Do you suffer from heartburn, indigestion, occasional nausea? Are you often aggravated by gas and bloating with frequent occurrence of loose or watery stools? You could be suffering from chronic food allergens and they could be draining your daily performance.

Did you know that headaches, blood sugar imbalance, runny-nose, asthma, rashes, and joint pain are all common symptoms of food allergies? Even diseases like ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome and celiac disease can have their roots in the chronic ingestion of food allergens. Furthermore, seasonal allergies to pollens and grasses can often times be traced back to eating plants that are part of the same family.

Food allergies fall into two general categories, acute and chronic. Acute are more severe, often resulting in life-threatening symptoms such as inflammation of the upper gastrointestinal tract and airways, leading to constriction of the throat and difficulty breathing, also known as anaphylaxis. This "type-1 immediate hypersensitivity reaction" is mediated by a group of antibodies called immunoglobulin-E [also known as IgE], which react immediately to severely threatening allergens. The most common offending foods in this category are peanuts, tree-nuts, shellfish and eggs.

I would like to discuss chronic food allergies in the form of a "type-3 hypersensitivity reaction"--the same reaction outlined years ago by Dr. Richard Trevino MD and Dr. Hamilton Dixon MD in their book, Food Allergy. This kind of reaction is primarily mediated by a group of antibodies called IgG that respond hours to days after ingesting food allergens. This leads to the aforementioned nagging everyday symptoms that continuously rob your vital energy reserves compromising your daily athletic training and work regimens.

Leaky Gut Syndrome

Up to 70 percent of our immune system is located along our gastrointestinal tract. It takes energy to run our immune systems, just like the many other systems of the body. When we are constantly fighting our foods like we would a bacteria or parasite, it can put tremendous drain on our vital energy reserves, tiring our adrenals and leaving us more susceptible to repeated illnesses such as colds and flus.

When food allergens, also known as antigens, are ingested, they irritate the gastrointestinal tract and cause inflammation. This inflammation damages cells known as enterocytes and causes them to pull apart at their bonding sites leading to a gapping and portal entry-site for food antigens. Food antigens, which are actually large molecules of food, can then slip through these gaps and stimulate an immune response.

Chronic inflammation of our enterocytes causes decreased absorption of nutrients and over time can lead to malnutrition. This malnutrition can further lead to other symptoms such as anxiety, muscle cramping and decreased stamina especially during exercise.

In 2007, Wilders-Truschnig et al. carried out a study at the Medical University of Graz, Austria, exploring the impact of anti-food antibodies in obese children. They found not only that obese children had IgG concentrations that were about 2.5-fold higher than normal weight children, but also that this was correlated to an increase in low-grade systemic inflammation and thickening of the carotid artery. It has been strongly suggested that low-grade systemic inflammation may play a role in insulin resistance, obesity, atherosclerosis and diabetes mellitus.

Laboratory Testing

Currently, the most widely used methods of choice for determining food allergies are still the skin-prick test and RAST [radioallergosorbent] test. Although these tests are sufficient for determining acute or IgE-mediated reactions which can often be seen in the skin as wheals or hives, it is a poor test for determining chronic or IgG-mediated reactions with a delayed onset of symptoms.

Raymond M. Suen and Shalima Gordon ND published a paper in 2003 in the Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients outlining IgG antibodies and their implications in systemic health. They point out the fact that considering most food allergies are not acute and IgE-mediated, these two methods for determining food allergies uncover little with regards to chronic food allergy symptoms. They highlight that the current conventional method for testing may be largely obsolete stressing the importance of IgG measurement.

The lab test I like to use for diagnosing food allergies is the ELISA [enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay] test. It is an accurate test for immediate and delayed food allergies. In most cases, a simple blood spot test measuring IgG antibodies from just a few drops of blood from the finger is all that is required. However, if acute food allergy symptoms are in the patient's history, more blood is required via venipuncture to measure the IgE-mediated reaction.

No matter what type of immune reaction is suspected, the basic panel that I utilize measures the patient's response to 96 general foods and categorizes these reactions from no reaction to extremely high.

Naturopathic Treatment

Upon the identification of any food allergens, most patients present with at least one to three triggers. Although wheat, dairy, and eggs are among the most common, reactions vary significantly with each person. The patient is asked to refrain from their food triggers for a period of three to six months depending on the severity of reaction.

By avoiding these offending foods, the gastrointestinal tract has a chance to heal and reseal the junctions between the enterocytes, closing-off the entry-site of food antigens and thus reducing general systemic inflammation and its associated symptoms.

Most times, a naturopathic prescription will go hand-in-hand with the food elimination process. The treatment plan may include vitamins, amino acids, herbs, and probiotics and are designed to rebuild gastrointestinal integrity and rebalance the immune system.

After elimination of the food allergens for an appropriate amount of time, foods can generally be reintroduced back into the diet in rotation. This means instead of eating the food every day, or three times a day, it is reintroduced in a meal plan that cycles it through a few times a week at the most.

The rotation diet is a very healthy diet as it ensures the body is getting a variety of foods providing adequate nutrition from various sources. This resembles more closely what our diet was like prior to the mass production of processed foods.

Processed foods often contain multiple ingredients that are used as fillers and binders, wheat and gluten for example, causing us to be exposed to them more than we naturally should be. It is largely this continuous re-exposure that is a chronic insult to our gastrointestinal tissues, leading to a chronic immune reaction and associated symptoms.

Most patients feel significantly better on the rotation diet. Not only do their food allergy symptoms clear-up, but they aso often experience newfound energy as their nutritive reserves are reloaded. The supplement prescriptions usually add increased emotional stability along with a new sense of vitality and well-being.

If you feel as though food allergens may be compromising your enjoyment in life, consult a naturopathic physician to uncover the root cause of your illness.

Dr. Kris Bentz ND operates a general practice at Agape Natural Wellness Centre in Vancouver and at Sport Central in Richmond, BC. He has a special focus in Sports Medicine, and a keen interest in Sports Performance Enhancement. For more information call: 604 737 2273. Web: www.agapenatural.com

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