By: Christine St. Pierre

Do you suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, migraines, fibromyalgia, or skin eruptions?  If so, did you know that changing your diet could provide relief from your symptoms?  The key is to identify the foods that are triggering a reaction.  Unlike with food allergies, you may not experience the effects of your body’s response to a trigger food immediately after eating.  It can take anywhere from 45 minutes to three days.  However, the body’s response to trigger foods is not consistent:   you may experience a reaction sometimes, but other times you don’t.  Whether or not you have a reaction may depend on the amount of the food you eat, the other foods you eat it with or the level of stress you are under at the time.  Trying to self-diagnose your food sensitivities is enough to make you crazy!

The Mediator Release Test for food sensitivities takes away the guesswork and reveals the foods that may be contributing to your symptoms.   One blood draw of four tubes is turned into 150 blood tests when your blood sample arrives at Signet Laboratories.  Your blood is monitored for changes in response to 150 different food and food additives, and the report details your level of sensitivity to each of the substances—indicated by red, yellow and green bars of varying lengths (see chart).

An individualized six-phase plan is provided, showing which foods should be safest to eat and have the greatest impact on reducing your symptoms. You also receive a Lifestyle, Eating and Performance (LEAP) plan to follow that prescribes foods to eat in rotation based on your test results, which helps prevent new sensitivities from developing.  Our dietitian Kathy Kendall is a certified provider of LEAP disease management and has seen tremendous success for her clients that have done the testing.  Click here to read our client Marie’s story about the benefits of LEAP testing. Contact our office today to learn more about how food sensitivity testing can help you eat better and feel better!