There are many different methods of testing for allergies and intolerances at Cressinghams we use two of them - Applied Kinesiology, (Nicola Moran), which is a non-invasive holistic approach and blood tests that are sent off to pathology labs.,(Richard Wain).
The tests for allergens only require a skin prick with a sterile lancet, intolerances require a larger blood sample taken by a trained phlebotomist. Richard has a State Registered Nurse to take blood samples for him. An appointment will be made for you to see the nurse for the sample to be taken. She only works one morning per week, which means you may have to wait a week or so for your appointment, which is always between 8.30 and 9.30 am at Crayford. If you cannot make this time you can ask your GP to take the sample, there may be a charge for this. Also you will have to collect the special syringe and packaging from me and be responsible for mailing it yourself. If need be the sample can be taken in your home or work but there is a minimum £25.00 charge for this service, and it is not available in all areas. The lab. work on the blood sample the next day and the results are back in around seven working days.
Upto 400 different allergens can be tested for - including foods, food additives/sauces, drinks, pollens, cat/dog/rabbit/birds and dust mites.
We use a different lab. for Intolerance testing, it has been established for well over twenty years, has centres worldwide and is run by a respected Fellow of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences. The test covers 178 foods and chemical additives, and comes with an approx. 30-40 page report and diet guide. This test requires a 10ml citrated blood sample taken by the nurse.
Both labs. are owned by and only employ fully qualified Biomedical Scientists.
An allergy develops when the immune system of a person reacts to a harmless substance as if it were harmful to the body. This could be due to something eaten, drunk, inhaled, touched, stings/bites and prescribed drugs, e.g., food, chemicals, moulds/yeasts, dust, pollen, hair, feathers, dander, penicillin and even dental amalgam. The body attack the harmless substances as if it were a virus or bacteria and produces antibodies - IgE, (Immunoglobulin E). this triggers the allergic response and histamine is released causing smooth muscle to contract and capillaries to become 'leaky', which causes swelling to develop.
Allergies affect around 40% of the population, at one time or another, and can be life threatening. Symptoms are usually rapid and dramatic - swelling of the lips and throat, vomiting, skin rashes, coughs and onset of asthmatic breathing. Many people say they have an allergy when in fact they have an intolerance to a substance.
Intolerances are somewhat different as they do not trigger a full-blown allergic reaction, so IgE is not produced in the body for the substance to which someone is intolerant. This means that one has to find a different way of finding out which food or other substance is the culprit. One way is an elimination diet - suspected substance are removed from the diet or environment, this is sometimes long and laborious, but is very accurate. A blood test can be used to detect intolerances, which is quicker than an elimination diet and will show up other foods which are a problem.
Intolerances may affect up to 45% of the population and the average person has intolerance to four quite 'harmless' foods or substances. (I have an allergic reaction to penicillin and intolerances to lactose in milk, yeast in bread and moulds in general). Many doctors do not recognise intolerances except for those due to genetic or enzyme deficiencies, e.g., lactose is milk sugar and is digested by the enzyme lactase, many persons do not produce this enzyme so the sugar ferments in the gut producing gas and causing bloatedness, flatulence, and frequent diarrhoea. These conditions are often inherited - my son has lactose intolerance too. These intolerances may cause chronic illnesses such as asthma, eczema, migraines, IBS, arthritis, hives, lethargy, depression, irregular bowel movements, etc. and weaken the immune response to infections. They put the body under a great deal of stress and it is unable to operate at optimum levels.
Fungal-Type Dysbiosis (Candidiasis)
I have included this disorder here as it cause an immunological response, other therapists may include it under nutritional deficiencies or treat it as something totally different. It is a very distressing and debilitating disorder no matter how you classify it. The person usually has recurrent thrush and/or cystitis and may have some or all of the following symptoms;- chronic tiredness, inability to lose weight, fluid retention, anxiety, mood swings, depression, PMT, acne/skin problems, constipation followed by diarrhoea, suffer from allergies and intolerance more than average ,and all sufferers are hypoglycaemic so have severe sugar cravings.
The disorder is caused by a massive overgrowth of the yeast Candida albicans, often after the gut bacteria have been killed off by a course of anti-biotics. Candida is normally held in check by the gut bacteria, but with them dead the yeast starts to grow rapidly and overruns the sites usually occupied by bacteria. As it takes hold and needs more nutrients to sustain its progress the yeast sends out threadlike growths into the gut wall which cause toxins to escape into the blood - hence the immunological response. The overgrowth of Candida has to be reduced and gut bacteria encouraged to grow again, not an easy task. Women suffer more from this disorder, (ten times more than men), due to the fact that the hormone progesterone favours the growth of yeasts, this hormone is found in oral contraceptives. Other factors that contribute to the condition are:- stressful life-style, poor nutrition, eating foods with yeasts in, mushrooms, alcohol and carbohydrate or sugary foods.
If you suspect you have Candidaisis then you should consult your GP before consulting me. The GP will probably prescribe a course of anti-fungal treatment like Nystatin. I can provide a blood test for its detection and a natural course of remedial treatment.
What happens at a consultation?
There is a questionnaire to complete and bring with you to your initial consultation which may take an hour. I will make a full nutritional and health profile as some nutritional deficiencies have similar symptoms to intolerances.
What happens next depends on your requirements, if you think you have an allergy I advise a skin prick test to look for generalised raised levels of IgE in your blood. We then take it from there depending on the results of this simple test. If you have raised levels of IgE then we set out to find out the cause. If not you may decide to proceed no further. However if an allergy is not present then it is likely to be an intolerance that is causing your symptoms, so an intolerance test would be recommended as it would be nice to be rid of those symptoms that brought you to me in the first place.
Therapists - Richard Wain and Nicola Moran
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