Charleston chiropractor, chiropractor in Charleston, SC

Food Allergy Testing and Avoiding the Foods that are Harming You!

Food allergies can cause just about any symptom you can think of, and a person can have a reaction to any food. In a true food allergy, what a person is actually reacting to is the protein structure of that food. Even foods that we dont think of as a protein source - like fruits and vegetables - still have a protein structure that the immune system can react to.

The food allergy testing we do is different than the standard medical way of testing for food allergies. Most medical doctors will do the skin poke testing to see if a reaction develops to the substance being introduced to the skin. In this form of testing they are looking for what's called the immediate-onset reactions to foods - more technically referred to as an IgE reaction of the immune system. These are the severe reactions to foods where someone eats strawberries, shellfish or peanuts and sometimes can react within minutes to the food, and it can even be severe enough to require a trip to the emergency room. Although these immediate-onset food allergies can be severe (possibly life-threatening), they do represent only a small percentage of the total food allergies people suffer with.

The much larger percentage of food allergies that people suffer with, and have their various symptoms caused by, are called a delayed-onset reaction to foods - more technically referred to as an IgG reaction of the immune system. In the delayed-onset reactions it can take a few hours, a few days, or even longer before some type of symptom shows-up from eating the food a person is reacting to. This makes it extremely difficult for the average person to identify the problem food since many people dont make the connection that the food they ate several days ago is causing their symptoms today.

To make it even more difficult, it may be that you only had a small amount of that allergic food on Day 1, and small amount on Day 2 and Day 3, but it wasn't until Day 4 you developed symptoms from eating that food. This is what they call a dose-dependant reaction. The small amounts over several days gradually build-up in the system, and eventually enough of the food was present in the body where a threshold was crossed and the body began to react and symptoms were created. This situation is also quite common and makes it very frustrating for the average person to identify on their own the foods that are causing their symptoms. After all, you had the same food for the first 3 days, why would it bother you on Day 4? The answer is simply that your immune system needed enough of the food present in your body over time before a reaction developed, and that threshold was reached on Day 4.

We offer the delayed-onset (IgG) allergy testing, because we find that most people already know about their immediate-onset (IgE) food allergies due to previous reactions or previous medical testing. Most people have not been tested for any delayed-onset (IgG) reactions to foods and other substances, and remember the delayed-onset food allergies make up a much greater percentage of the food allergies people suffer with. The delayed-onset allergy testing is done using a sample of your blood, and then this blood is sent overnight to the lab that specializes in this type of food allergy testing. The results come back in about 10 - 14 days.

Patients who find this type of delayed-onset food allergy testing to be most important for those who suffer with:

• Digestive Issues
• Migraines
• Fibromyalgia / Chronic Fatigue
• Any type of auto-immune condition

• Chronic Respiratory Problems - sinus or lungs (asthma)
• Weakened Immune Systems - long term

Food allergy testing can be beneficial for anyone, even those who are fairly healthy and feeling good and are looking to stay that way. If you've been suffering with various symptoms or problems, and have not been finding the answers as to what may be causing your symptoms, then it's worth your time to look into the answers that food allergy testing might provide for you.