decrease in body wide symptoms and body wide inflammation. 

The "Big 8" foods that are highly reactive are:

• Eggs
• Dairy
• Wheat/gluten
• Peanuts
• Tree Nuts
• Soy
• Shellfish
• Fish

I have seen a lot a dairy and egg sensitivities in patients who have been tested. I have seen some grain intolerances (wheat, corn, etc.) and a few shellfish and nuts. I even had a migraine sufferer test positive for a chocolate sensitivity (my worst nightmare)! I have also seen foods as random as green beans and kidney beans show up for a patient.  Once the food sensitivities are identified, we can sit down and go through them one by one an come up with a reasonable plan for elimination with the appropriate nutritional support.  Patients who are getting tested are:

• Migraine and headache sufferers
• IBS patients
• Fibromyalgia patients
• Patients with widespread inflammation
• Patients with difficult or stubborn issues not otherwise resolved
• Patients with stubborn skin issues (acne, eczema, etc.)
• Patients who want to improve their health 

If you think you (or someone you know) have a food sensitivity and are interested in testing please call the office! I will be more then happy to test and guide you through the process! 

Food sensitivities can cause that?!! - Part 1

Today we are going to explore the topic of food allergies and sensitivities. Food allergies that are immediate (IgE antibody) reactions can range in severity from mild hives and itching to life threatening anaphylaxis (severe). Immediate food allergies are usually easy to figure out since you have a reaction immediately after eating and are usually obvious. Delayed food sensitivities (IgG antibody) are caused by a different (but similar) type of antibody response to an irritating food. A delayed reaction can start anywhere form a few hours after eating to up to 5 days after eating a food. This, coupled with the wide range of symptoms, is what makes them so hard to figure out. The problem is more complex though. When you are eating a food on a regular basis and are sensitive to it your lining of your large intestine (body's main detoxifier) gets microscopic holes it, allowing waste (poop) to leak out of your gut into your bloodstream, body, and brain (a condition called "leaky gut"). This is how symptoms that are not GI in nature can actually be from a food sensitivity.  Here is a (partial) list of aliments commonly associated with food sensitivities:

• AD(H)D
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• compulsive disorders
• anxiety
• arthritis and joint pain
• asthma
• chronic fatigue
• fibromyalgia
• IBS, diarrhea, constipation 
• cravings and eating disorders
• depression
• mood swings
• fluid retention
• foggy brain, and poor concentration
• gas and bloating
• headaches and migraines
• hives
• hyperactivity
• hypoglycemia
• leaky bladder
• MS
• PMS
• acne, eczema, rashes
• weight gain

These delayed symptoms are:

• difficult to link with a source
• may affect any part of the body
• can exacerbate existing condition
• can undermine therapeutic interventions if not identified

How do we identify sensitivities? Sometimes it is a simple as following an "elimination diet" where the suspicious food is removed for a period of time, then reintroduced with symptoms being tracked. Other times a blood test may be more appropriate. I recently began using the "Food Safe Blood Spot" test in the office. It has the ability to screen 95 common foods for delayed reactions. I also have a test that is more extensive and can screen for 190 foods. Part 2 will explore what steps to take after a sensitivity is discovered.