We’re continuing the conversation this week around food intolerance tests, and whether a patient should get one to find out about food sensitivities. Last week we talked about factors that will affect the test results. For Part 1 of this series click here. This week we’re talking about discovering why food sensitivities exist, and how our Toronto naturopaths can help to determine the root cause.
So, to restore healthy gut function, is it enough to simply eliminate the foods we’re sensitive to? Definitely not. Food sensitivities came about for a reason, some of which can have to do with poor ingredients, deficiencies and an imbalanced diet, and others to do with individual factors such as low stomach acid, fatigue and stress, and microbial imbalances. If we don’t address the function of the gut and stimulate a healing process to occur, symptoms and syndromes such as IBS and GERD are likely to stick around. This is why there are other assessment tools that may be important on initiating naturopathic treatment, and have little to do with foods. Blood tests, stool tests and therapeutic trials targeting certain digestive functions and organs are often a better place to start.
The first step is an initial appointment with one of our Toronto naturopaths, who take a thorough and holistic history, perform physical examination and connect the dots between different body systems. By listening to your story, we determine what is most likely behind your symptoms. We start by calming down inflammation and microbial imbalances and yes, diet is an important part of that process. Some food antibodies will disappear from that step alone, and the ones that remain are more significant. However, we never aim to keep patients on a restricted diet for life. Food sensitivity testing often comes into play as a guide for finding a new normal for your nutrition, helping avoid anything that remains a trigger while restoring gut function for the long term.