Food Allergy Testing in Southlake

Food Allergies vs. Sensitivities

Allergies

Some people have severe food allergies to foods such as peanuts or shellfish and can have life-threatening reactions, which require them to carry an EpiPen with them at all times. However, many others have food allergies or sensitivities, which, while not life-threatening, can still affect their health in adverse ways.

For a person experiencing food allergies, the immune system reacts abnormally to a component of food, which then produces a response or symptoms. The National Institute of Health or NIH estimates that up to 20% of the population suffers from food allergies/sensitivities. Common symptoms of food allergies include:

• Hives
• Throat or mouth swelling
• Difficulty breathing
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Coughing
• Lightheadedness

Sensitivities

Though not as severe as allergies, a food sensitivity can still create uncomfortable symptoms. This is because your body is still reacting to the substance, just not as severely as with a full allergy. Symptoms include:

• Stuffy nose, sneezing, and sore throat
• Itchy skin
• Vomiting and diarrhea
• Stomach cramps
• Bloating
• Joint pain
• Fatigue or tiredness, even after getting a full night’s sleep

Risk Factors

Risk Factors for Food Sensitivities

Some risk factors for food sensitivities can include male sex in children, race/ethnicity, and genetics. However, other risk factors can be controlled in order to reduce the reaction to the allergy or prevent it altogether. These can include:

• Poor hygiene
• Imbalances within the gut microbiome and/or leaky gut
• Atopic diseases such as dermatitis
• Vitamin D insufficiency
• Reduced consumption of Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids
• Reduced consumption of antioxidants
• Increased antacid use, which reduces the digestion of allergens
• Obesity causes an inflammatory state

How it Works

Determining If You Need Testing

If you have recently come into contact with a certain food that has triggered unusual symptoms like hives, coughing, or nausea, you need to have food allergy or food sensitivity testing done.

Our Testing Process

At your initial consultation, we’ll have a conversation about your previous history with allergens. After going over your health history and symptoms with you, Dr. Berutti or her PA, Melanie Martin, will determine the extent of testing that needs to be done. The Vibrant America Food Sensitivities Test can be ordered as a stand-alone profile or bundled with others.

After just a simple blood draw, our skilled lab partners will look for antibodies that signal an allergy. From there, we will help you develop a plan to live a healthy life in accordance with your allergens and sensitivities.

Tests typically take a few days to process. Once your results are back, we can get started crafting a health plan that avoids your triggers.

Our Allergy Testing Partners

Labcorp

Specializing in food allergies, Labcorp is the company we send your samples to when you are experiencing severe symptoms. Their tests can examine your blood for antibodies that are overly reactive to certain foods. By gathering this data, we can work with you to create a diet plan that accommodates your unique food allergies.

Vibrant America

The Vibrant America Food Sensitivities Test is a blood test for 210 food sensitivities. We can also test for sensitivities to food additives.

If you have a sensitivity to certain foods, antibodies will already be circulating in your blood and can be detected by the test. We see patients who think they may have certain food sensitivities and who might have tried the “elimination diet,” which involves removing certain foods one at a time to see if symptoms decrease. Unfortunately, this can be time-consuming and is not particularly scientific.

Whenever you are exposed to foods that you are sensitive to, your body produces antibodies against these foods, and the Vibrant America Food Sensitivities Test detects which antibodies are present, which identifies the foods that your body is reacting against.