Food Intolerances: What are the Symptoms of Food Intolerance and What Tests are Available?
Do you regularly feel discomfort or bloating after eating certain foods? Is your life disrupted with constant cycles of constipation and diarrhoea, with your insides feeling raw? Does your skin regularly feel irritated or your joints sore? Do you suffer from chronic headaches or migraines? All these health issues can be symptoms of a food intolerance, or at least a contributing factor.
While less than 2% of the population suffer from food allergies, it is estimated that more than 20% of the population suffer from food intolerance. Food intolerances can affect anyone at any age, (we commonly work with children who have an intolerance to food) but since symptoms often occur some time after the food has been eaten it can be difficult to find the problem food. Years of research has found the basis of what causes allergy and food intolerance. Poor digestion causes your immune system to begin to attack partially digested components within the food that “leak” through the intestine and can migrate around the body. Sometimes that partially digested components lodge in the intestinal wall, sometimes in a membrane around a joint or even the brain. Antibodies quickly find these components and indicate to the rest of the bodies and this triggers the immune system and causes inflammation. Inflammation causes irritation: soreness, pain and swelling
There are many techniques that have been developed through the years to determine food intolerances. Some techniques were developed before scientists discovered the immune response, for example muscle reflex testing, and acupuncture. These techniques increasingly use electronic signal processors to improve their accuracy. However, these techniques can be still be compared to using a piece of seaweed for weather prediction. It takes someone with extremely good powers of judgement to understand a muscle reflex or voltage change due to a food sample being contacted with the skin. We often meet with patients who have been tested and told they are intolerance to a wide range of staple foods, fruit and vegetables. Their symptoms can improve sometimes but they often end up with a very unbalanced diet.
A more modern and clinically proven technique looks at the root cause of the food intolerance symptoms, the immune system. Indeed, a clinical trial of immune system tests found that most people with IBS that avoided the foods suggested by an immune test had their symptoms significantly improved. These tests do need a blood sample. With the right training, blood sampling is virtually painless and takes a few seconds. A sterile finger pricker lances the skin and a blood drop appears. The drop is collected and that is that, you don’t really need a dressing and its hard to see where the blood came from a minute later. That small blood sample is taken and the levels of the antibody determined by a laboratory. Some tests need to be sent away (york test). Our specialist practice in Inverness has a small lab where the tests can be done whilst you wait (
food intolerance testing inverness), taking less than one hour. The food intolerance test results are very unambiguous and can be used to guide an elimination diet with some certainty.
The immune (blood) testing is a lot more accurate than the old fashioned ways of testing. Sometimes people go through the mill, completely unnecessarily.
A patient (Mr. M.) came to us with a huge list of things he was told to not eat by an electronic muscle reflex test. He was an active young male who was told to avoid all grains, milk, nuts and yeast. He was suffering from rhinitis (blocked nose that would not go away) and had followed his food avoidance diet based on the electronic results and his symptoms had still not got any better. A big issue for him was that he used to like going out with his friends to go for pizza and have a few beers. He had lost a lot of weight and felt hungry all the time because of his active job.
I blood tested him and found that he gave a very weak positive result to oats and yeast (so weak it took imagination to see the positive blue spot on the test plate). So he had put up with not being able to go get a pizza, not being able to pop out for a sandwich at lunchtime and spent a lot his time being starving (active outdoor job in Scotland – you need food!!) for no particular reason at all.
So he is now back onto a balanced diet again and can enjoy a beer this Christmas.
If you have been electronically tested and given a big list of foods that you are intolerant to, it might be a good idea to get a second test done somewhere else perhaps by the immune method and compare the results.
By: Dr Richard Day
About the Author:
While less than 2% of the population suffer from food allergies, it is estimated that more than 20% of the population suffer from food intolerance. Food intolerances can affect anyone at any age, (we commonly work with children who have an intolerance to food) but since symptoms often occur some time after the food has been eaten it can be difficult to find the problem food. Years of research has found the basis of what causes allergy and food intolerance. Poor digestion causes your immune system to begin to attack partially digested components within the food that “leak” through the intestine and can migrate around the body. Sometimes that partially digested components lodge in the intestinal wall, sometimes in a membrane around a joint or even the brain. Antibodies quickly find these components and indicate to the rest of the bodies and this triggers the immune system and causes inflammation. Inflammation causes irritation: soreness, pain and swelling
There are many techniques that have been developed through the years to determine food intolerances. Some techniques were developed before scientists discovered the immune response, for example muscle reflex testing, and acupuncture. These techniques increasingly use electronic signal processors to improve their accuracy. However, these techniques can be still be compared to using a piece of seaweed for weather prediction. It takes someone with extremely good powers of judgement to understand a muscle reflex or voltage change due to a food sample being contacted with the skin. We often meet with patients who have been tested and told they are intolerance to a wide range of staple foods, fruit and vegetables. Their symptoms can improve sometimes but they often end up with a very unbalanced diet.
A more modern and clinically proven technique looks at the root cause of the food intolerance symptoms, the immune system. Indeed, a clinical trial of immune system tests found that most people with IBS that avoided the foods suggested by an immune test had their symptoms significantly improved. These tests do need a blood sample. With the right training, blood sampling is virtually painless and takes a few seconds. A sterile finger pricker lances the skin and a blood drop appears. The drop is collected and that is that, you don’t really need a dressing and its hard to see where the blood came from a minute later. That small blood sample is taken and the levels of the antibody determined by a laboratory. Some tests need to be sent away (york test). Our specialist practice in Inverness has a small lab where the tests can be done whilst you wait (
food intolerance testing inverness), taking less than one hour. The food intolerance test results are very unambiguous and can be used to guide an elimination diet with some certainty.
The immune (blood) testing is a lot more accurate than the old fashioned ways of testing. Sometimes people go through the mill, completely unnecessarily.
A patient (Mr. M.) came to us with a huge list of things he was told to not eat by an electronic muscle reflex test. He was an active young male who was told to avoid all grains, milk, nuts and yeast. He was suffering from rhinitis (blocked nose that would not go away) and had followed his food avoidance diet based on the electronic results and his symptoms had still not got any better. A big issue for him was that he used to like going out with his friends to go for pizza and have a few beers. He had lost a lot of weight and felt hungry all the time because of his active job.
I blood tested him and found that he gave a very weak positive result to oats and yeast (so weak it took imagination to see the positive blue spot on the test plate). So he had put up with not being able to go get a pizza, not being able to pop out for a sandwich at lunchtime and spent a lot his time being starving (active outdoor job in Scotland – you need food!!) for no particular reason at all.
So he is now back onto a balanced diet again and can enjoy a beer this Christmas.
If you have been electronically tested and given a big list of foods that you are intolerant to, it might be a good idea to get a second test done somewhere else perhaps by the immune method and compare the results.
By: Dr Richard Day
About the Author:
Dr. Richard Day Bsc.
www.food-intolerance-test.co.uk
Latest Research on Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is very prevalent and common disorder characterized by abdominal pain, stomach discomfort and changes in bowel movements. Bowel changes may be either in form of constipation, diarrhoea or both. Additional symptoms include general malaise, loss of appetite and bloating of stomach. Research suggests that IBS is more prevalent in women compared to men. In United States around 15-20% population suffer from this disease.
One of the major causes of IBS has been attributed to stress and anxiety and is psychosomatic disorder, but latest research reveals that it is caused due to changes in sensation of muscles and nerves which affect the motility of the bowel. Research also reveals people who suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) have high level of sensitivity of the intestine compared to people who do not suffer. Neurochemical imbalance of Serotonin, a neurotransmitter which is responsible for GI motility is also one factor responsible for IBS.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome is not life threatening disease but it can severely impact the daily quality life. In children abdominal pain can cause absentee from school. Patients suffering from severe symptoms have greater impairments in their lives.
IBS is more prevalent in Caucasian race (whites) compared to Hispanic or Asian population; hence IBS is not well characterized beyond western countries. IBS is more prevalent in whites than black.
To dismay, till date there is no complete cure for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and it is a chronic illness. Treatment is based on symptoms. It can be frustrating for the patient as well as the doctor to treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome. It is very important for the doctor to establish good relationship with the patient, reassurance is the key for treatment along with proper counseling, change in dietary habits and lifestyle changes can help a lot for IBS patients. People suffering from moderate symptoms can go ahead with their daily lives without much impact.
Dietary change in habits can go long way in helping IBS patients. Elimination of foods like sorbitol, fructose, and gas forming legumes can help in alleviating IBS and bring relief to the patients. Foods favoring flatulence like onions, carrots, bananas and wheat germ if avoided may help to cure IBS to a certain extent.
High fiber diets also help IBS patients who suffer from constipation as fiber helps in retention of water, and helps in colonal exit. Calculation of fiber in diet/day in children is done by adding 5 to the age of the child.
By: Kiran Tamada
About the Author:
One of the major causes of IBS has been attributed to stress and anxiety and is psychosomatic disorder, but latest research reveals that it is caused due to changes in sensation of muscles and nerves which affect the motility of the bowel. Research also reveals people who suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) have high level of sensitivity of the intestine compared to people who do not suffer. Neurochemical imbalance of Serotonin, a neurotransmitter which is responsible for GI motility is also one factor responsible for IBS.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome is not life threatening disease but it can severely impact the daily quality life. In children abdominal pain can cause absentee from school. Patients suffering from severe symptoms have greater impairments in their lives.
IBS is more prevalent in Caucasian race (whites) compared to Hispanic or Asian population; hence IBS is not well characterized beyond western countries. IBS is more prevalent in whites than black.
To dismay, till date there is no complete cure for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and it is a chronic illness. Treatment is based on symptoms. It can be frustrating for the patient as well as the doctor to treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome. It is very important for the doctor to establish good relationship with the patient, reassurance is the key for treatment along with proper counseling, change in dietary habits and lifestyle changes can help a lot for IBS patients. People suffering from moderate symptoms can go ahead with their daily lives without much impact.
Dietary change in habits can go long way in helping IBS patients. Elimination of foods like sorbitol, fructose, and gas forming legumes can help in alleviating IBS and bring relief to the patients. Foods favoring flatulence like onions, carrots, bananas and wheat germ if avoided may help to cure IBS to a certain extent.
High fiber diets also help IBS patients who suffer from constipation as fiber helps in retention of water, and helps in colonal exit. Calculation of fiber in diet/day in children is done by adding 5 to the age of the child.
By: Kiran Tamada
About the Author:
It is very important to understand IBS, its symptome and treatment.Lot more information is available atwww.imodium.co.uk – Irritable bowel syndrome
IBS Treatment – What Are The Options?
IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome to give it it’s full name, is a condition affecting the bowel and intestines that is said to affect around 1 in 5 people at some point in their life. It can be an extremely uncomfortable and embarrassing condition but although it cannot be cured completely, there are ways you can treat the disease.
Before I discuss the treatment options, let me first of all discuss the symptoms of IBS. They are generally wide-ranging and differ from patient to patient, but some of the common complaints are of abdominal pains, diarrhoea, constipation, vomiting, bloating, and uncomfortable bowel movements. Basically it’s quite an uncomfortable condition to have because it can often lead to you having to make several trips to the toilet which can be quite painful due to your bowel becoming over-sensitive.
No-one really knows what causes irritable bowel syndrome but many medical professionals believe it is brought on by stress. Others think it is a result of an abnormal immune system. Whatever the cause may be, the severity of the condition can be eased considerably with the right treatment.
If you do have any of the symptoms previously mentioned, your doctor should be your first port of call. They will then examine you and give you a diagnosis, and if you do have IBS, they will advise you on what type of treatment you should consider. They will often start off by discussing your diet because by making certain changes to your dietary habits, you can go some way to reducing the severity of IBS, so things like drinking more water and increasing your daily intake of fibre will help in a lot of cases.
Your doctor may then give you specific treatments for your own particular condition. So for example, if you are suffering from diarrhoea then you may be prescribed anti-diarrheals and if you are suffering from constipation you may be prescribed laxatives. In addition you may be given medication to reduce the spasms in your bowel.
You may also be advised to take some kind of aloe vera product because aloe vera is excellent for boosting your immune system, which is argued by some to be a major contributing factor to IBS. If stress is a possible cause in your own case, then you may also be given anti-depressants and possibly advised to consider psychotherapy and hypnotherapy.
So overall although there is no outright cure for irritable bowel syndrome, there are many treatment options you can consider which will help to reduce the symptoms considerably. As a result you can start to live a normal and healthy life again.
By: James Woolley
About the Author:
Before I discuss the treatment options, let me first of all discuss the symptoms of IBS. They are generally wide-ranging and differ from patient to patient, but some of the common complaints are of abdominal pains, diarrhoea, constipation, vomiting, bloating, and uncomfortable bowel movements. Basically it’s quite an uncomfortable condition to have because it can often lead to you having to make several trips to the toilet which can be quite painful due to your bowel becoming over-sensitive.
No-one really knows what causes irritable bowel syndrome but many medical professionals believe it is brought on by stress. Others think it is a result of an abnormal immune system. Whatever the cause may be, the severity of the condition can be eased considerably with the right treatment.
If you do have any of the symptoms previously mentioned, your doctor should be your first port of call. They will then examine you and give you a diagnosis, and if you do have IBS, they will advise you on what type of treatment you should consider. They will often start off by discussing your diet because by making certain changes to your dietary habits, you can go some way to reducing the severity of IBS, so things like drinking more water and increasing your daily intake of fibre will help in a lot of cases.
Your doctor may then give you specific treatments for your own particular condition. So for example, if you are suffering from diarrhoea then you may be prescribed anti-diarrheals and if you are suffering from constipation you may be prescribed laxatives. In addition you may be given medication to reduce the spasms in your bowel.
You may also be advised to take some kind of aloe vera product because aloe vera is excellent for boosting your immune system, which is argued by some to be a major contributing factor to IBS. If stress is a possible cause in your own case, then you may also be given anti-depressants and possibly advised to consider psychotherapy and hypnotherapy.
So overall although there is no outright cure for irritable bowel syndrome, there are many treatment options you can consider which will help to reduce the symptoms considerably. As a result you can start to live a normal and healthy life again.
By: James Woolley
About the Author:
Click here for more information about aloe vera and IBS and to read a full Aloeride review.
Medication to Reduce the Symptoms of Ibs
As such, there is not really a practical way to treat IBS itself, there is not per-se a medication that is used for the treatment of IBS directly. Medications doctors prescribe for IBS are actually being used in the treatment of the causes of IBS not to treat IBS itself. The multitude of causes produces and multitude of treatments with very different drugs that have very different effects on the body that ultimately are intended to lead to relieve from the effects of IBS. Perhaps the most common medication for IBS are simple fibre supplements, including Psyllium, Methylcellulose and Calcium Polycarbophil These can be purchased over-the-counter and used to help to increase the amount of fibre in the bowel in order to assist in normalising bowl movements. These can produce socially unpleasant side-effects such as flatulence as well as quite severe bloating. Another medication of the news as exactly the opposite effect, laxatives such as Amitiza are used to ease constipation which can be another prominent effect often found in IBS sufferers. In addition antispasmodic medications such as Hyoscyamine Bentyl, Benytol and Dicyclomine are used to help control muscle spasms the in the colon in order to relieve pain and also reduce the effects of diarrhoea. Other anti-diarrhoea medications may also be prescribed to directly relieve the effects of dehydration and discomfort caused by diarrhoea these may include Loperamide Yet another diverse set of drugs used in the treatment of IBS are antidepressants such as fluoxetine and paroxetine and Amitriptyline which is known to be an anticholinergic which reduces activity within the gut and also secretions. Tranquillisers are used to help reduce the effects of such mental disorders as depression, anxiety and stress. All of these elements can contribute considerably to the level of IBS that a patient may suffer. Because of the highly diverse nature of the causes of IBS it is very unwise to sell ascribe medications for the treatment of this varied condition. Just because your friend has taken fibre supplements which completely removed her symptoms it does not follow at all that fibre supplements will be any help for another patient in fact they may make the condition deteriorate. There are also treatments that involves the introduction of “good” bacteria into the digestive system these would include align a basic probiotic. Other drugs are intended to equalise the fluid levels within interesting is to alleviate the effects of diarrheal these include Equalactin. One drug that has been specifically developed for the treatment of IBS intestinal problems and pain associated with the disorder is Dicetel. As well as Ibsacol used to deal with fatty acids related to IBS symptoms.
By: Darrell F
About the Author:
By: Darrell F
About the Author:
Hypnotherapy Can Cure Ibs
Researchers from Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester have found that hypnotherapy can be used to effectively treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in 70 per cent of cases.
Irritable bowel syndrome is a functional bowel disorder, which causes abdominal pain, and in some cases, fever, diarrhoea, bloating, constipation and nausea. It is a common ailment, which is thought to affect one in three people at some point in their lives.
The causes of irritable bowel syndrome are unknown, particularly as IBS sufferers show no physical abnormalities in the bowel. Because of this, many specialists believe that stress is a major factor in causing this painful bowel disorder.
Currently, a hypnotherapist at the Manchester hospital is treating more than 60 irritable bowel syndrome sufferers every week. Patients are coming from locations throughout the country to experience this cutting-edge course of 12 hypnotherapy treatments, which means the hospital now has an 18-month waiting list.
Pamela Cruickshanks, who is one of Wythenshawe Hospital’s three clinical hypnotherapists, explains how the treatment works. She said: “We provide patients with 12 sessions of ‘gut-directed hypnotherapy’, which teach patients to take control over their bowel. Due to the success of this treatment, patients are coming from all over the country to access our services, and hypnosis is now considered to be the treatment of choice for moderate to severe IBS.”
One irritable bowel syndrome sufferer from Manchester, Claire Brunton, suffered from painful cramps and other symptoms of the bowel disorder so badly that she stopped wanting to eat, which left her on the verge of anorexia. She also started to suffer from terrifying panic attacks because she was worrying so much about getting ill.
However, as a result of Wythenshawe hospital’s revolutionary hypnotherapy programme, she has learnt some great techniques to stop her panic attacks, control her symptoms and help to cope with the pain. While her illness had once held her back in life, the hypnotherapy treatments have helped her to cope with the stress of her final university exams, as well as giving her enough confidence to enter the world of work and begin a new job as a recruitment consultant.
Claire was quick to praise Wythenshawe Hospital’s hypnotherapy treatment for IBS, she said: “Hypnotherapy is a very strange thing to try to describe, your therapist helps you to relax slowly but you are awake and conscious throughout – it feels like the last few moments before you go to sleep when you still know what is happening around you.”
Before embarking on this treatment, Claire had tried a number of other IBS therapies to no avail. She explained: “IBS was taking over my life. I had started to worry I would not be able to hold down a job and I didn’t want to eat because I felt like everything I ate made me sick, so I’d tried all kinds of herbal remedies and acupuncture before the hypnotherapy.”
As well as having hypnotherapy, Claire was also given a number of blood tests at the hospital that showed she was allergic to dairy and wheat products. She now avoids these foods and finds that her symptoms have eased a great deal.
Source:
Manchester Evening News
By: Samantha Srillian
About the Author:
Irritable bowel syndrome is a functional bowel disorder, which causes abdominal pain, and in some cases, fever, diarrhoea, bloating, constipation and nausea. It is a common ailment, which is thought to affect one in three people at some point in their lives.
The causes of irritable bowel syndrome are unknown, particularly as IBS sufferers show no physical abnormalities in the bowel. Because of this, many specialists believe that stress is a major factor in causing this painful bowel disorder.
Currently, a hypnotherapist at the Manchester hospital is treating more than 60 irritable bowel syndrome sufferers every week. Patients are coming from locations throughout the country to experience this cutting-edge course of 12 hypnotherapy treatments, which means the hospital now has an 18-month waiting list.
Pamela Cruickshanks, who is one of Wythenshawe Hospital’s three clinical hypnotherapists, explains how the treatment works. She said: “We provide patients with 12 sessions of ‘gut-directed hypnotherapy’, which teach patients to take control over their bowel. Due to the success of this treatment, patients are coming from all over the country to access our services, and hypnosis is now considered to be the treatment of choice for moderate to severe IBS.”
One irritable bowel syndrome sufferer from Manchester, Claire Brunton, suffered from painful cramps and other symptoms of the bowel disorder so badly that she stopped wanting to eat, which left her on the verge of anorexia. She also started to suffer from terrifying panic attacks because she was worrying so much about getting ill.
However, as a result of Wythenshawe hospital’s revolutionary hypnotherapy programme, she has learnt some great techniques to stop her panic attacks, control her symptoms and help to cope with the pain. While her illness had once held her back in life, the hypnotherapy treatments have helped her to cope with the stress of her final university exams, as well as giving her enough confidence to enter the world of work and begin a new job as a recruitment consultant.
Claire was quick to praise Wythenshawe Hospital’s hypnotherapy treatment for IBS, she said: “Hypnotherapy is a very strange thing to try to describe, your therapist helps you to relax slowly but you are awake and conscious throughout – it feels like the last few moments before you go to sleep when you still know what is happening around you.”
Before embarking on this treatment, Claire had tried a number of other IBS therapies to no avail. She explained: “IBS was taking over my life. I had started to worry I would not be able to hold down a job and I didn’t want to eat because I felt like everything I ate made me sick, so I’d tried all kinds of herbal remedies and acupuncture before the hypnotherapy.”
As well as having hypnotherapy, Claire was also given a number of blood tests at the hospital that showed she was allergic to dairy and wheat products. She now avoids these foods and finds that her symptoms have eased a great deal.
Source:
Manchester Evening News
By: Samantha Srillian
About the Author:
Samantha Srillian is a freelance writer, as well as a naturally gifted psychic medium and tarot card reader. She is interested in alternative therapies, angels and spiritual healing.