What is Food Intolerance ?
Unlike food allergies, food intolerances are not usually life-threatening but cause a low-grade inflammatory reaction within your body.
Food Intolerance Symptoms can be delayed for many hours or even days, making it more difficult to identify the problem foods.
We at Morkare Natural Clinic can help you with Naturopathic and Homeopathic treatments for food intolerances.
Symptoms
- Bloating after eating certain foods
- Headaches or migraines
- Brain fog
- Chronic constipation or diarrhea
- Stomach pains or cramping
- Vomiting
- Excessive flatulence
- Asthma and/or difficulty breathing
- Difficulty gaining weight or losing weight
- Chronic fatigue despite eating well
- Hives, skin rashes or eczema
- Joint stiffness or pain for no apparent reason
Food Intolerance test
If you suspect you have a food intolerance, it’s best to get diagnosed by a qualified practitioner to ensure you are not overlooking a potentially concerning medical problem, or unnecessarily avoiding a particular food group and missing out on essential nutrients required for optimal health.
The identification of food intolerances involves a combination of medical history, physical examination, and specific tests.
Food intolerance testing:
At Morkare, our Naturopath and Homeopath use the Food Detective Test which checks for IgG antibody reactions to 59 commonly eaten foods to help our patients pinpoint their food intolerances. This test is performed in Clinic by our Nutritionist, Naturopath or Homeopath using a blood sample from a simple finger-prick and results are ready within 48 hours.
We also refer our patients for other tests externally, such as blood tests to check for Coeliac Disease or Food Allergy Tests, where required.
Causes
Common causes of food intolerances include:
- Absence of digestive enzymes needed to fully digest a food, such as lactose intolerance
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) which can cause cramping, flatulence, constipation and diarrhea
- Intestinal permeability (damaged gut lining or ‘leaky gut’)
- Bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine (SIBO)
- Sensitivity to food additives, such as sulfites used to preserve dried fruit, canned goods and wine
How our team at Morkare can help with Food Intolerances
- Functional Testing: Our Naturopaths can discuss testing options with you to help diagnose food allergies or food intolerances and rule out other conditions such as Coeliac Disease.
- Dietary Advice: Naturopaths can provide personalized dietary advice and guidance based on your individual food reactions so that you have alternatives and can still maintain a balanced diet.
- Naturopathic and Homeopathic Medicines: We may prescribe specific supplements or homeopathic remedies to support gut healing, improve digestion and help regulate your immune system while removing the reactive foods for a period of time.