Food & Allergy Panel


IgE versus IgG Reactions
This Food Allergy Panel will test for 10 common food allergies. Includes: egg white, milk, codfish, wheat, corn, pea, peanut, soybean, shrimp and tomato. Allergies are defined as specific reactions within the immune system involving an antibody called immunoglobulin E (IgE). Immediate responses such as hives, congestion or swelling typically result from IgE activity. Traditional scratch testing identifies IgE triggers such as pollen or peanuts, which can cause symptoms that range from annoying to lethal.

Very different responses are delayed allergy reactions. If they occur more than two hours after eating a food, they may result from immunoglobulin G (IgG) rather than IgE activity. IgG reactions may cause symptoms such as sleep disturbances, subsequent bed wetting, sinus and ear infections, or crankiness. Blood tests rather than scratch tests are the only way to screen for IgG allergies.

Where immunoglobulin's are involved, the word “allergy” can legitimately be used to describe symptoms after exposure. A reaction to gluten or casein sometimes shows up in IgG or IgA blood testing, and is, therefore, referred to as an “allergy.”

Poor Digestive Functions
Poor digestive function has a number of causes. It may result from an immature gut in infants and from heavy antibiotic usage or the lack of the protein digesting enzyme DPP4. The possible relationship between the lack of DPP4 enzyme and the symptoms of PDD/autism is the recent discovery of Dr. Alan Friedman at Johnson & Johnson Labs. Without essential digestive enzymes, such as DPP4, partially digested proteins such as gluten and casein may leak into the blood.

Partially digested proteins have odd configurations and mimic other complex molecules such as endorphins. Endorphins are nervous system proteins that act as painkillers. Partially digested gluten or casein proteins may bind to pain killing (opiate) receptors and cause behavioral symptoms of poor eye contact, irritability, or disconnection.

Poor digestion may or may not elicit an immunoglobulin response. It may cause inflammation symptoms instead, such as intestinal irritability, stomachache and/or diarrhea. These reactions are not technically allergies. Nor is opiate activation technically a true allergy. When IgG or IgE testing finds milk or gluten sensitivity, it is because the chemical messages weaving through the body tripped the allergy system.

Other Gut Problems
Similarly, when reactions to a food are aggression, poor concentration, or seizures, many other explanations are possible. All body systems are interdependent and so intertwined that designing tests to understand and study their discrete functions can be very difficult. The artificial distinctions placed between immune and neurological systems hinder diagnosis and treatment. This imprecise diagnosis can be very frustrating, but there are too many ways for the body to react and communicate. That is, it is unlikely that one testing system will ever be able to find and sort all possible reactions.

Best "Test" for Reactions
The best “test” for reactions is elimination of suspect items. The limitation with this approach is that irritants can interact. That is, exposure to one item will not cause symptoms, but when two mildly reacting foods are present, together they trip a response by overloading the system. In “load” reactions, a little is tolerable, but too much of one or a combination of two or more causes trouble. Blood testing may then be useful, but the problem in load allergies is usually a leaking gut.