This simple test will change your life
A better life could literally be a single blood test away. What test? A food intolerance and allergy test. The rise in convenient home-to-lab intolerance and allergy testing isn’t some new-age pseudoscience. This scientifically validated testing is helping people lead better, healthier lives.
But, how is it that one test can be so impactful?
How One Blood-Sample Test Could Change Your Life
Firstly, we’re going to clear up the confusion surrounding food intolerances and allergies, as most people seem to think the two are one and the same. This isn’t the case.
Food allergies are an immune response, where the body mistakenly identifies a certain substance as a threat to your body and attacks it, the reaction can range from mild to severe. But a food intolerance is where your body struggles to properly digest a particular food item, causing mostly (but certainly not exclusively) digestive symptoms.
A food intolerance is never life-threatening, but an allergy definitely can be. But both can be damaging, and identifying any existing intolerances or allergies can be greatly beneficial to your quality of life. Here’s how;
Identify the Cause of Undiagnosed Symptoms
This is most common for those suffering chronic bloating, brain fog or skin rashes with no clear trigger. Often times people who undertake a food intolerance test find that common food items in their diet have been the cause all along, and it’s not uncommon for those same people to find that simply voiding those problem foods helps keep those symptoms at bay.
Can you imagine being able to get rid of chronic bloating almost overnight? Or finally clearing up a bout of acne that’s been going strong for years now? These are just a few examples of how food intolerance testing has helped well over 400,000 people experiencing symptoms that even their doctors couldn’t find the cause of.
Clear-Up Skin Issues
Speaking of acne, there are countless cases of people who had skin conditions such as acne, eczema or another unidentifiable rash, finding that simply removing certain items from their diet was all it took to clear up their complexion.
It’s widely known that allergies can cause eczema flare-ups [1], but many people living with eczema still aren’t aware of what foods might be triggering it. What’s more, there is reason to believe that it’s not only food allergies that can incite a bout of eczema, but food intolerances too.
The good news is that a quick blood sample test could quickly identify any foods that may be the culprit of your skin sorrows. In fact, many eczema sufferers have found that avoiding certain foods can help keep their skin clearer for longer, or even prevent those nasty flare-ups altogether!
Diagnose unknown allergies
You might not expect a voluntary test to identify a potentially life-threatening condition, but it’s not uncommon. Blood sample allergy testing can analyse your blood for the antibody IgE [2, 3] in response to various common allergens, to identify any previously unknown allergies you may have.
Allergies aren’t just inconvenient (though they certainly are that), they can be dangerous, bringing on potentially lethal symptoms. While mild allergies may cause watery eyes, a skin rash or swelling, more severe reactions can bring on symptoms such as difficulty breathing, going limp, and even passing out.
Better manage various conditions, such as IBS, Crohn’s Disease and even Depression
Because food intolerances are mostly a digestive issue, they can have a serious impact on our gut health. Identifying any foods you’re intolerance to, can go a long way towards improving your digestive system’s health, ultimately making it function more effectively. Gut health is currently quite a hot topic within the scientific community, and more research is being conducted into the effect our digestive system can have on overall health.
For example, the vast majority of our body’s serotonin is produced in the gut. Not only this, but a connection between food intolerances and adolescent depression has recently been identified. [4] Meaning that avoiding any foods we are intolerant to could be helpful in maintaining good mental health, and even combating depression.
There is also evicence to suggest that a diet excluding foods identified in IgG food intolerance testing can have a significant impact on symptoms of conditions such as IBS and Crohn’s Disease. [5,6]
Better relationship with food
Lastly, once you’ve figured out what foods have been causing your discomfort for so long, and know to avoid them, it’s likely that your relationship with food will improve.
Knowing that your stomach can’t tolerate certain foods, but not knowing exactly which foods those are can be stressful. But once you know what you should be avoiding in order to have a symptom-free meal, you’ll be far more at ease and comfortable in your diet.
You may even feel more open to experimentation with new recipes, trying new foods and even feel relaxed when eating in restaurants.
Conclusion
A simple home-to-lab blood sample test could help you clear up your skin, reduce digestive symptoms and even diagnose any potentially life-threatening food allergies. These tests have been helping people manage their chronic conditions and feel healthier for years. And as more research comes to light, they’ll continue to help more and more people become healthier and happier.
References
[1] Santiago, S. (2015). Food Allergies and Eczema. Pediatric Annals, [online] 44(7), pp.265–267. Available at: https://www.healio.com/pediatrics/journals/pedann/2015-7-44-7/%7Bdcdebfc2-0249-41dc-b239-708db87e79c5%7D/food-allergies-and-eczema [Accessed 12 Mar. 2020].
[2] Nih.gov. (2017). Allergies: Overview. [online] Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK447112/ [Accessed 6 Mar. 2020].
[3] Justiz, A.A. and Kamleshun Ramphul (2020). Immunoglobulin. [online] Nih.gov. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513460/ [Accessed 5 Mar. 2020].
[4] Tao, R., Fu, Z. and Xiao, L. (2019). Chronic Food Antigen-specific IgG-mediated Hypersensitivity Reaction as A Risk Factor for Adolescent Depressive Disorder. Genomics, Proteomics & Bioinformatics, [online] 17(2), pp.183–189. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6620418/ [Accessed 12 Mar. 2020].
[5] Karakula-Juchnowicz, H., Gałęcka, M., Rog, J., Bartnicka, A., Łukaszewicz, Z., Krukow, P., Morylowska-Topolska, J., Skonieczna-Zydecka, K., Krajka, T., Jonak, K. and Juchnowicz, D. (2018). The Food-Specific Serum IgG Reactivity in Major Depressive Disorder Patients, Irritable Bowel Syndrome Patients and Healthy Controls. Nutrients, [online] 10(5), p.548. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29710769 [Accessed 12 Mar. 2020].
[6] Kakodkar, S. and Mutlu, E.A. (2017). Diet as a Therapeutic Option for Adult Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Gastroenterology Clinics of North America, [online] 46(4), pp.745–767. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5821251/ [Accessed 12 Mar. 2020].
