Did you know that one of the most common foods a person can be allergic to is the apple? I have worked with many patients, who after removing the apple from their diet for 6 months, noticed weight-loss and overall better health. This is not true for everyone, but is certainly more common than most people think!
Allergy Tests
At DreamBody Medical Centers, we can perform two different types of allergy tests. The IGE allergy test, and the IGG allergy test.
- IGE Allergy Test – This test is a skin test which is able to pick up on the common peanut and seafood type allergies. These are symptoms that you can usually see.
- IGG Allergy Test—This test finds the foods you are allergic to, that don’t cause the typical rash, swelling, hives, etc. This is definitely my favorite test and I highly recommend it. A common symptom of an allergy this test can pick up on is foggy thinking.
- ALCAT Test – This test is used to help clear up foggy thinking in many patients. A major benefit to this test is that it typically doesn’t have to be repeated for 5-10 years.
After an IGG allergy test is performed and I review your results, we will likely want to remove certain foods from your diet for 6 months to see the difference. After the 6 months, we can then slowly work them back into your diet every now and then so that you don’t have to live without these certain foods. We will find a way so that ideally, you can eat these foods every once in a while and enjoy the food without the reaping the negative side effects as well.
What About Gluten?
If you are looking to lose weight, I will sometimes suggest removing Gluten from your diet for 6 months. After the 6 months, we can then slowly reintroduce certain gluten foods to see how your body reacts. However, many people are going “gluten-free” and eating gluten-free foods such as crackers and beer and breads. Contrary to the media and popularity around a gluten-free lifestyle, these foods are actually refined grains and loaded with carbs, therefore bad for you. It is important to keep this in mind because so many people remove gluten and eat gluten-free and gain weight and wonder where they went wrong.
If you find yourself with foggy thinking, or just seem to feel “out of it”, one of these three allergy tests may be right for you. Chances are something in your everyday diet, no matter how common of a food it may be, is causing this. By coming in for a consultation, I can work with you to find the problem and implement the best possible solution. Just as with most health and medical situations, everyone is different. There is never a perfect one-size fits all answer, which is why we highly suggest scheduling a consultation with DreamBody so that we can get to know you and your lifestyle, and get to the root of the problem!
By Dr. Paul Budnick