Starting on July 12 the Clinic will use a new method of Food Testing for our patients. We will no longer be using muscle testing to determine food sensitivities. The new test, called the Comprehensive 96 IgG Food Panel, involves taking a sample of blood from the patient and sending it to a lab to be analyzed.

We are very excited to be able to offer this new type of Food Testing to our patients. In the past we have avoided using blood testing for food sensitivities because we felt that the labs weren’t always accurate. The lab that we will be using to analyze the IgG Food Panel provides accurate, reproducible results.

One of the reasons we are switching to this form of food testing is because it provides a more quantitative analysis of food sensitivities than the muscle testing that we now use. By providing the level of sensitivity to certain foods, we can then instruct the patient on how and when to reintroduce the foods to which they test sensitive. Not only is this food test available to our new patients, but we also encourage our existing patients to book an appointment if it’s been awhile since they’ve been tested and they wish to know what their food sensitivities are.

The results of this test are typically returned to us from the lab in approximately 2 weeks, at which time the patients will be instructed as to which foods they should avoid. In the meantime, they can follow the guidelines of the Eating Alive Program. This will make it easier for many patients in that they will not have to give up foods to which they test sensitive and make changes to their diet and other lifestyle habits all at the beginning of the treatment program.

The IgG Food Panel tests for 96 different foods and measures the serum concentration of antibodies that react to specific food allergens. IgG antibodies are the potential indicator of delayed food allergies or food sensitivities. The delayed IgG antibody response often appears 1 to 3 days after exposure to the trigger food. Tiny amounts do not set off symptoms, only excess amounts—overloads. Symptoms are generalized and the delayed onset makes the cause and effect diagnosis difficult. These symptoms range from headache, muscle ache, tension and fatigue, to exacerbation of allergic rhinitis and asthma. The benefit of this test is that it can identify unsuspected food sensitivities, which if ignored, may result in stress on the immune system, contributing to the development of additional illness.

Those foods that are eaten frequently would be the foods suspected in causing symptoms. High IgG levels would indicate a frequent exposure to a particular food. Individuals with inflammatory gastrointestinal disorders and dermatitis frequently have high levels of food specific IgG antibodies. IgG food sensitivity testing is also valuable as a preventive tool for people who are not overtly experiencing symptoms.

Most extended health care plans will reimburse the patient for some or all of the cost of this test, so check with your provider. See our “Services and Fees” page for the new fees.