Food Allergy Testing at Seattle Naturopathic Center
The problem with the standard food allergy tests, run by most allergists, is that most food allergies are not IgE reactions, but are rather IgG reactions or sometimes IgA reactions, such as in celiac disease. The IgG and IgA reactions usually show up hours or even days after ingestion of the allergen. They are generally not nearly as dramatic as the more severe IgE reactions, and usually result in “mere” constipation, diarrhea, bloating, gas, abdominal pain, headaches, joint pain, and skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.
The standard 96 food allergy test panel includes:
- Dairy: casein, cheese: cheddar, cottage, mozzarella, whey, milk, goat milk, yogurt
- Vegetables: asparagus, avocado, beet, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, garlic, lettuce, mushroom, black olives, onion, green peppers, sweet potato, white potato, pumpkin, radish, spinach, zucchini, tomato
- Fruits: apple, apricot, banana, blueberry, cranberry, grape, grapefruit, lemon, orange, papaya, peach, pear, pineapple, plum, raspberry, strawberry
- Meat: beef, chicken, egg white, egg yolk, lamb, pork, turkey
- Grains/Legumes/Nuts: almond, amaranth flour, barley, kidney bean, lima, bean, pinto bean, soy bean, string bean, buckwheat, coconut, corn, filbert, wheat gliadin, wheat gluten, lentil, oat, pea, peanut, pecan, rice, rye, sesame, spelt, sunflower, walnut, whole wheat
- Fish: clam, cod, crab, halibut, lobster, oyster, red snapper, salmon, shrimp, sole, tuna
- Misc: cocoa bean, coffee bean, honey, sugar cane, baker’s yeast, brewer’s yeast
- Sample test results
When patients stop eating those foods they are allergic to they invariably feel better. However, Dr. Lee doesn’t stop here. She wants her patients to be able to enjoy these foods again and not have to avoid them forever. After identifying food allergens, Dr. Lee’s next step is to help her patients strengthen their digestive system. That way, they would be able to enjoy foods they are allergic too and not have a flare up.