A National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that more than half of all U.S. citizens test positive to one or more allergens. According to Anaphylaxis Canada, 20% of Canadians suffer from some form of allergy.
Allergies affect more people than any other single health problem. Allergies to the food you eat or to substances you touch or inhale contribute to biochemical changes in the body that may eventually lead to illness. Some of the most common allergens are foods, plants (pollens, weeds, grasses, trees, etc), insect venoms (bee stings, mosquito bites, sand flies), animal dander and saliva (such as cat, dog and horse), dust mites, mold spores, occupational substances (asbestos, latex), and drugs (such as aspirin, penicillin).
Getting an allergy profile is an important first step towards being allergy free. Allergy profiling helps identify both food and environmental sensitivities. This information can assist your allergy specialist in developing an effective plan to treat your allergies.
When a person with a predisposition to allergies is exposed to a potential allergen for the first time such as food, grass, or animal dander, the body perceives the potential allergen as a foreign substance and produces an antibody that may lodge in the skin, respiratory system, blood or gastrointestinal tract.
During the next exposure, the new antibodies recognize the allergen and cause the body to release histamine and other chemicals, resulting in an allergic reaction usually at the site of exposure to the allergen. Some people can tolerate a large degree of allergens without ever experiencing any outward symptoms while others may only require a very minute amount of exposure to allergens before symptoms appear. The degree and severity of symptoms vary due to the genetic makeup of the individual.
When a person has signs or symptoms that point to a possible allergic reaction, allergen-specific antibody tests are usually ordered before beginning treatment. A person who has a classic allergy usually develops redness, swelling, and heat. The symptoms can be subtle and similar to those seen in other health conditions making diagnostic testing very important in identifying allergy-related disorders. Signs and symptoms may include:
| • Hives |
• Coughing, nasal congestion, sneezing |
| • Dermatitis |
• Asthma |
| • Eczema |
• Itching and tingling in the mouth |
| • Red itchy eyes |
• Abdominal pain, or vomiting and diarrhea |
Unfortunately, allergy tests available today do not provide a comprehensive and accurate picture of all possible allergens. Skin or scratch tests, although fairly reliable for the detection of environmental allergens, are not as accurate for detecting food allergies. The usefulness of skin tests can also be affected by skin conditions such as significant dermatitis or eczema, and by medications, such as histamines and some anti-depressants.
Patch tests and oral food challenges may also be performed by a qualified medical professional. You may also be asked to eliminate foods from your diet and then reintroduce them to help identify food sensitivities. It is important that these tests be done under close medical supervision, as a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction is possible.
NAET (Nambudripd’s Allergy Elimination Techniques) practitioners supplement information from conventional allergy testing with applied Kinesiology based Muscle Testing. Although an unconventional method, this innovative technique is harmless to the patient. When practiced by an experienced professional according to protocols, it provides invaluable information on a wide range of food, environmental and emotional allergies.
The most widely medically accepted allergy tests are the Alergen IgE/IgG Antibody Blood Test.
Immunoglobulin E (IgE) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) are two of the antibodies that respond to foreign substances entering the body. On contact with an allergen, the antibodies attach themselves to specialized cells in the tissues and bloodstream. This action primes the immune system.
During subsequent exposures to the allergen, the specific antibodies identify the intruder, attaches to it, and triggers the release of chemicals, including histamine, causing allergic symptoms that start in the mouth, nose, or on the skin, wherever the allergen has been introduced.
Of all of the available medically supported allergy tests, IgE/IgG provides the most comprehensive information on the body’s sensitivity to various potential allergens. Blood tests do not have an adverse effect on the person being tested, which is different from certain tests that may actually result in temporary worsening of symptoms.
Allergen-specific IgE/IgG antibody testing involves taking a blood sample and checking for each suspected allergen. Allergens may be selected one at a time or by choosing panels such as food panels, which contain the most common adult or child food allergens, and regional weed and grass panels, which contain the most common airborne allergens in the location where the person lives. Individual selections can be very specific. Usually someone will only be truly allergic to a few substances (4 or less).
It should be noted that the allergen IgE/IgG antibody tests should be repeated after completing a course of treatment to monitor the level of desensitization to the allergen and identify any remaining allergens that need to be treated.
IgE antibodies appear right after ingestion or inhalation of an allergen. They provide immediate responses to a foreign substance that has entered the body. The first time a predisposed person is exposed to a potential allergen, they will not have a major reaction; instead, they will begin producing a specific IgE antibody and become "sensitized." Once someone is sensitized, subsequent exposures can result in severe reactions.
An acute allergic skin reaction for example may cause hives, dermatitis, and itching which may lead to dermatitis and eczema. In the respiratory tract, an acute allergic reaction may cause coughing, nasal congestion, sneezing, and throat tightness, which may lead over time to asthma. It can also cause red itchy eyes.
Acute allergic reactions in the gastrointestinal system start in the mouth with tingling, itching, a metallic taste, and swelling of the tongue and throat, followed by abdominal pain, muscle spasms, vomiting and diarrhea, chronically leading to a variety of gastrointestinal problems.
In even more serious cases IgE reactions can lead to anaphylactic shock. Reactions can also be variable in severity, one time causing hives, the next time anaphylaxis. The most common food-related causes of severe
anaphylactic reactions are peanuts, tree nuts such as walnuts, and shellfish.
IgG antibodies appear several hours or days after exposure to an allergen. This makes it difficult to determine the causative agent since the allergic reaction typically appears about 48 to 72 hours after exposure. Furthermore, no immune system "priming" is necessary; people can have a reaction with the first exposure.
This type of hypersensitivity may cause redness, swelling, hardening of the skin, rash, and dermatitis at the exposure site hours to days after exposure. A common example is the reaction to nickel in metal jewelry. Symptoms may also include headaches, nausea, hyperactivity and seizures. The degree and severity of symptoms vary due to the genetic makeup of the individual.
Negative results from the allergen-specific antibody tests most often indicate that a person does not have a "true allergy." But there are exceptions. If the allergen was not consumed during the three weeks prior to testing, the immune system may not have had recent enough exposure for the specific antibodies to be present.
A person can also display a genetic hypersensitivity problem, such as sensitivity to gluten with Celiac disease or have an enzyme deficiency, such as a lactase deficiency causing lactose intolerance. There could also be an allergy-like condition for which there are no laboratory tests. Or it could be another disease that is causing allergy-like symptoms.
Even if the specific IgE/IgG test is positive, a person may never have an actual physical allergic reaction when exposed to that substance. False positives may occur as a result of cross-reactivity with other foods or proteins. The proteins are not identical, but similar enough for the immune system to react to them. For example, a reaction to bananas may also cause a reaction to pineapple and vice versa.
Another type of adverse food reaction can stem from emotional or physical trauma, resulting from a previous negative food experience (e.g. food poisoning). Children who outgrow a food allergy may continue to have positive test results for many years.
In both of these cases, a person's clinical history and additional applied Kinesiology based Muscle Testing and other medically supervised allergy tests may be necessary to confirm an allergy diagnosis.
Allergic reactions are very individual. They can be mild or severe, vary from exposure to exposure, get worse over time (or may not), involve part of the body or the whole body, and can sometimes be fatal.
Although children do outgrow some allergies, adults usually do not. Allergies that cause the worst reactions, such as anaphylaxis caused by peanuts, do not usually go away. Avoidance of the allergen and advance preparation for accidental exposure, in the form of medications such as antihistamines and portable epinephrine injections, is considered a prudent course of action.
NAET® is a non-invasive, painless and drug free allergy elimination technique. Since its discovery in 1983 by Dr. Devi Nambudripad, NAET® has freed thousands of people from allergies and disease. Before beginning treatment NAET® patients are asked to provide the results of an IgE/IgG Antibody test covering the items listed below. In an effort to reduce the cost of testing only food panels are initially requested. Skin prick or scratch tests, if available, can also provide valuable information on environmental allergies.
Please have these following lab tests done on all new visits before beginning the NAET treatments. Then repeat these tests after completion of NAET Basic 15 groups. Then treat for all IgE positive items one at a time, repeating the blood test frequently until the IgE class comes down to Class I or lower. Please do not eat or use the item if the IgE level is more than class I.
| ALMOND |
CHICKEN |
LETTUCE |
SALMON |
| AVOCADO |
CHICKEN FEATHER |
LEMON |
SHRIMP |
| BANANA |
CHOCOLATE |
LOBSTER |
SOYBEAN |
| BARLEY, WHOLE |
COD |
MANGO |
STRAWBERRY |
| GRAIN |
CORN |
OAT |
TOMATO |
| BEEF |
COW’S MILK |
ONION |
TUNA |
| BELL PEPPER (GREEN PEPPERS) |
CRAB |
ORANGE |
WATER MELON |
| CARROT |
EGG WHITE |
PEANUT |
WHEAT |
| CASEIN |
EGG YOLK |
POTATO |
WHITE BEAN |
| CELERY |
EGGPLANT |
RICE |
|
| ALMOND |
CHICKEN |
LETTUCE |
RYE |
| APPLE |
CINNAMON |
LOBSTER |
SAFFLOWER |
| ASPARAGUS |
CLAM |
MALT |
SALMON |
| AVOCADO |
COCOA |
COW’S MILK |
SCALLOP |
| BANANA |
COCONUT |
MUSHROOM |
SESAME |
| BARLEY |
CODFISH |
MUSTARD |
SHRIMP |
| BASIL |
COFFEE |
NUTRA SWEET |
SOLE |
| BAY LEAF |
COLA |
OAT |
SOYBEAN |
| GREEN BEAN |
CORN |
GREEN OLIVE |
SPINACH |
| LIMA BEAN |
CRAB |
ONION |
SQUASH |
| PINTO BEAN |
CUCUMBER |
ORANGE |
STRAWBERRY |
| BEEF |
DILL |
OREGANO |
CANE SUGAR |
| BLUEBERRY |
EGG WHITE |
PEA |
SUNFLOWER (SEED) |
| BRAN |
EGG YOLK |
PEACH |
SWORDFISH |
| BROCCOLI |
EGG PLANT |
PEANUT |
BLACK TEA |
| CABBAGE |
GARLIC |
PEAR |
TOMATO |
| CANTALOUPE |
GINGER |
BLACK PEPPER |
TUNA |
| CARROT |
GLUTEN |
CHILI PEPPER |
TURKEY |
| CASHEW |
GRAPE |
GREEN PEPPER |
BLACK WALNUT |
| CAULIFLOWER |
GRAPEFRUIT |
PINEAPPLE |
WATERMELON |
| CELERY |
HADDOCK |
PORK |
WHEAT |
| CHEDDAR CHEESE |
HONEY |
SWEET POTATO |
BAKER’S YEAST |
| COTTAGE CHEESE |
LAMB |
WHITE POTATO |
BREWER’S YEAST |
| SWISS CHEESE |
LEMON |
RICE |
YOGURT |