Weight
Management and Allergy Testing
Evaluating Allergies Helps Control
Weight and Alleviates Many Chronic Problems
Sometimes the immune system
overreacts to substances, including foods and food additives,
in ways that contribute to a wide variety of health problems.
These problems include skin problems, asthma, migraine,
intestinal disorders, painful joints, chronic fatigue,
ear infections and hyperactivity in children, and often
accompanying weight imbalance. When obesity is part of
the problem, there is a substantially increased risk of
heart disease, osteoarthritis, diabetes, and certain cancers.
Appetite and metabolism
are controlled by blood chemistry, which is adversely affected
when an offending food is consumed. Food sensitivities
also cause cravings for sweets and starches as well as
water retention. So knowing and avoiding the foods you
react to can help you reach your desired weight and feel
much better.
Scientists have put forward
a theory to explain the effect of brain chemistry on hunger
and weight gain. It's been shown that after eating an offending
food, blood levels of serotonin, the "feel good" neurotransmitter,
go down. Eating refined carbohydrates and sugar causes
a chain reaction that results in an increased level of
serotonin in the brain. This may be why food-sensitive
people crave these foods so often and so strongly. Identifying
and eliminating the foods that initiate the process can
break this vicious cycle.
We utilize testing that
objectively measures the blood cells' reactions to a foreign
substance under conditions designed to mimic what actually
happens when the food is consumed in real life. It has
been shown to be accurate and reliable in scientific studies—83%
correlation with double blind oral challenge, the gold
standard in food sensitivity testing. By avoiding test
positive foods, symptoms are reduced or eliminated, and
you will probably feel more energy as a major cause of
weight imbalance is overcome. The test helps me in creating
with you an individualized food plan.
In a recent study, one hundred
patients were evaluated for weight normalization, changes
in lean muscle versus fat tissue, and general well being.
Utilizing test results, fifty subjects followed an individualized
food plan, eating as much as they liked but avoiding the
foods to which they tested intolerant. Another group of
fifty untested control subjects followed their own weight
plans. Within only four weeks, in the test group, 76% of
the subjects lost weight. Of the remaining 24% that either
stayed the same or gained weight, the vast majority improved
their ratio of muscle to fat.
Of the fifty subjects not
following test plans, most gained weight, and of those
that did lose, most of the weight lost was muscle tissue.
In addition, the test group also scored significantly higher
than the control group on the "general well-being" analysis.
This correlates well with
my experience. Over the years, this specialized allergy
testing plan has consistently been both a great aid in
ferreting out the specific foods that are causing troublesome
symptoms, and in helping many of my patients achieve their
weight control goals. |
