Simple Test Pinpoints Food Sensitivities
MIAMI (CBS4) - For certain people struggling with headaches or joint pain, the food they're eating may not only be keeping them from getting better but from also losing weight. Now a simple test can pinpoint food sensitivities and help some people improve their overall health.
Joe Davis of Fort Lauderdale is a healthy man today, but few years ago it was a very different situation.
"I was working for a computer manufacturer and they were using chemicals in the building. And I inhaled the chemicals and was then diagnosed with adult onset asthma," said Davis.
Shortly after his diagnosis he started to gain weight which eventually led to high blood pressure.
"I tried a lot of diets, the nationally recognized diets, and I would lose 5 pounds and gain 10," said Davis.
It wasn't until he learned about something called the antigen leukocyte cellular antibody test (ALCAT), a blood test for food sensitivities, that he was able to overcome his medical challenges.
"Within about 2 weeks I stopped taking the 6 prescriptions I had been taking for about 5 years," said Davis.
The test, marketed by Cell Science Systems of Deerfield Beach, can help people with a number of chronic conditions such as fatigue, malaise, headaches, IBS and asthma. It measures the body's cellular response to more than 300 foods, chemicals and other substances.
Once the items causing severe, moderate and mild sensitivity are identified, patients are asked to eliminate them and then follow a rotation diet which reintroduces them over time.
The ALCAT test, which has been around for 20 years, has not been widely embraced by the healthcare industry. Dr. Felicia Stoler, the author of Living Skinny in Fat Genes, suggests if it works for you great, if not take it with a grain of salt.
"Because it claims to be a definitive test of sensitivities to foods it's not necessarily declaring food allergies. That's where there's a little bit of gray area in terms of being able to say you have a clear diagnosis," said Stoler.
The ALCAT test costs anywhere from $100 to several hundred dollars and is covered by some insurances.
For more information on the ALCAT test, click here.
