Understanding intolerances and allergies | Intolerance Tests | Test My Intolerance

Understanding intolerances and allergies

What is food intolerance?

A food intolerance is difficulty digesting certain foods and having an unpleasant physical reaction to them according to the NHS website (www.nhs.uk/conditions/food-intolerance)

What are the differences between Allergies and Intolerances

A food allergy:

  • Is a reaction from your immune system – your immune system mistakenly treats proteins found in food as a threat
  • Can trigger various allergy symptoms that come on rapidly
  • Is often to particular items – common food allergies in adults are to fish and shellfish and nuts, and in children to milk and eggs as well as to peanuts, other nuts and fish
  • Can be serious

A food intolerance:

  • Doesn’t involve your immune system – there is no allergic reaction, and it is never life-threatening
  • Causes symptoms that come on more slowly, often after many hours
  • Only results in symptoms if you consume reasonable amounts of the food (unlike an allergy, where just traces can trigger a reaction)
  • Can be caused by many different items

Source: NHS UK

Food intolerances and sensitivities more often display symptoms that are related to the digestive system. Individual extreme cases are also linked to chronic conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome and chronic fatigue. The most common symptoms include:

 

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Bloating

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Fatigue

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Headaches

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Changes in bowel movements

Reducing symptoms through elimination

A large number of food intolerance symptoms can often be reduced through the implementation of a food elimination diet and improved gut health.

Eliminating foods which are believed to be the cause of symptoms can allow the digestive system time to adjust and reset.

There also could be a need to improve gut health and rebalance gut bacteria levels also in this time.

Remember!

Allergies and Intolerances/Sensitivities are different and you should consider the following:

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Allergies and Intolerance/sensitivities are different conditions presenting with different symptoms and causes

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Intolerances/sensitivities (food and non-food) symptoms can occur up to 72 hours after contact

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Allergies usually present symptoms rapidly (up to a few hours) and are commonly at the more severe end of the reaction scale.

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Intolerances/sensitivities are mostly uncomfortable and embarrassing and do not usually present any serious risk to overall health

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Allergy symptoms can be serious and even life-threatening in some cases

Diagnosing and managing your food allergy – Understanding your IgE allergies

The prevalence of allergies is increasing throughout the UK.

As a chronic disease, the number of people suffering from an allergy is on the rise. Understanding the difference between allergies and intolerances can be very confusing.

Here at TMI Testing, our open and honest testing procedure will give you all the information you need to choose the right test for you.

An allergy test that’s right for you.

We offer an at-home positive/negative Allergy Check Kit, helping you to find out whether you have an allergy with a non-invasive test before you invest in further testing. This simple 30 minute test is often a start for people who suspect they suffer from allergies, but are not sure of the trigger.

If you have already purchased your at-home Allergy Check Kit and receive a positive result, or already beleive one or more of the common allergens are the cause of your symptoms we offer our Allergy 35 test to narrow down the trigger items.

If you’re still struggling with understanding food sensitivities…

Yoga Magazine have released a new article on food sensitivity testing. This new article explains how it works, how it can be beneficial and several advice stories with positive health results towards food sensitivity testing. You can read the full article on our website! Click here to read more!

We’ve also put together some food intolerance facts to help you understand more about intolerances and the foods that cause them. Also included on our website are the food allergy facts of the UK designed to help you understand more about the importance and severity of allergies.