Many people have allergies and or intolerance’s which cause them all sorts of health problems, so taking an allergy test or an intolerance test can make a big difference to the quality of life that one has. But what’s so important about testing for allergies and intolerance’s that most people won’t tell you about?
Inflammation and chronic disease including auto-immune diseases are often the result of long-term allergies and intolerance’s, the thing is, if you want a long healthy life, then knowing what works with your body and what doesn’t can be as valuable as adding 10’s of years to your life span.
Knowing the difference between allergies and intolerance’s
People often get confused when it comes to understanding the difference between allergies and intolerance’s so here is a basic guide….
- Allergies involve an unwanted response from your immune system that results in symptoms
- Intolerance’s do not involve your immune system but result in unwanted symptoms that can later involve the immune system causing inflammation
Often a person who has an allergic reaction may experience symptoms involving histamine which increases the immune systems actions often causing distress such as breathing problems, rash, burning eyes or hay fever, in this case your body’s immune system has raised concerns about something that you are allergic to, as a result you get symptoms and these remain until the immune system has dealt with the problem and or the offending substance has been removed.
People who have intolerance’s which usually involves foods are often getting symptoms that are considered side effects from having the inability to “tolerate” something which is actually very different to an allergy reaction. Intolerance’s are more often than not, substances that are simply not compatible with a person’s body and or is caused by a nutritional imbalance.
Causes of allergies
You might be wondering, what actually causes an allergy, we know that an allergy is an immune system reaction but what could be causing an allergic reaction? Your immune system is incredibly complex, it knows how to defend you from foreign substances, that means if you have allergic reaction to a certain food for example then your immune system thinks it’s a foreign invader or your immune system thinks that the offending substance is going to cause you some kind of damage and so it needs to be killed, isolated or removed from the body.
While it’s easy to believe that a person has an allergy to say certain foods for example because they react to those certain foods the truth is the food isn’t always the cause. Allergies are often caused by:
- Over active immune system
- High histamine types
- Chemical imbalances
- Neurotransmitter imbalances
- Toxic substances
- Nutritional imbalances
Causes of intolerance’s
So what causes an intolerance? Intolerance is caused by an unwillingness to accept what is being consumed, for example you might eat an apple and have a number of unwanted symptoms as a result, this is your body having difficulty accepting the food or to put it another way, you can’t or don’t have the resources that you need to digest that apple, so it becomes irritating to the system. Intolerance’s are often caused by any of the following:
- Sensitivity of the digestive or nervous system
- Nutritional imbalances
- Non compatible food types
- Inflammation reactions
- Poorly functioning organs
The danger of ignoring allergy & intolerance’s
Allergies and intolerance’s are not temporary problems they are signs or alarm bells ringing telling you that something is wrong. Often allergies and intolerance’s are dealt with by medications that provide temporary relief by covering up symptoms, when this happens the allergy or intolerance continues to do damage to your body and it’s organs, this continuing problem produces inflammation and eventually ends up as chronic disease.
The benefits of allergy testing
Getting an allergy test is a simple process, it can dramatically improve your health, help to repair your body, overcome illness and disease and make you feel better. Once you have had an allergy test you become aware of those offending foods for example you can avoid and or replace those foods with ones that you may have previously overlooked that actually help repair you body. Allergy testing can seem complicated because there are many different types of allergy tests that you can choose from, here is a guide on how to choose the best allergy test for you:
Allergy testing guide which test is best for me?
Foods allergy tests
IgA allergy test – Testing for IgA antibodies against specific foods may be raised when the lining of the intestinal tract, the mucous membrane, become inflamed or damaged. Elevated IgA to specific foods can be a sign of damage to the mucous membranes in the gut. Individuals with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, coeliac and gluten intolerance or even those with suspected leaky gut may benefit from testing IgA food reactions.
IgE allergy test – This test is regarded as a Type 1 immediate hypersensitivity reaction, it’s best for those that have an immediate reaction to foods, the antibodies of IgE have an immediate reaction which are caused by an allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody that floats around in the blood stream.
IgG allergy test – This test is best for delayed allergy reaction to foods, generally, an IgG reaction occurs hours to days after exposure to these food antigens.
Air borne allergy tests
IgE allergy test inhalants – This test is regarded as a Type 1 immediate hypersensitivity reaction, it’s best for those that have an immediate reaction to air-borne substances, the antibodies of IgE have an immediate reaction which are caused by an allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody that floats around in the blood stream.
IgG allergy test inhalants – This test is best for delayed allergy reaction to air-borne substances, generally, an IgG reaction occurs hours to days after exposure to these food antigens.
See all the allergy tests available here.
The benefits of intolerance testing
Getting an intolerance test can dramatically change your life and health for the better, it helps you to identify foods and substances that are not compatible with your body. Finding your offending foods can give you a big advantage, as the saying goes, let your food be your medicine, food intolerance testing helps to identify those that you should avoid and gives you a list of foods that your body can use as your medicine, it’s getting to know what your body really wants and doesn’t want. Choosing an intolerance test is easy because tests only vary in the amount of foods you want tested, here are some examples:
Intolerance testing guide
Foods intolerance test – This test covers 200 common foods and is considered the most accurate test available for food intolerance.
The Intolerance Test (Food Additives/Chemicals & Environmental Chemicals & Antibiotics/Anti-inflammatories) – This intolerance test covers many hidden chemicals, food additives and drug intolerance’s.
See all the intolerance tests available here.
Intolerance, Sensitivities And Inflammation – DON’T RISK IT!
We know that inflammation of the gut impairs nutrient absorption and food allergy and intolerance is the major cause of inflamed gut syndromes. When inflammation develops as a result of an abnormal trigger and/or becomes chronic that normal tissues can be damaged. Food intolerance provokes immune mediated vasculitis (inflammation), which causes fluid to leak from your capillaries into surrounding connective tissues and results in water retention. For example, with ‘leaky gut’:
- Increased permeability of stomach and intestinal lining causing large undigested food molecules to be released into blood stream.
- Immune system sees food molecules as ‘foreign invader’ and mounts cellular response. Sends white cells to destroy undigested food proteins which are now lodged into vascular tissue.
- Cells destroy not only food molecules but surrounding tissue as well.
- This process is your body’s inflammatory response. The body is spending time neutralizing toxins, resulting in slowed metabolism.
Food sensitivity or intolerance may alter your biochemical balance, influencing appetite-controlling hormones like serotonin. This results in abnormal cravings for simple sugars and carbohydrates. Your metabolism is disrupted, resulting in less efficient energy production and increased fat storage. Dietary lectins which may be resistant to degradation through cooking and digestion occur in numerous vegetables, fruits, grains and some meats. Some lectins can even bind to receptors on mast cells which trigger histamine release similar to that which is seen in classical allergic reactions. This lectin activity is not blood type specific. There is no convincing scientific evidence that blood type is associated with specific food induced pathologies. Other immune conditions have been associated with food intolerance’s.
Need help deciding on the right test for you? Ask one of our qualified health practitioners here.