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Food intolerance testing
Food intolerance testing can be a useful tool to help you and your naturopath understand how your body is dealing with a certain food. It’s not usually a test that we rely on alone; a lot of the time we also need to look at what your gut and microbiome is doing so we can determine if it is the food that is actually the issue or if it is your body’s response to the food that is the problem. We know these things sound similar, but there is actually a big difference.
Food intolerance tests can be helpful to identify what foods should be avoided while we are working on other elements, for example rebalancing your microbiome or healing your gut lining. Once this phase of your treatment plan has been complete, we aim to reintroduce those ‘intolerant foods’ to see if your body can now handle them better. This isn’t always the case, but is the goal! Your naturopath will work with you around on this to ensure we can be as holistic as possible and not have you avoiding foods unnecessarily.
There are several different types of food Intolerance tests, each comprising of different foods and combinations (e.g. a vegetarian food panel, an Asian food panel and a ‘standard food panel’). Your naturopath will walk you through each of these so that we can work out the best test for you.
Food intolerance testing can be useful if you are experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms like bloating, altered bowel movements (constipation or diarrhoea), stomach pain or cramping, reflux or indigestion. It can also be useful in conditions/symptoms such as eczema or dermatitis, brain fog, persistent or unresolved fatigue, migraines and headaches and joint/muscle aches and pains.
Environmental allergens
Sometimes the things making us unwell are the things that we are ‘bathing’ in every day, often unknowingly. Common allergens in our environments that can contribute to sickness include grasses, animal dander, dust, tree pollens, food additives and food preservatives. Even though we are often only exposed to these things in very small amounts, in sensitive individuals, they can send our system into overdrive!
Your naturopath may suggest testing environmental allergens for:
- Chronic immune issues eg: frequent colds and flus, recurrent sinusitis or tonsilitis.
- Hay fever-like symptoms
- Skin conditions like eczema or dermatitis
- Persistent fatigue
- Hormone imbalances that are affecting fertility or the menstrual cycle.
