The significance of food allergies and food allergy testing for the health of Chronic Stomach and Intestinal issues such as IBS and Crohn’s Disease

There are more and more concerns around the connection of foods and chronic gut issues such as IBS, Crohn’s and many different Auto-Immune Diseases, in general. People enter my clinic consistently with laboratory tests (skin and blood) that show they have no allergies to specific foods to which they actually have severe responses to. These symptoms and reactions are very real and are caused by the responses through the GALT (Gut Associated Lymphoid Tissue) and not testable via normal laboratory or skin testing. The GALT directly responds to what is eaten and digested and is severely responsive to foods that are highly inflammatory by nature such as gluten and cow dairy, among others.

What most people do not understand is that disorders such as IBS and Crohn’s are not caused by food sensitivities but are actually only triggered by food sensitivities. The real root cause lies in a condition that is called “Leaky Gut Syndrome,” now being recognized by many major institutions in healthcare around the world such as The Functional Medicine University .

Leaky Gut Syndrome

According to the Arizona Center for Advanced Medicine, Leaky Gut Syndrome is a condition not recognized by the conventional allopathic physicians and can be determined by a severe inflammation of the intestinal lining causing such chronic autoimmune disorders such as IBS and Crohn’s. When the intestinal tissues are inflamed, then they begin to separate allowing abnormally-bound substances such bacteria, fungi, virals, undigested food particles and any other present toxins to pass into the bloodstream prematurely potentially triggering an immune-response leading to such disorders as IBS and Crohn’s. This is considered a direct immune system response and when the immune system is consistently triggered to attack these continual invaders, it can then begin to attack metabolic pathways and parts of the body such as joints, neurotransmitters, and the function of certain organs. Leaky Gut Syndrome is most commonly linked to Auto-Immune Diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, and all Inflammatory Bowl Diseases including IBS and Crohn’s.

Food Sensitivity Testing for Leaky Gut Syndrome

With Leaky Gut Syndrome we commonly see general clinical symptoms of chronic joint pain, fatigue, psoriasis/eczema, depression and anxiety, insomnia, and many others linked directly to these responses. Treatment for Leaky Gut Syndrome and these triggered inflammatory responses is multi-layered and does requires food sensitivity testing and removal of “trigger foods.” Most of the time, after significant treatment, most people are able to re-introduce those foods again without the triggered responses. Even allopathic clinics such as the
Mayo Clinic are using food testing and removal in their treatment of chronic disease.

Keys to treatment

The key to the effective treatment of Leaky Gut Syndrome (IBS, Crohn’s and any chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease) is to treat the local GALT tissue and associated inflammatory issues with protocols that assist in repair, getting inflammation under control and getting process back into the gut function. Along with treating the function, there must be re-inoculation of the proper gut bacteria and immunoglobulins. Repair of the gut is necessary for the effective treatment and regulation of the gut in order to treat these disorders, and food allergy testing and removal are a very important part of the effective treatment and resolution of these chronic and debilitating health issues.