Common, everyday problems like migraines, aching joints, fatigue, gastrointestinal disorders, eczema, hyperactivity, ADD, asthma and even obesity may seem to be completely disparate conditions. In some instances though, they may share a similar root cause: the food we eat.
ALCAT Food Sensitivity Testing
Believe it or not, many chronic health issues facing individuals today have been linked to food sensitivity and subsequent activation of the immune system. So how can we stop this chain reaction that leads to chronic inflammation and reduced quality of life? That is precisely what the Alcat test aims to identify, address, and treat.
About the Alcat Test
The Alcat Test is a simple blood test that identifies and measures your body’s response to more than 350 agents, including foods, additives and preservatives, medicinal herbs, molds, spores, chemicals, and more.
Your natural cellular processes are analyzed in real time, then interpreted and analyzed by a medical professional to determine whether a food intolerance, sensitivity, or allergy is present.
The Science Behind ALCAT
After being exposed to a food or substance to which one is “sensitive,” the body initiates a series of responses, collectively called innate immune system activity. When the body is confronted by a chemical or substance — whether it is a virus, a toxic gas, or a seemingly benign piece of bread — it has the potential to react with an inflammatory response.
With inflammation comes the mobilization of the immune system, the complex and vital physiological infrastructure that defends our body against disease and harmful environmental elements. There are other pathways the body’s defense mechanisms may take, however, which we’ll discuss more in depth below.
How it Works: The ALCAT Methodology
The Alcat test works by measuring real-time changes in various biological pathways. These internal processes are numerous and complex, rarely traveling in a linear way, but by observing them as they play out, certain trends in the behaviors of specific cells yield insightful information as to how your body is interacting with a given stimulus.
The Alcat test assesses the size, volume, and variety of WBCs in the blood as it responds to the introduction of food, chemicals and other ex vivo (i.e. environmental) stimuli. By assessing levels of leukocytes, other immune system biomarkers, and biological pathways, the Alcat test can determine whether a food allergy is present, a food sensitivity is present, or no intolerance whatsoever is present.
Once the results of the test are recorded and interpreted, you and your doctor can discuss what steps (if any) should be taken to correct the issue in a healthy, medication-free way.
Who Is A Good Candidate For The Alcat Food Intolerance Test?
From the acute to the chronic, food and chemical sensitivities can produce a wide variety of medical and psychological conditions. You may be a good candidate for Alcat if you have any of the following issues and have not been able to receive a comprehensive diagnosis or effective treatment solution:
- Gastrointestinal Disorders: IBS, Bloating, Diarrhea, Constipation, Vitamin Deficiencies/Poor Nutrient Absorption
- Autoimmune Diseases and Related Conditions: Weakened defense against viruses and infection, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Idiopathic Tumors
- Neurological Conditions: Migraines, Headaches, Chronic Fatigue, Depression, ADHD, Mood Swings, Idiopathic Neuropathy, Memory Loss Or Impairment, Difficulty Concentrating
- Muscular & Skeletal Disorders: Joint Pain, Stiffness and Soreness, Tendonitis, Arthritis
- Metabolic & Endocrine Disorders: Obesity, Unintentional Weight Loss, Hypo/Hyperthyroidism, Infertility, Diabetes, Irregular Menstruation
- Respiratory Diseases: Wheezing, Coughing, Sinus Inflammation, Asthma
- Skin Symptoms & Conditions: Acne, Rosacea, Psoriasis, Eczema, Dandruff, Hives/Urticaria
Just because chronic conditions are common, that doesn’t mean they are easy to cope with. Let us help you find relief from your symptoms for good. If you suffer from one or more of these conditions and desire a holistic, natural, and medication-free route to recovery, contact Superior Health to learn more about our Alcat tests and food sensitivity treatments in the greater Metairie area!
Understanding Chronic Inflammation
Under the high-powered lens of a microscope, innate immune system activity can be observed by the visible proliferation of white blood cells, also known as leukocytes. White blood cells (WBCs) can manifest in five different ways and so are grouped into five distinct classes, including those referred to as neutrophils.
The other four WBC classes don’t matter much for the purposes of food sensitivity diagnosis, but if neutrophils are detected during the procedure or found in the data analysis, their presence is a strong and measurable indicator that the body has initiated an inflammatory response. Over time, inflammation can cause a variety of chronic diseases, ranging from eczema to gastrointestinal disorders, from fatigue to ADD, and from diabetes to cancer.
How Is Alcat Different From An Allergy Test?
Although the Alcat test has been the preferred method of food sensitivity diagnosis for several decades, it was preceded by an antigen-identifying process called an immunoglobulin test.
The ALCAT Test is more effective for identifying food sensitivities than standard immunoglobulin G (IgG) tests because it does not rely exclusively on one immune pathway, but rather observes cellular reactions in real time.
By contrast, IgG tests look at the blood to assess serum levels of IgG, a class of antibodies Like WBCs, these antibodies come in different varieties depending on the stimulus, and they can be broken down into multiple categories. For the purposes of discussing the difference between allergy tests and food intolerance assessments, we’ll only need to look at two: IgG and IgE.
IgG
Allergy tests traditionally looked for a specific antibody, IgG. This biomarker is naturally present in the blood, but serum levels are generally consistent and do not fluctuate to an upper or lower extreme unless a health threat is present. IgG is most commonly synthesized in elevated quantities during an immune response as a defense against bacteria, viruses, and infections. After receiving a flu shot or a vaccine, levels of this antibody will go up but go down until the body is exposed to the virus again and needs protections against infection to be put in place.
IgE
If you’ve ever heard of someone going into “anaphylactic shock,” they undoubtedly had a large quantity of a different antibody, IgE, in their system. Like its “G” counterpart, IgE antibody is a natural and normal biomarker that is present in the body; unlike IgG, it is present only in very small quantities and when synthesized can fluctuate in serum levels much more rapidly. It’s always there waiting in the wings, but when IgE starts to ramp up production, it does so quickly. This indicates that the body has been exposed to an allergen of some kind. The body “overreacts” to a potential allergen to avoid anaphylaxis, and this response is generally “effective” — meaning that the foreign agent doesn’t kill you, it merely spikes internal levels of inflammation.
To summarize, the majority of studies have found that when IgG antibodies are synthesized in higher ratios, it happens gradually over time, and it’s likely a protective measure against bacteria or viruses that the body already encountered and recovered from, such as a bacterial infection, a virus, or a vaccine — not an inflammatory response to a food allergy or food sensitivity.
Furthermore, IgG is produced as a default physiological response anytime we consume a new food, even though they are almost never dangerous or likely to lead to infection.
Repeated consumption of a “recorded” food can cause high levels of its associated antibody label to show up in the serum. Therefore, using IgG as a measurement of food sensitivity is more likely to lead to false positives, suggesting you have a foodborne issue when, in fact, you might just really like some kinds of food.