ALCAT

What is food sensitivity?

The inability to tolerate foods and environmental factors, also known as sensitivity or intolerance, induces chronic activation of the innate immune system and gives rise to inflammatory processes, which includes excess production of reactive oxygen species and the release of preformed and newly synthesized mediators of inflammation.

This inflammation has been linked to countless chronic conditions, including: digestive disorders, migraines, obesity, chronic fatigue, ADD, aching joints, skin disorders, arthritis and many more.

How does food sensitivity differ from classic food allergies? Alcat Test Technology

True food allergies refer to foods that trigger the immune system to acutely produce massive amounts of the chemical histamine that leads to anaphylaxis. This potentially fatal condition causes the throat and esophagus to swell, cutting off air from the lungs, or may simply cause hives, skin rashes, and other non-life-threatening reactions.

This type of reaction is called a type I hypersensitivity reaction, caused by the degranulation of mast cells or basophils that is mediated by Immunoglobulin E (IgE).

Food allergy is an IgE immune system response that is typically characterized by hives, shortness of breath, upset stomach and in some cases anaphylaxis. The most common food allergies are to nuts, shellfish, wheat and dairy. According to the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network, only about 4% of the United States population has a food allergy. The ALCAT Test does not detect Food Allergy.

Food intolerance, on the other hand, is much more common than food allergies and is characterized by digestive disorders, migraines, obesity, chronic fatigue, aching joints, skin disorders and behavioral issues. It has been stated that upwards of 70-80% of the US population has food intolerance. Unfortunately for many, those food intolerance symptoms are often identified as individual problems and treated as such, thus treating the symptoms and not the cause. The ALCAT is the most effective Food Intolerance Test available.

For more information about the ALCAT Food and Chemical Sensitivity/Intolerance Test, please contact me.