Food allergies affect millions of people in the Unites States, including both children and adults. Underlying food allergies and food sensitivities can create severe health issues and a major traffic jam in your health and overall healing process.
What is a Food Allergy?
A food allergy is an abnormal response to food, triggered by the body’s immune system. Our immune system’s job is to identify and destroy foreign invaders, such as bacteria and viruses, which cause illness. However, with food allergies, the immune system mistakenly identifies a harmless food protein, an allergen, as a threat and attacks it.
There are several types of immune responses to food, one in which the body produces a specific type of antibody, called immunoglobulin E (IgE). The binding of IgE antibodies to specific molecules in a food triggers the immune response. This response can vary in severity from being mild to, in rare cases, being associated with anaphylaxis, a severe and life-threatening reaction.
Identifying a Food Allergy
Many people aren’t aware that they may have a food allergy because the process of identifying one is often slow. Exposure to toxins in our everyday household items and the environment, as well as pesticides and additives in our foods, will damage the digestive system walls. When proper digestion is compromised, undigested food particles can pass through our cell walls, creating an inflammatory response.
This can lead to serious complications such as malabsorption, autoimmune diseases, behavioral issues, neurological conditions, inflammatory bowel conditions, and leaky gut, just to name a few.
If you suspect you may have a food allergy, a test can reveal the triggers that are causing the adverse reactions and keeping your body from healing. At our natural medicine in Orlando clinic, we will work with you to establish a customized plan to help heal your digestive system and help you introduce those foods back into your diet.
Please call our office at (407) 862-2287 to schedule a personal health consultation today.