In the UK, public interest in
food intolerance testing is
increasing significantly. This could be due to factors such as
media interest and celebrity endorsements. In addition, food
intolerance testing is becoming an important issue as modern
lifestyles and the typical British diet appears to be resulting
in an increase in digestive disorders.
What is Food Intolerance
Food intolerance is a negative physical reaction to certain
foods or ingredients that takes place whenever the problem food
is consumed. Reactions are particularly severe when larger
amounts are eaten.
Symptoms of food intolerance can include skin problems, fatigue,
headaches and joint pain as well as digestive problems.
Food Intolerance Testing
There are various
food intolerance testing methods
available. Some require an electronic stylus to be placed on the
side of a finger in order to gauge energy responses to
particular food substances. The information is then passed
through to a monitor from which the practitioner can obtain a
reading and measure reaction. Practitioners of Kinesiology
measure food intolerance by testing muscle strength, as the
patient is exposed to various foods.
The only clinically and scientifically proven testing for food
intolerances involves screening a pin prick sample of blood for
IgG antibodies which react to foods which cause a reaction. This
small sample can provide a lot of information, from whether food
intolerance is an issue or not, right through to detailed
results about the reactive foods themselves.
Food intolerance differs from Food Allergy. An allergy is
usually an immediate and often severe reaction which may require
urgent medical treatment. An intolerance can also produce
unpleasant symptoms, but over a slightly longer period, from a
few hours to a few days. This means that the culprit food or
foods is harder to identify.
Identifying problem foods via food intolerance testing can
provide an opportunity to potentially relieve troublesome
symptoms and improve quality of life. In order to maximise the
benefit of this information, care and attention should also be
given to general health and lifestyle issues.
About the author:
Elizabeth Harfleet is a
Food Intolerance Testing expert
