31 Oct Food Allergies that Can Affect Your Health
Each year, more and more food allergies are affecting patients and their ability to get through their day. Patients may have unexplainable aches and pain that actually stem from the foods their eating and the allergens in their environment. An allergy can cause severe symptoms like hives, wheezing, confusion, stomach pain or even death. An intolerance can cause fatigue, difficulty maintaining weight, headaches, skin disorders, irritable bowel syndrome and more. At our facility, we offer ALCAT allergen testing to provide the widest range of testing that’s available. In fact, we test over 200 food items and common intolerance triggers with each patient. If you have symptoms that seem like they might stem from an allergen or intolerance, don’t hesitate to be tested. We can find the causes of your symptoms and do all that we can to effectively remedy them.
Facts about Food Allergies
Your immune system plays a large part in you being allergic or not to certain foods. The body responds to foods you eat on a daily basis. An example would be increased gas when you ingest beans or problems with your digestive system if you have dairy and are lactose intolerant. These are not allergies, as allergies are controlled by your immune system. When you eat something you are allergic to, your immune system interprets that thing as something that could make you sick. You then have various reactions as the body’s way to protect you from that allergy and to try to rid it from your system.
Up to 15 million people have food allergies. Many of these people are allergic to the same types of foods. 90% of allergies are to the following foods: milk, peanuts, soy, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat, and eggs. Fish and shellfish allergies are mostly found in adults while a milk allergy will generally affect children. However, people could have an allergy to literally any food, and every person’s symptoms and reaction will be unique to them. In fact, at least 170 different types of foods are shown to cause allergic reactions in people.
What is a Food Allergy?
A food allergy is something that can be life threatening in many situations. It’s not smart to just take a guess at your allergies. For example, if you know you are allergic to peanuts, you may also be allergic to other kinds of nuts. It could be life-threatening to then go and eat other nuts without being tested. A food allergy can cause hives, wheezing, confusion, nausea, vomiting, inflammation of your organs and tissues, and even death. For some people with a food allergy, their tongue may swell if they eat something they are allergic to. This can close off your airway and cause you to suffocate. Food allergies are not something you want to take lightly.
What Is a Food Intolerance?
A food intolerance is different than an allergy, and is much less life-threatening. Intolerances can cause you a range of symptoms when you ingest certain foods or are around certain substances. Mostly, an intolerance is a nuisance, but it can greatly affect how you feel each day and how your health is doing. Many people have an intolerance to one or more foods that cause low-grade, but persistent symptoms. Modifying your diet to avoid just a few snacks or ingredients when this happens can help you pinpoint where your intolerance is coming from. However, only through proper testing can you know for sure what your intolerance is.
Food intolerances can cause symptoms such as:
- Difficulty maintaining a healthy weight or difficulty losing weight
- Irritable bowel syndrome and its accompanying symptoms
- Arthritis and other forms of joint pain and swelling
- General fatigue that persists throughout the day
- Mental fog or daily confusion
- Frequent headaches or debilitating migraines
- Skin disorders such as rashes
How Can You Know Your Allergies?
Getting tested for food allergies and food intolerances is the best and quite frankly the only way to know what your food allergies and intolerances are. Remember, you don’t want to take a risk on your life when it comes to food allergies. Technology allows us the ability to test patients for intolerances and allergies through ALCAT testing.
In order to determine what foods your body reacts to, a technician must draw your blood to test it against common allergens. This is a simple service, as only a relatively small amount of blood is needed for the testing. The sample is analyzed with state-of-the-art equipment that tests over 200 different allergens. Based on how your blood reacts to those allergens, we will be able to produce a full report of your panels and the testing you chose. This will highlight which foods are safe to eat and which ones may be triggering reactions or symptoms. These test results often come back very quickly so that you can begin to adjust your diet immediately.
Get ALCAT Testing Today
If you feel symptoms of food allergies or intolerances that we listed, it is very smart to come into our office and receive ALCAT testing. These tests could very well save your life in the long run by helping you to avoid foods you are severely allergic to. As a rehabilitative center, we can test you for allergies while also helping you with rehabilitative services to relieve daily symptoms and ailments you have. To learn more about the services our center offers and to schedule your testing consultation, call Mile High Spine & Pain Center today at (720) 507) 0080!