Food Allergy 101

The Basics of Food Allergies and Sensitivities 

By J. J. Gregor

Have you been diagnosed with irritable bowl, do you constantly have no energy, is it hard for you to get out of bed in the morning after a good nights sleep?   These can all be signs of a food allergy. As I've before mentioned, most airborne allergens can be effected or eliminated by removing your food sensitivities/allergies.  However, even how our body functions, immune system, etc can also be a food allergy..... The diagnosis of food allergies/sensitivities is an extremely important part of my practice. So here are the basics of food allergies, and how I diagnose them. Food sensitivities fall into two categories:  Immediate food reaction, which are caused by a particular food like a shellfish or nut allergy but could be due to anything.  These are usually sever can be life threatening.  The second is called a delayed food reaction, which can fluctuate in severity, duration and symptom. In the case of the immediate reaction, the patient will almost always experience a reaction after eating a certain food, and the symptoms will occur within eight hours of ingestion.  This is because it is a fixed food allergy within the patient’s immune system. The delayed food reaction is not fixed in the immune system, it is cyclical.  For example, a person may have an adverse reaction to a particular food dependent upon the frequency and amount of their intake of that food.  Additionally, delayed food reactions may not appear for perhaps three days after being eaten so the person is unaware they are indeed sensitive to that food. Food allergies and sensitivities are increasingly common; I’ve had patients who didn’t realize they were allergic to certain foods.  Through blood, saliva and kinesiologic test, we have determined what their particular sensitivities were, and made dietary and supplemental recommendations to correct the issues. One simple and effective tool I use to determining a patient’s food sensitivities are blood tests, which can determine the degree, class, and extent of the food allergy.  Once these results are known, we develop a program of eliminating suspect foods from my patient’s diet. The major five food sensitivities that come up in my patients are: Gluten/ Grains:  These are the most prevalent and in my opinion place the biggest strain on our immune system causing its hyper-vigilance and starts attacking the air we breathe Corn: this is also a grass but is highly genetically modified and wreaks havoc on the bacteria that live in our guts.  This again causes an increased stimulation to our immune systems.  Don’t for get about High Fructose Corn Syrup can effect this. Diary: This can be highly related to skin allergens. Soy: Has a strong tendency to effect our endocrine system.  It has estrogen like activities that can severely disrupt the ovaries, testicles, uterus, breast and prostate.  Not to mention that, like corn, it is also highly genetically modified Sugar: while not a food allergy or sensitivity if you over eat sugar or starches it will imbalance your immune system There is no cure for food allergies.  Although avoidance of the list above and increasing general gastrointestinal and immune health, through diet, nutrition and Chiropractic, your allergen or allergic reaction may diminish or altogether go away.