Allergy and Food Intolerance Testing

You have probably come here because you suspect that something, most likely a food but it could be something else such as pollen, dust, animal hair or a food preservative or colouring, is causing you problems. Perhaps you're not sure exactly what the cause is or perhaps you just want proof that it is the thing you suspect so that you can tell your doctor, teacher or whoever.

I would strongly recommend that first of all, for your own benefit, you read the following paragraphs so that you can understand a little more about allergy and intolerance testing.

A Word of Caution...

Allergy and food intolerance testing is a complex area. It is not just a simple matter of having a test and then avoiding the culprit food. Often a test may indicate that you are intolerant to several foods – what do you do then? Some people have ended up cutting out a whole list of foods and, in the process, adopted a diet which is completely unsuitable and unhealthy because it fails to include whole food groups or nutrients.

Furthermore, there are many different allergy and food intolerance testing services on the market, some using methods which are not based upon accepted scientific principles. Others use unregulated laboratories whose tests may not be of reputable quality or reliability and it is not always simply a case of “you get what you pay for”, it is easy to end up wasting your money.

Even amongst the ‘reputable’ tests there is a wide variety of testing methodologies to choose from, each testing for allergies or intolerances in a different way, which may not be clear to the lay person. It may need careful consideration to decide upon the most suitable test for a given client’s particular circumstances. This is why professional advice is important.

Allergy vs Intolerance

It is important to understand the difference between allergy and intolerance. The table below sets out the main points:

Allergy	Intolerance
Symptoms usually appear very quickly following exposure to the substance concerned.	Symptoms usually build up over several days exposure to the substance.
Symptoms can be severe, even life threatening (e.g. anaphylactic shock with peanut allergy).	Symptoms are generally not severe.
You can be allergic to a food, a food additive, a drug, to something you breath in and even to something that touches your skin.	Intolerances are usually only to foods.

The picture is not always 100% clear however. Some intolerances can be severe, for example coeliac disease is considered to be a severe intolerance rather than an allergy.

The Tests

A variety of tests are available at ADR Nutrition to test for:

Allergies and intolerances to common foods.
Allergies to various inhaled substances (pollens, moulds, dust mites and animals).
Allergies to various food additives (colourings, flavourings and preservatives).
Allergies to certain medications (antibiotics and pain killers).
Lactose intolerance.
Gluten intolerance (coeliac disease).

All of the tests require a blood sample. Some use a simple finger-prick sample but others require a full blood sample taken using a hypodermic syringe. In this case you will be given instructions on where you can go to have the sample taken locally.

Arranging a Test

Please contact me to arrange a test. Tests are offered as part of the normal consultation process, this enables me to decide whether a test is suitable, or indeed necessary, for you and if it is, to choose the one most likely to come up with a reliable result.

Then, when the results return, you will be given detailed advice on the food(s) you need to avoid, suggestions for what to replace them with and guidance as to whether you need to avoid them indefinitely or can return to them again after your body has healed. In this latter situation a treatment regime will be devised to promote speedy healing and recovery.

Note that allergy or intolerance tests are not usually performed during a consultation. In certain cases this is possible but generally a test kit will be posted to you direct from the laboratory, you then collect the sample and post the kit back to the laboratory. The results come to me and I then contact you to pass them on and provide advice accordingly.