Food allergies were first recognized by the famous Greek physician Hippocrates when he recorded that milk could cause gastric upset and hives. He observed that many symptoms associated with serious disease were the result of eating foods that one was sensitive to.
Today food allergies are commonly associated with a wide range of symptoms and medical conditions such as migraines, irritable bowel, colitis, auto-immune diseases, hyperactivity, asthma, eczema, fatigue, and many more.
The best known form of food allergy is called an immediate onset allergy. This type of immune reaction happens when allergic symptoms to a food occur quickly, right after consumption of a small amount of the allergic food. The cause and effect relationship between the food and symptoms is obvious.
There is a much more prevalent, subtle and insidious type of allergy that can not be detected by the standard skin scratch tests used by most medical physicians. Such allergies are known as delayed onset food allergies or food sensitivities. Once thought to be uncommon, this type of allergy is now believed to be the most common form of food allergy in children and adults. These food sensitivities can be caused by poor digestion, infection, liver or pancreatic dysfunction or even inflammation.
Allergic symptoms in delayed reactions may take 2 hours to 2 days to appear. Delayed food allergies, due to a combination of delayed symptoms and multiple offending foods, are rarely self-diagnosed. Delayed onset food allergies and the laboratory immunoassays may be needed but not always. Blood testing will commonly be the best place to start to determine the cause of the food allergy or sensitivity. We are particularly qualified to determine if food allergy testing is appropriate for you. If so, he or she will help you to overcome your allergy problems and restore your good health and well-being.
