Calgary Centre for Naturopathic Medicine
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Understanding Food Allergies


(See Before and After Allergy Treatment Charts Below)
An allergic person is someone whose immune system responds abnormally and inappropriately to some stimulant in their environment. The most common examples are airborne allergies that come from pollens, dander, or dust and cause a range of symptoms from itchy, runny, red, puffy, or burning membranes like eyes, ears, or nose and constrict the throat and lungs. In sensitive individuals these allergens stimulate the white blood cells to produce immunoglobulins or antibodies in response to these foreign invaders.
These types of allergies are considered IgE, or Type I allergic "fast" reactions, because they generally occur immediately or within a few hours of contacting the allergen.

Type I allergies can be diagnosed by the skin scratch test to determine the cause of multiple symptoms like hay fever, dermatitis/eczema, asthma, and in worse case scenarios, life threatening anaphylaxis.		 bread

(If you would like to have your hidden food or inhalant allergies identified, please call our office and make an appointment.)

As previously mentioned, immunoglobulins are made by the immune system in response to pollens, animal dander, and dust, along with the lesser known responses to mold, yeast, bacteria, chemicals and of course FOOD. IgE is only one type of immunoglobulin; there are also IgA, IgM, and IgG. Most food allergies are IgG mediated, or "slow" allergic reactions, because they involve a more complicated response by the immune system and thus take longer (up to days) to produce symptoms. IgG allergic reactions are cumulative and symptoms will be noticed gradually after being repeatedly exposed to the offending food.

Thus, symptoms caused by a particular food allergen may not be related to that specific food because of the time that had passed since it had first been ingested. Actually, it is quite possible to have eaten the food many more times before the first reactions are being felt as symptoms a week later.

For this reason, these allergic reactions have been labeled "slow" allergies, and because of their undefined inflammatory nature they can be overlooked and misdiagnosed as any number of possible ailments. Allergic inflammatory responses such as pain, heat, redness, or swelling can manifest in different body parts and present as recurring colds or the inability to kick colds, chronic fatigue or pain syndromes, digestive complaints, neurological symptoms like headaches, skin disorders, autoimmune reactions and many many more.

These slow IgG antibodies can best be determined by a lab that utilizes the ELISA (Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay) blood test, or ELISA methodology.

Before and After Treatment Charts

Grains     Vegetables    Dairy and Fish    Fruits and Meats

At the Calgary Centre for Naturopathic Medicine, we utilize state-of-the-art techniques to provide the most accurate analysis of patient profiles. After receiving the results of the test, Dr. Drobot will meet with you to discuss ways to exchange allergens for non-allergenic food alternatives.

Avoidance of the food is only ONE aspect of improving the health condition; the true condition is a reactive immune system. The immune system is in need of re-education and support to not react to benign substances. Besides avoiding the allergen you may also be counseled on dietary, supplemental, and other therapies that can improve overall immune function and balance.

 



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