Food Intolerance
Lorisian food intolerance tests use a very simple finger prick blood collection wand system. Because the finger prick system is so easy to use, the sample can be taken in your home, or I can do it for you in my clinic. The sample is then posted back to the Lorisian Laboratory (in a pre-paid envelope), tested and analysed for IgG antibody reactions to 100 food and drink ingredients.
What is the difference between allergy and intolerance?
The term ‘food intolerance’ and ‘food allergy’ are often confused and are two very different things. Genuine food allergy is relatively rare. Only about 2% of the adult population are affected. A food allergy is a swift response by the body’s immune system to a specific food. In this type of reaction, the body’s immune system mistakes a food for an ‘invader’ which often results in a rapid allergic reaction often within minutes, but generally within a maximum of two hours. This type of allergic reaction is commonly associated reactions to peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs and seafood.
Food intolerance is quite different to food allergy and whilst the symptoms can impact the person’s quality of life they are not life threatening. Food intolerances are much more common than food allergies.
When foods and drinks are digested the proteins within them are broken down into smaller fragments for easy absorption into the body. Larger fragments can pass through without breaking down, and sometimes the body reacts by attacking them using antibodies called Immunoglobulin G’s (IgG).
A recent study* has shown that those who eliminated trigger foods based on food-specific IgG test results had reductions in weight, body mass index, waist and hip circumference and improvements in all indicators of quality of life that were measured. The quality of life indicators included physical and emotional wellbeing, mental health, social life, pain levels and vitality.
*Lewis J et al, 2012: Eliminating Immunologically-Reactive Foods from the Diet and its Effect on Body Composition and Quality of Life in Overweight Persons. Journal Obesity & Weight loss Therapy 2:1
Symptoms of food intolerance
Food intolerance is a condition with a wide range of symptoms including gut symptoms, bloating, migraines, low mood, weight gain, fatigue and skin problems.
Symptoms of food intolerance can take up to 72 hours to appear after eating the trigger food or group of foods. On average people who suffer from food intolerances usually have between 4 and 8 trigger foods. Many people suffer for years, having formed a coping mechanism to deal with the symptoms but being unable to enjoy a normal work and home life. Many people don’t realise that there are easy steps to take that could resolve their condition.
Price
The Lorisian 100 can be purchased by current clients or Reinvent members for £199. If you are not a client yet, you can purchase the Lorisian 100 plus a 30 minute follow-up consultation via phone or Skype for £249. Many Nutritional Practitioners offer intolerance testing, but not all of them have undertaken the necessary training in order to ensure that Patients will be able to comply with the dietary changes, or that nutritional deficiencies will be avoided upon the possible elimination of whole food groups. I include the follow up consultation because the interpretation of the test results is highly important to a successful outcome.