Our immune system is a double edge sword. It protects us against bacteria, parasites, viruses and other potentially harmful invaders. Unfortunately for some, exposure to common foods, chemicals and molds can trigger chronic activation of the immune system. White blood cells release harmful chemicals and generate damaging free radicals when they encounter incompatible foods just as they do when fighting the bad guys… and that means inflammation.
Chronic activation of the immune system has been linked to migraine headaches, asthma, eczema, arthritis, chronic fatigue, digestive problems, IBS, obesity, infertility, hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder, and premature aging.ere’s the BIG problem, symptoms can occur several hours or even days after exposure making it extremely difficult to pinpoint. This really is the main problem… if you ate a carrot and 30 minutes later you felt worse, it wouldn’t take you long to make a connection. However, many people don’t know it’s even possible to have a sensitivity to carrots and might just think they ate a “bad” one. I mean who’s ever heard of a carrot allergy?
Why the Alcat Test?
If you’re reading this, then there’s a very good chance you’ve already had a different test, like IgG or RAST. Skin testing and the RAST test are not accurate for delayed type reactions and they measure only a single mechanism, such as the effect of mast cell release of histamine or the presence of allergen-specific IgE molecules. Just remember IgE reactions happen pretty fast and we’re looking for those hard to find delayed ones.
IgG tests look at just one immune pathway and can give you a false positive, since it can indicate exposure, not necessarily intolerance.
The Alcat Test has been used for over 20 years and is clinically proven to accurately and reproducibly measure leukocyte cellular reactivity in the whole blood. Meaning it measures the final common pathway of all pathogenic mechanisms, whether immune, non-immune or toxic (IgG, IgA, IgM, IgD, complement, pharmacologic, toxic, lectin, etc.).
It is the only test shown to correlate with clinical symptoms by double-blind oral challenge, the gold standard. Not only is the Alcat Test the most accurate; it is the only test that can detect intolerances to both foods and other substances.
The Alcat Test may help you…
Identify normally “healthy” foods that are not good for you.
Improve metabolic function.
Decrease chronic inflammation, a major cause of premature aging.
Reach your goal weight.
Achieve wellness through customized nutrition.
Alcat will break down most of the items into 4 areas:
Green = Acceptable Foods – These foods indicate no reaction and can be eaten freely. They recommend that “green” foods be eaten on a rotation basis to minimize the risk of developing a sensitivity.
Yellow = Mild Intolerance – These foods should be avoided if possible, especially if there are few red or orange foods. If eaten, these should only be eaten on one day in four to prevent increased reactivity.
Orange = Moderate Intolerance – These foods should be strictly avoided for a minimum of 3 to 6 months.
Red = Severe Intolerance – These foods should be avoided at all costs for a minimum of 6 months.
The test also gives you information on 3 distinct types of reactions and the foods associated with them
Candida Albicans (a form of yeast)
Gluten / Gliadin (from grains)
Casein / Whey (from dairy)Do I just remove the “bad” food from my diet?
You could do that and it would help, but that’s not the best way to go. This is another way Alcat really shines. They have created a rotational diet and yours will be customized based on your results. The rotational diet will give you a list of acceptable foods to eat on each of four days. This approach takes out the guesswork and prevents you from just replacing one thing you eat every day with another. The nutritionist will walk you through your rotational diet and answer any question you might have. More reasons for using a rotational diet:
It greatly lessens the likelihood of developing new sensitivities.
It allows the immune system to recover from the effects of food before it is again consumed.
It may help identify other undiagnosed food sensitivities.
How quickly will you notice a difference?
Everyone is different, some feel better right away and some actually feel worse for a while. The main goal for the first eight weeks of the rotational diet is to achieve detoxification and healing of the body. It is possible that for the first few days you may not feel well. You may feel as though you are going through withdrawals. Symptoms may include a dull headache, joint pain, and sinus discomfort or even back pain. Some doctors speculate that this is due to a temporary excess of antibodies while antigens are being withdrawn, thus creating something resembling “serum sickness” or the body’s tissues are dumping toxins which temporarily induce lethargy, aches, etc.
These withdrawal symptoms may start as little as 2 hours after stopping the foods (particularly coffee or tea) but will rarely last longer than 4 to 5 days. In extreme cases, they can last up to 7 to 10 days. If any (or all) of these symptoms affect you, Alcat recommends that you increase your fluid intake.
