Have you ever noticed symptoms such as joint or muscle pain, fatigue, headaches or lack of energy that you cannot correlate to anything in your normal daily living? About 60% of all undiagnosed symptoms may be due to food allergies according to James Breneman, MD, the former Chairman of the American College of Allergy and Immunology.
We are all familiar with rapid acting food allergies such as those caused by peanuts or shellfish. If you have that type of allergy, you likely know about it already. Testing for rapid acting food allergies focuses on measuring an antibody called IgE circulating in the blood stream. However, some reactions are delayed or occur more slowly. In order to evaluate for these types of delayed reactions, an antibody called IgG4 is measured. An elevation in an IgG4 response to foods can cause symptoms including, but not limited to, joint or muscle pain, chronic low back pain, bedwetting, recurrent bladder or upper respiratory infections, chronic headaches, fatigue, hives, eczema, psoriasis, canker sores, ulcerative colitis, gallbladder attacks, heartburn, and indigestion. Since IgG4 reactions often occur hours or days after particular foods are consumed, correlating symptoms to a cause can be extremely difficult. The reactions can be subtle or severe, and may lead to long-term symptoms and chronic degenerative conditions.
At our office we use a procedure called the FoodSafe Allergy Test to measure for IgG4 antibody levels. The FoodSafe Allergy Test is a quick and easy way to test individuals for 95 common food allergies. It is a simple blood spot test performed in the office that requires only a small amount of blood taken from a finger prick. The sample is then overnighted to the lab where the blood is analyzed. The results arrive in approximately two weeks and will include scores on each of the 95 foods and whether those foods are in the low, moderate, or avoid category. A food plan rotation is also provided by the lab to offer suggestions on diet modification. This information can then be used to prevent and possibly correct digestive complaints and other symptoms of adverse food reactions.
If you or someone you know is suffering from food allergies or unexplained pain and have not found the relief for which you are looking, please contact our office. We may be able to help.
Information provided by Anthony R. Meyer, D.C., of Renze Chiropractic Clinic, P.C. For more information, visit www.renzechiro.com or call the office at 965-3844.
