Food Allergy, Food Sensitivity or Food Intolerance Testing

UPDATE (Feb 1, 2012):

Here's another article from the Toronto Star about this issue. For people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD - ulcerative colitis or crohn's disease) or even irritable bowel disease (IBS), this test may be useful. IBS can cover the gamut from people who have lots of gas and bloating to people with constipation or diarrhea or even pain in the gastrointestinal tract.

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Previous Article:
Some of my patients are already aware and have done laboratory tests for food allergies or for food intolerance/sensitivity. Sometimes, there have been dramatic results in health and well being because of the tests.

This type of testing is not well known and is not covered by OHIP, but it would seem that even doctors at Sunnybrook Hospital are beginning to see value in such tests. A patient of mine showed me an article from the newspaper 24 Hours, which I will attach to this post for all to read.

IgG and IgE food testing has been around for quite some time, but not all patients need to get this test. As discussed in this article, there are other less expensive ways to do so which some patients opt for. However, you should check with your insurance to see if you are covered for this laboratory test. If you're lucky, you will be and the test can be done for a much lower price than that quoted in the article depending on which laboratory provider is being used.

There are many lab tests that can be done to find possible problems or to track if treatments are working. Did you know that there are even urine tests to see if your osteoporosis treatments are working? This can be done sooner than waiting for a bone density scan, although bone density scans are considered the gold standard in medicine today.

Yours in Health,
Ian Koo, ND

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Food Allergies/Sensitivities & Migraines - The test you need to know about

I sometimes get perplexed reactions when I tell patients that their migraines or headaches can be caused by the foods that they are eating. Of course, there are other causes as well, but today we'll focus on the food aspect. I invariably get an answer like this "my doctor/GP says there's no correlation between migraines/headaches and the food you eat".

Luckily for me, new research published in Cephalalgia, An International Journal of Headache, has found that there is indeed a correlation. The researchers performed an IgG food antibody testing on 30 migraine sufferers. This is the first study of its kind showing that "diet[ary] restriction based on IgG antibodies is an effective strategy in reducing the frequency of migraine attacks."

I routinely perform this kind of testing on my patients as I have found that a number of symptoms - not just migraines - can be alleviated by eliminating or restricting foods that show up as highly reactive in the tests. If you know someone who has migraines, this test may help to reduce the frequency or even the severity of the attacks.

You can read the whole study here.

Yours in health,

Ian Koo, ND
Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine

Naturopathic Essentials Health Centre
"The care you want, the health you need"

Summer Protection: Keeping cool & Sunscreens

In this edition of our newsletter, Dr. Koo, ND gives you some advice on how to stay cool for the summer and facts you need to know about your sunscreen.

Download a complimentary copy of our Naturopathic Newsletter in the News & Resources section of our website or you can get it here.

Yours in health,

Ian Koo, ND
Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine

Naturopathic Essentials Health Centre
"The care you want, the health you need"