Food Allergy Testing from Dr. Nicole Cain

So much of our health and well-being is influenced by what we eat. Unfortunately, many people go through life with undiagnosed food sensitivities, which results in poor physical and mental health.

An allergy is defined as a damaging response of the immune system to a substance, particularly pollen, food, dust, or dander. A person may become hypersensitive to any of these elements, where, upon exposure, results in unwanted and uncomfortable symptoms. Your gut health and immune system are inextricably linked.

In fact, seventy-eight percent of your immune tissue is located in your gut. The gut is the foundation of the body’s immune response. If someone’s gut is out of balance, their immune response will be out of balance. Allergies originate as a dysfunction with the gut. A healthy gut is a safety buffer against allergic reactions, and on the other hand, an unhealthy gut is the foundation of allergies and allergic reactions (WebMD). Read the article published in Johns Hopkins Medicine Journal entitled: “The Gut: Where Bacteria and Immune System Meet” by Helen Fields (2015) to learn more about the relationship between the gut and the immune system,

The statistic of 30% and 40% of people with food allergies is derived from the aforementioned understanding of allergies beginning in the gut.*

There is definitive evidence that the immune system is regulated by the gut and that allergies are basic a dysfunction in the immune system in response to a foreign substance introduced (food, dander, pollen, etc). Allergies begin in the gut and the treatment of allergies—even if the “symptom” is only seen with exposure to trees or grass, for example—must begin by addressing the gut health and the gut’s response to food.

Despite emerging science on the gut and the human microbiome, many allergists are not yet testing gut health. Some of these issues are possible because of the systems-based nature of the United States’ healthcare system. For instance, psychiatrists tend to only study the brain, and many gastroenterologists only study the gut. As a result, the interaction between the systems is not the subject of the study. As a standard operating procedure, Allergists utilize IGE (immediate anaphylaxis) testing, and unfortunately, this results in many people not identifying the root cause of their symptoms. The root cause may be an IGG response to a food they are eating, which causes an immune response cascading response and therefore reactivity to their environment.

Signs you might have a food allergy:

• Mental and emotional symptoms: Anxiety, depression, irritability, insomnia, postpartum and more.
• You have digestive symptoms: Gas, bloating, constipation, IBS, abdominal pain, and more.
• You experience brain fog, poor concentration, ADD/ADHD
• You are dealing with: Skin acne, eczema, psoriasis, cradle cap, and more
• If you have a history of congestion, postnasal drip, frequent colds, and asthma.
• You have been told that you are allergic to dust, cats, dogs, grass, and other environmental allergens.

If you answered, “yes,” to one or more of these, then it is very likely that you may be suffering from food allergies.

From research, we understand that our gut health is the foundation of our body’s wellness and therefore the root cause of a vast majority of acute and chronic diseases.

Our gut health controls our mood, in fact, 95% of our serotonin is made in our gut. Read the Gut Psychology book by Dr. Nicole and learn more information on the Gut-Brain Axis. We also know that our immune system and hormones are impacted by the health of our gut.

If the gut is out of balance then our entire system will be compromised leading to all of the symptoms listed above, and more.

Addressing the root cause of your symptoms will relieve your symptoms but it will also lead to greater health and work to prevent the development of chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease, irritable bowel disease, chronic fatigue, and more.

Two key variables will contribute to your gut health:

• What you eat
• Your gut biome

(1) Food allergies are foods that your body has become hypersensitive to. When you eat that particular food (or foods), your body mounts an immune response against the proteins in that food. This immune response causes damage to your tissues. This can result in gastrointestinal inflammation, a “leaky gut”, and a cascade of other symptoms.

(2) The health of the gut is the foundation for your entire body’s health. Therefore, when your gut becomes damaged you will experience many other systemic symptoms, and your gut becomes a breeding ground for imbalances within the yeast and flora in your gut.

There are hundreds of dietary programs on the market. The problem is that every diet assumes that every single person has the same dietary needs. These diets do not take your individual biochemical make-up into consideration. By looking at your unique biomarkers, Dr. Cain and her team can discern what foods are good for you and what foods are not.

Do you know how easy it is to identify what foods you are allergic to, and assess if you have candida overgrowth?

Traditionally, food allergy testing plus the cost of a doctor visit has been too expensive for many people. Additionally, many primary care doctors do not even offer the types of specialty testing that Dr. Cain and her team offer.

As a result, Dr. Cain has created a solution to help you identify the root cause of your symptoms by offering food allergy and candida testing from one of the most reputable labs in the country. We will help you identify which foods might be triggering negative responses and will create a personalized dietary program to help you feel your best!

Other Important Diagnostic tests include::

• Organic Acid Testing (OAT): The OAT looks at intestinal yeast, bacteria, it looks at information on neurotransmitters (including dopamine break-down products), nutritional markers, glutathione status, oxalate metabolism, and much more.
• Food Allergy Testing: The gut of health is the foundation for the health of the brain and body. That is why they say, “leaky gut, leaky brain.” To identify causes of symptoms of the brain including behavior, concentration, memory, and mood, we have to start by examining the health of the gut.
• Environmental Toxicity Testing: There is an abundance of research pointing to the link between brain health and environmental toxicity. A 2010 Harvard School of Public Health study found higher concentrations of pesticides in their urine as associated with two times greater risk of being diagnosed with ADHD.

Dr. Cain’s Favorite Allergy Tips 

• Eat according to the Gut Psychology Diet
• AllerDHQ™ Seasonal Allergy Support by Xymogen
• Allihis Relief by Nutra BioGenesis:
• Aller-All Seasonal Support by Protocol for Life Balance: