There is quite a lot of confusion about exactly what is an allergy, what does intolerant mean?, and what exactly does sensitive mean? These terms seem to have a different definition depending on who you talk to, and are often interchanged. Here's how we define them in our practice:

Food allergy

An adverse reaction to a substance whereby the body's immune system is involved. In severe cases the allergic reaction can cause anaphylactic shock, which can be life threatening.

Food intolerance

We define this as an adverse reaction to a substance where the person exhibits physical symptoms, but the body's immune system may not necessarily be involved. Symptoms of an intolerance to a substance can be migraines, fatigue, depression, anxiety, hyperactivity in children, aching muscles, bloating, wind, rashes, eczema, psoriasis, catarrh and other sinus problems, mouth ulcers, diarrhoea, constipation, nausea, indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome, crohn's disease, joint pain, rheumatoid arthritis, weight problems, oedema, cravings along with many more possible symptoms.

Food sensitivity

This tends to be an umbrella term covering both of the above terms. We generally use sensitivity to describe reactions to external substances (i.e. non-food). Causes of these reactions can be pollens, moulds, preservatives, heavy metals, animals, house dust mites etc. The patient may suffer the range of symptoms already described plus symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose and eyes, throat infections, asthma etc.

WHAT YOU MAY EXPECT

The first treatment takes at least an hour and a half, with susequent sessions being from half to one hour. During the session we use the vega test to determine if the patient has an allergy, is intolerent, or sensitive to a range of many substances including foods and external and environmental influences. We also ask for a great deal of information about your diet and lifestyle. After testing treatment may take the form of homoeopathic remedies and an SI card. The SI card is similar to a credit card in that it has a magentic strip. The strip will hold allergens and, worn next to the skin, will assist in desensitising. Dietary advice is also given after the consultation. This treatment has a very high success rate.