Food Intolerance Testing with Kinesiology

Kinesiology is well known for the treatment of people suffering from food intolerance, or those who are sensitive to some foods.

The body may not recognise, store or digest these foods in the normal way, i.e. it can turn foods that are not fats into fat and then store this fat.

This may mean that even if you think you are eating a healthy diet your body may not recognise this fact.

It is believed that the chemicals and nutrients
contained in food cause various reactions in the body.

Muscle testing suggests whether a particular food should be eaten at all or if you need to consume it in moderation, and also which foods give you physical and mental strength.

This can make a real difference to feelings of lethargy, headaches, tension, colds and other symptoms which
may be linked to food intolerance.

Have a Health Check with Kinesiology

HOW DO YOU FEEL?

• Do you have high levels of energy?
• Are you resistant to infections?
• Are you physically fit?
• Can you think clearly?
• Is your body working effectively?
• Are you pain free?
• Can you cope with stress?
• Are you in good emotional health?

If you have answered NO to any of the questions above then you have not achieved optimum health.

We all have a right to good health and we do not have to 'put up' with health problems. Kinesiology enables you to take control and progress towards optimum health.

FOOD INTOLERANCE FACTSHEET

Dairy foods, wheat, gluten - do I have to avoid them?

People with severe symptoms of any kind (health, behavour, learning) may have to avoid dairy foods and/or wheat or gluten.

SIGNS OF PROBLEMS WITH DAIRY FOODS

* pale face and/or dark circles under eyes

* a history of lactose intolerance as a baby

* frequent ear infections as a baby or toddler, or grommets later on

* crave dairy foods, unwilling to give them up

* love dairy foods, would live on them if allowed

* or the opposite - don't like milk

SIGNS OF PROBLEMS WITH WHEAT OR GLUTEN

A relative with coeliac disease or irritable bowel is a warning sign or problems with wheat or gluten. One mother had been doing the diet with what she considered success for two years but still received complaints from school. When her sister was diagnosed as a coeliac, she removed gluten from her son's diet and he became a completely different person.

SOME SYMPTOMS ASSOCIATED WITH GLUTEN INTOLERANCE

* low-key stomach aches and ill-health

* unexplained low iron levels

* female infertility

* patchy baldness

* a range of neurological dysfunctions including behaviour and depression

* insulin-dependent diabetes

If you have a family history of some of these, you may want to consider coeliac disease. There is a blood test which can indicate whether you are likely to have it.

Some people react only to wheat, and can eat rye, oats and barley. Consider wheat or gluten intolerance if your irritable bowel symptoms started suddenly after a gastrointestinal infection such as rotavirus or giardia, or if someone in your family has to avoid either of those.

Food allergy is an immunological reaction to food proteins.

Food intolerance is a pharmacological reaction (like the side effects of a drug) to the chemicals in foods.

Family history

Allergy: hayfever, eczema or asthma

Intolerance: migraine, irritable bowel symptoms, behaviour problems

Who is affected?

Allergies are most likely to affect babies and young children because of their underdeveloped immune system.

Intolerances. Children are vulnerable because dose for weight they consume a higher dose of food chemicals than adults. Women of child-bearing age are vulnerable because of hormonal influence. Senior citizens are vulnerable because ageing livers and kidneys are slower to excrete chemicals from the body. Exposure to toxic chemicals, pharmaceutical drugs or illness such as gastrointestinal infection can trigger food intolerance.

How common?

Food allergies (not airborne allergies such as pollens) are considered to be relatively rare - affecting up to 8% of babies under 12 months, 3% of children under five, and less than 1% of adults.

Food intolerance is much more common, affecting babies (through breastmilk), children and adults. Some experts suggest 10% are affected, although, in theory, everyone will react if the dose is high enough, so you would expect more people to be affected as levels of additives rise.

Which foods?

People with food allergies typically react to one or two foods. Allergy is produced by a combination of susceptibility and exposure so allergens vary. In Japan, buckwheat, and in the Mediterranean countries, lentils are common allergens. In Australia the most common foods are milk, soy, egg, peanut and fish. Allergies to the last two are more likely to last throughout life.

With food intolerance, food chemicals such as 50 additives and some natural food chemicals are involved, see brochure. These can be in many different foods. For example, asthmatics are most likely to be affected by sulphite preservatives (220-228) in a wide range of foods and drugs including fruit flavoured cordials and drinks, wine, bread, sausages and dried fruit and some medications.

Timing

Allergic reactions are quick. They usually occur within 30 minutes and are often easy to identify.

Food intolerance reactions can be delayed up to 48 hours or more. Identification of reactions can be difficult. When problem foods are consumed frequently, symptoms can appear to be a chronic condition rather than a food reaction.

Dose

Allergic reactions can be to the tiniest amount of an allergen.

Intolerance reactions to food chemicals are dose-related. Some people are more sensitive than others. In theory, everyone will react to food additives if they consume enough and one study on MSG confirmed this, although a few of the subjects reacted to very high doses which were unlikely to be consumed in one sitting.

Symptoms

Allergic reactions can be itching, swelling, rash, spreading hives, vomiting, diarrhea, breathing difficulties and in the most severe of the allergic disorders, anaphylaxis can lead to collapse and death. By definition, anaphylaxis is an allergic reaction which involves two of the body's systems (eg respiratory and gastrointestinal or skin). Anaphylactic deaths as a result of insect bites or penicillin are usually very quick - within minutes - and due to cardiac arrest, anaphylactic deaths due to food allergies are usually due to suffocation (breathing difficulties).

Food intolerance reactions can be the same as above, as well as:

skin (rashes, swelling)

airways (asthma, stuffy or runny nose, frequent colds and infections)

gastrointestinal tract (irritable bowel symptoms, colic, bloating, diarrhea, vomiting, frequent mouth ulcers, reflux, bedwetting, 'sneaky poos', 'sticky poos')

central nervous system (migraines, headaches, anxiety, depression, lethargy, impairment of memory and concentration, panic attacks, irritability, restlessness, inattention, sleep disturbance, restless legs, moodswings, PMT).

Symptoms of food intolerance can come and go and change throughout life.

Diagnosis

Food allergies: Can be identified by Kinesiology muscle testing, skin prick tests or RAST blood tests and confirmed with avoidance and challenge.

Food intolerance: Kinesiology muscle testing can identify provoking foods which will enable you to make dietary changes.

Treatment

Food allergies: scrupulous avoidance and retest once a year in the case of babies and children who may grow out of it. Life-threatening peanut allergies in particular are increasing. This is thought to be due to exposure through the use of peanuts in many Western-style processed foods. In allergic families, complete avoidance of peanuts, peanut-containing products (and also cows milk) is recommended for pregnant women for the last six weeks of pregnancy and throughout breastfeeding. Some schools have banned peanut butter.

Food intolerances:

According to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital allergy unit researchers:

* bakers' yeast is failsafe

* brewers yeast, sold as a supplement in health food stores, is not failsafe. It is very high in salicylates, amines and natural MSG

It is counterproductive to try to combine the failsafe diet with a candida diet which excludes yeast and sugar. People who are doing the failsafe diet 'but not 100%' and swear they react to sugar have almost certainly failed to reduce their salicylate level enough.

'So-called 'yeast-free' diets eliminate all additives and a wide range of foods, including those richest in natural chemicals. It is not surprising, then, that people with a food intolerance sometimes feel better when they go on such a diet, and jump to the conclusion that yeast was the culprit. The 'candida' theory, popular in some circles, is based on this kind of mistaken idea about yeast allergy.

'It is easy to fall into the same trap with sugar as with yeast. If 'sweets' like chocolates, lollies, cakes, biscuits, honeys and jams upset you, it is likely to be due to the natural chemicals and additives rather than the sugar.

'A common misconception you'll come across in popular books and magazine is that too much sugar can cause a 'rebound' effect ('hypoglycemia', or low blood sugar) 3 or 4 hours after a meal. It is true that some people can feel weak or shaky if they haven't eaten for a while, but their blood sugar is usually normal. Symptoms like this can be caused by delayed effects of food chemicals in a meal, or by hormones released when the stomach is empty. Having regular meals, making sure your diet is balanced, and choosing low-chemical foods and snacks will usually solve the problem.'