Food Allergy

At Seattle Naturopathy and Acupuncture Center, we know how hard food allergies can be on you, especially if you don’t know what foods you are allergic too. Food intolerances and food allergies are terms often confused with one another. Classic food allergies cause anaphylactic reactions like hives, swelling, difficulty breathing, or in severe cases death. They are mostly associated with peanuts, shellfish, strawberries, etc., and people usually realize right away what triggered their reaction. Food intolerances, or sensitivities, on the other hand are more difficult to diagnose and many people are unaware they have them because they tend to cause delayed reactions. The most common reactions to food intolerances are migraines/headaches, chronic digestive disturbances, eczema and other skin conditions, chronic ear or throat infections, and joint pain. The range of symptoms from food allergies can be from mild conditions to life threatening conditions whereas food intolerance symptoms are usually chronic and less severe. Determining if what you are eating is causing your ill health can change your level of wellness significantly, and food intolerance testing is the surefire was to get the diagnosis you need to start feeling well again.

Once we have pinpointed the foods, we will then come up with a treatment plan

DON’T SELF-DIAGNOSE!

Understanding the symptoms of food allergies can help you to understand how easily you might be misdiagnosed. Often food intolerances are masked by their symptoms. You might want to run an IgG food intolerance panel if you experience:

• Frequent headaches or migraines
• Stomach upset or intestinal upset – IBS, colitis, etc.
• Skins problems like eczema
• Chronic ear infections, sinusitis, or tonsillitis
• Joint pain

All of these symptoms, and others as well, might be caused or aggravated by foods, and getting to the root cause of these problems can make an enormous difference. Only proper testing will provide the answers.

METHODS USED TO DIAGNOSE FOOD ALLERGIES

• Blood test
• Skin prick test
• Trial elimination diet
• And an oral food challenge
• Other diagnostic procedures

At Seattle Naturopathy and Acupuncture Center, we strive to improve the quality of our patients’ lives. Contact us today for an appointment for food allergy testing.