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Food Intolerance vs. Food Allergy

    

Is food intolerance the same as a food allergy?
A food allergy is when the body mistakes an ingredient in food (usually a protein) as harmful and creates antibodies to fight it. The allergy develops when the antibodies are battling the “invading” food (protein).  The severity of allergies may vary but they always carry the risk of anaphylactic shock. For this reason, foods you are allergic to must be avoided for life. The most common food allergies are peanuts, tree nuts (such as walnuts, pecans and almonds), fish and shellfish, soy and wheat. If you are an adult, you may have discovered the allergy by accident and it most likely involved a visit to your local emergency room.
A food intolerance often turns up later in life. People are frequently surprised to discover they are lactose intolerant later in life.   The truth is, you most likely had some form of food intolerance when younger, but your body compensated for it.
One of the first symptoms of a food intolerance is your energy level.  


How often do you feel tired during the day? This one symptom alone could be a food intolerance reaction. Gas, diarrhea, bloating and headaches can all be food intolerance reactions. And because reactions can occur up to 48 hours after eating, you may not make the connection. Instead, most seek relief from symptoms by using over-the-counter medications.
Due to the pervasive low quality S.A.D (Standard American Diet) in our country, the incidence of food intolerances is on the rise.  


Many digestive problems are never fully diagnosed, and food intolerance can often be the cause.  More than 15% of Americans are now thought of to be gluten intolerant and an estimated 75% of Americans are lactose intolerant.
So how can you know for sure?
It’s called an elimination diet and more and more individuals are finding this to be a critical step in solving health issues.  Elimination diets are amazingly effective in the case of food intolerance, which irritates your digestive system or when you are unable to properly digest or break down food.
It’s important to note that food intolerance reactions tend to be activated when you eat the same foods over and over – and triggered by stress to your digestive system. Examples include a course of antibiotics to treat an infection, birth of a child, moving, finding a new job, surgery and frequent low blood sugar (i.e. letting several hours pass by without eating). These are all stresses that can cause the digestive barrier to break down and expose your immune system to commonly eaten proteins in foods.
In the past, we ate by season and did not have access to the same foods all year long, so these reactions would go away. Today, we can eat the same foods all year long, meaning we can develop reactions to the foods we eat most commonly and the reactions won’t go away.
Put simply, if you identify which foods your digestive system has difficulty tolerating, you can avoid them for a period of time and the reaction will typically go away. Unfortunately, most of us are unaware of food intolerance reactions because they become so common.
In my practice, there is a particular test I use to pinpoints these reactions.  Once informed and assessed, we work together to create a plan to eliminate these foods comfortably from your diet for a period of time. During that process, your body will reset itself.   Energy is restored, mental clarity returns and often, you notice that you’re FINALLY able to lose stubborn weight.  Yes, many use this test to lose weight, and many use it to correct a hormonal imbalance.  It is one of the best solutions to the most common ailments.  


If you are curious to learn more, make an appointment by contacting Debi Farley at 804.288.3927.

So why detox?

If our bodies were in optimal condition, we ate only unprocessed foods, and we’re exposed to thousands of toxins in the environment every day, we’d be in pretty good shape of handling daily cleansing; but that’s not the world we live in today.

There are over 80,000 synthetic chemicals registered in the United States alone. We are breathing, bathing, applying, and ingesting these chemicals daily. They are found in the food supply through the pesticides and herbicides that are put on the food crops, the genetic modification of the food supply and the preservatives, artificial flavorings and colorings in packaged and processed foods and drinks. They are also found in cosmetics, perfumes, colognes, aftershave, soaps, cleaning supplies, paint, new carpet, and new furniture. These chemicals are in the prescriptions and most nutritional supplements that we are taking. And finally they are in our water and our air supply (think pollution).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that there are hundreds of these chemicals present in our bodies. I believe I read somewhere that we are holding approximately 15 pounds of toxins in our bodies that are not related to the natural metabolic processes that take place daily.

In addition research has also shown that these chemicals can interrupt our immune system creating stuffy head, allergies, and other autoimmune diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, and Fibromyalgia. They also interrupt the endocrine and reproductive systems which can lead to hormonal imbalances, diabetes, thyroid imbalances, fertility, and low libido. They can create digestion and other gastrointestinal problems, food cravings, weight gain, and reduced mental clarity.

Curious to know the amount of toxins your body is currently processing and if you have a high toxic load? Visit my website https://acupunctureworksllclynchburg.com/ to take a free TOXICITY test!

5 Week Detox Workshop Starts September 29th
(Hurry registration closes September 21st)

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