How do you know if food allergy or food sensitivity testing at Loehr Health Center may be right for you?
01
You suffer from a host of seemingly unconnected health issues like eczema, joint pain, and bloating.
02
You’re having difficulty concentrating.
03
Finding a natural treatment option is important to you.
04
You’re ready to find out the root cause of your health issues.
What kinds of symptoms are common with a food allergy, food sensitivity, or food intolerance?
Common signs that you may be experiencing a food allergy, food sensitivity, or a food intolerance are:
- Anaphylaxis
- Abdominal pain
- Bloating
- Constipation
- Cramps
- Difficulty swallowing
- Diarrhea
- Dizziness
- Eczema
- Gas
- Headaches
- Hives (an itchy red rash)
- Inflammation
- Itchy eyes (allergic conjunctivitis)
- Irritability or nervousness
- Joint pain
- Migraines
- Nasal congestion
- Nausea
- Shortness of breath or wheezing
- Skin Rashes
- Sneezing
- Stomach pain
- Swelling of the face, mouth (angioedema), throat, or other areas
- Vomiting
- and more
What is a food allergy, and why should I get food allergy testing?
Do you suspect that a food may be responsible for causing symptoms in your body, but you can’t quite pinpoint the culprit? If so, food allergy testing maybe just what you’re looking for. A food allergy or sensitivity may be evident in children or adults and results when your body reacts to a specific food.
Food allergies and sensitivities can manifest at any age, and you can even develop a food allergy or sensitivity to a food that is seemingly healthy for you like:
- Apples
- Kale
- Ginger
- Chicken
- Eggs
- Sunflower seeds
What’s the difference between a food allergy, food sensitivity, and food intolerance?
he word “allergy” can cause some confusion, so it’s important to draw a distinction between a true allergic reaction (allergy) and a non-allergic adverse reaction (sensitivity).
Food allergies occur when your immune system mistakenly sees the proteins found in certain foods as a threat to your body. As a result, your body releases chemicals that cause an allergic reaction.
A food allergy may include:
- Anaphylaxis
- Coughing
- Difficulty swallowing
- Hives
- Tingling or itching of the mouth
- Wheezing
- Vomiting
A true food allergy will typically cause an immediate reaction, with symptoms possibly lasting for a few hours, and can be delayed for up to eight hours.
A food sensitivity may result from exposure to specific foods that creates an adverse immune response in the body. The symptoms of a food sensitivity are not life-threatening like a food allergy, but the symptoms triggered from a food sensitivity can prevent individuals from feeling their best.
Symptoms from experiencing a food sensitivity may include:
- Difficulty concentrating
- Fatigue
- Joint pain and inflammation
- Headaches and migraines
- Eczema, rashes, and other skin irritations
- Unexplained weight loss or weight gain
- Behavioral issues
- Stomach ache, acid reflux, and bloating
- Constipation or diarrhea
A food sensitivity generally results in a delayed reaction which may occur up to 72 hours after the ingestion of the offending food.Symptoms of a food sensitivity may last for weeks or even months.
Take peanuts as an example. Having a peanut sensitivity that results in bloating or a skin rash is different from having a peanut allergy that may induce an anaphylactic reaction.
A food intolerance primarily references the body’s inability to digest or process specific foods. This is more common as we get older. For example, about 35% of people around the globe experience a lactose intolerance after around age 7.
But there IS good news. At Loehr Health Center, we can perform a simple blood test that will measure your response to a wide variety of foods and help identify those that may be adversely affecting your health.
I’ve heard people I know mention that they used to eat something “all the time” and now can’t eat that food. Is it possible to develop a food allergy, food sensitivity, or food intolerance?
Yes, it is possible to develop a food allergy, food sensitivity, or food intolerance.
The most common and problematic foods when it comes to developing a food allergy or food sensitivity include
- Chicken eggs
- Cow’s milk
- Fish
- Peanuts
- Shellfish
- Soy
- Tree nuts
- Wheat
Food Allergy Testing and Food Sensitivity Testing FAQs and Answers
A food sensitivity test is a blood or skin test that helps determine if you are allergic or sensitive to specific foods.
Once your food sensitivity results are back, your doctor will meet with you to go over your results. Following the recommended plan from your doctor and eliminating or decreasing indicated foods from your lab results may offer the following benefits:
- Improved concentration and mental focus
- Relief from joint pain and inflammation
- Improved behavioral issues in children
- Elimination of headaches, including migraines
- Healing of eczema, skin rashes, and other skin irritations
- Relief from stomach aches, acid reflux, and bloating
- Elimination of constipation and diarrhea
- Help with weight gain or weight loss, as needed
While we are able to do any type of testing you may need, we regularly provide IgG and IgA food allergy testing via blood testing and may be performed in-office.
We offer our patients the option of being tested for 96 or 184 food sensitivities and are happy to visit with you to help determine which test would be the most beneficial for your needs.
An IgG (Immunoglobulin G) food allergy test is a highly specialized blood test that helps determine if your body reacts adversely to specific foods and if so, to what extent.
IgG testing is useful for individuals who suspect that a food may be responsible for causing symptoms such as:
- Achy joints
- Anxiety
- Autoimmune disease
- Chron’s disease
- Depression
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- Obesity
- Skin rashes such as eczema and hives
And get this. IgG testing shows a delayed response to the foods that you may or may not have eaten recently or may have never consumed. Your blood sample will be laboratory-tested to determine the presence of specific IgG antibodies to a wide panel of foods. The antibodies are detected by their ability to bind to specific proteins from the foods present in the panel. Based on the results, the foods are then categorized according to your body’s reaction to each.
In order to provide a wide variety of choices for our patients, we offer two food sensitivity tests: 96 or 184 foods.
Choose the 96 food option if:
- You’ve never had a food allergy test
- You eat a basic diet
Choose the 184 food option if:
- You’ve already taken the 96 food test and have implemented the protocols, but continue to have issues such as headaches or digestion problems
- You eat a broad variety of foods in your daily diet including many “healthy foods”
Food sensitivity testing is a great option for toddlers to adults.
Your first appointment for food sensitivity testing will be with our Functional Medicine Physician.
During this appointment, your doctor will go over your complete health history–including your lifestyle and diet choices. You will then visit our in-house lab for a blood draw.
Depending on your consultation, your doctor may recommend a Wellness Panel test in addition to the Food Sensitivity Test. CLICK HERE to learn more about our Wellness Panel.
It typically takes around 2 weeks for our office to receive your Food Allergy Test or Food Sensitivity Test results.
As soon as your food allergy test results are in you’ll be scheduled for a follow-up appointment.
Dr. Baca, our Chiropractic Internist, will take the time to thoroughly review the results with you which include:
- A spreadsheet showing your reaction to each food tested
- A list of foods to exclude including how to identify hidden sources of each offending food
- A personalized four-day rotation, elimination diet outlining your recommended protein sources, grains and starches, vegetables, fruits, fats and oils, nuts and seeds, spices, herbs, flavorings, and beverages.
- A detailed shopping list
- A plan for reintroducing food back into your diet.
- A food log
- FAQs, resources, and tips and tricks to help you find success with your new eating plan.
Food allergy testing is a functional medicine procedure and is not covered by insurance.
You have three options to choose from when scheduling your Functional Medicine New Patient Appointment. The first two options below include a food sensitivity test. The difference between the first two packages is the number of allergens tested. The three options you have for a functional medicine consult are as follows:
OPTION 1 | $400.00
- 30-minute initial consultation
- Wellness Panel
- Food Sensitivity Panel-96 foods
- 90-minute Report of Findings appointment
OPTION 2 | $450.00
- 30-minute initial consultation
- Wellness Panel
- Food Sensitivity Panel-184 foods
- 90-minute Report of Findings appointment
OPTION 3 | Custom Quote (Consultation Time with the doctor+lab work)
There is no one size fits all approach to healthcare. While Options 1 and 2 are good starting places for many patients to discover what is going on in their body, that may not be the right place to start for you. Upon giving us a call to schedule, a patient coordinator will discuss potential options with you based on your health goals and provide you with an estimate prior to scheduling.
A health savings account (HSA) may be used to pay for lab fees if they are part of medical care, according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). A patient may also submit a claim to their insurance company for potential partial or full reimbursement of lab work.
We accept Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Savings Accounts (FSAs) to pre-pay these services in advance. We will provide you with all the required receipts to submit these services. Please note that most HSAs and FSAs will allow you to pre-pay for these services in advance. However, it is the account holder’s responsibility to determine the limitations with their contact person who holds these specific guidelines.
For many other services at our office, we are in-network with various insurance companies. We will run your insurance benefits prior to your first appointment so that you know exactly what is covered before receiving treatment.
The best follow-up support we offer is to encourage you to keep your regular appointments. During these appointments, your doctor will check your progress, make recommendations, and adjust the plan as needed. If necessary, your doctor may also recommend further testing in the form of hair analysis, vaginal bacteria profile, urinary tract infection testing, stool kit, and/or saliva testing.
