Some people don’t give a second thought to the types of foods they put in their body, while others with food allergies and sensitivities oftentimes carefully consider every food that touches their lips each day. Living with food allergies and sensitivities is something that millions of Americans deal with on a daily basis, and while most true allergies cannot be completely reversed, there are plenty of things you can do to reduce or even eliminate food sensitivities. In today’s blog, we share some tips for managing and potentially reversing food sensitivities.
Food Allergies Vs. Food Sensitivities
Food allergies and sensitivities both elicit a response from our bodies when we eat something that doesn’t agree with our digestive system, but they are two separate issues. Food allergies elicit an immediate response from your body when you consume something that the body believes is harmful, whereas a food sensitivities typically lead to a more mild and delayed reaction as the body struggles to digest a particular food. Food allergies can lead to more serious symptoms, like hives, nausea or anaphylaxic shock, while food sensitivities may bring about digestive issues like gas, diarrhea, bloating or fatigue.
Because food allergies have the potential to trigger life-threatening immune responses, most patients work to avoid these substances and carry an epi-pen or a similar counteracting medication should they accidentally consume a food they are allergic to. With food allergies, patients have a little more freedom to try to train the body to better handle digesting certain substances. We work with patients in all walks of life who want to learn more about their sensitives and try to calm or reverse them. But how does this process work?
Foot Sensitivity Treatment
At LX Medical the first stage of food sensitivity treatment involves a round of comprehensive testing. In order to fight back against your sensitivities, we really need to understand what substances are causing the reaction. Skin reaction tests, blood sampling and elimination dieting can help determine which substances are causing you trouble. Some common food sensitivities include:
- Gluten
- Certain histamines
- Fructose
- Sulfite
- Eggs
- Artificial flavorings/dyes
It’s not always possible to completely reverse a food sensitivity, but there are plenty of ways to work to calm symptoms and help the body better manage these issues, and these treatments focus on improving our gut and immune health.
Some of the most common ways we help patients manage food sensitivities is by recommending certain prebiotics, probiotics and specific dietary improvements. There’s also a significant benefit to becoming healthier in other aspects of your life to provide a more ideal environment for your gut and your whole body health. Those changes may include increased exercise, striving to achieve more quality sleep and avoiding certain triggers or inflammatory agents, like alcohol, tobacco and caffeine. Working with a specialist who is willing to take the time to establish your individual sensitivity profile and chart a specific course of action can go a long way in helping patients overcome food sensitivities so that they can enjoy certain foods once again without fear of uncomfortable digestive symptoms.
To learn more about how we help patients manage and overcome food sensitivities or other reactions to certain substances, connect with the team at LX Medical today at (651) 565-9633.
