Food sensitivities includes both food intolerance and true food allergy.
Food Intolerance
Food intolerance affects a large percent of the population, but often goes unrecognized. The symptoms may occur several hours after eating an offending food and the reactions are not always easily recognized. Symptoms can include: fatigue, gas, cramps, bloating, stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea, heartburn, GERD, headaches, food cravings, mood swings, muscle/joint pain, daytime sleepiness, and obesity. Repetitious eating is the largest contributing factor in developing food sensitivities.
Food intolerance treatment may consist of a combination of elimination and rotation diets. You and Dr. Bishop will determine which treatment is best for you. Your custom program will help control your symptoms and stimulate your immune system to improve your health.
Elimination Diet
Elimination of the offending food from your diet is the best form of treatment. Complete elimination can alleviate most, if not all of your symptoms and can lead to tolerance. Careless, halfhearted, or partial avoidance can, in some people, lead to increased sensitivity. It is also best to avoid artificial flavors, colors and preservatives.
Rotation Diet
In a rotation diet, alternate foods are eaten on a rotating basis to prevent the development of new food intolerances.
Food Allergy
A true food allergy has a rapid onset of symptoms that range from tingling in the extremities, coughing, wheezing, nausea and vomiting to hives, a swollen tongue and/or throat. This can ultimately result in a constricted airway and you may stop breathing. The reaction occurs immediately or within one or two hours after consuming the offending food.
Food allergies are treated by total avoidance of the food that caused symptoms and that food can never be eaten again. The most common food allergies are to peanuts, nuts and shellfish.
{ 3 trackbacks }
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I have been diagnosed with multiple food allergies. Does your office do food challenge testing?
Hi Brenda!
We have a two-fold approach to testing. The first is either blood, puncture or painless intradermal testing, depending on the patient. We then confirm the results with the most accurate food testing available – Elimination/Challenge – which is done by the patient at home.
Dr. Bishop considered doing Challenge testing in the office, as some allergists do so, but came to the conclusion that it can be done easier and much cheaper by the patient in the comfort of their own home. He could not justify billing a patient for something they can easily do themselves. If a patient has a difficult time removing a certain food from her diet, we use food allergy drops to help with the cravings and to neutralize symptoms.
We have seen many patients come in to the office, having been diagnosed with multiple food allergies based on a blood test. Often this test was done years before and so they think they are allergic to all these foods. What they did not realize is that the blood tests and even some type of skin tests are regularly falsely positive and sometimes falsely negative. Also, many food sensitivities change over time, so they may be avoiding foods without reason.
Please give our office a call at 616-393-0567 if you would like further information. The staff is really friendly and would happy to chat about what we do and answer any questions you might have!