Many people either experience, or are frustrated by chronic headaches or migraines, digestive problems (gas, bloating), chronic constipation or diarrhea, Fibromyalgia, fatigue, muscle & joint pain, skin problems, GERD, chronic cough/sinusitis, and the inability to loose weight. Sometimes these symptoms are mild and sometimes they’re so severe that they require medical attention and cause one to be severely incapacitated. However, even with medical consultation and prescription medications, the problems can persist. Why? Often these symptoms are a direct result of unidentified, or misdiagnosed Food & Chemical Hypersensitivities, related to body wide inflammation and “leaky gut”, or a gut that is out of balance and overstressed.
Medical research has discovered that many of the chronic symptoms that people commonly suffer with can be linked to a specific kind of adverse reaction to foods and food chemicals called Delayed Food Hypersensitivity. This problem occurs in approximately 35% of the general population, and is a different problem than Food Allergies or Intolerances, which occur in much smaller numbers of the population: 3-5%. Common food allergies are peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, seafood, milk, soy, eggs, and wheat. There are NO COMMON foods & chemicals that cause sensitivities, because they are highly individualized by person and are reflective of one’s overall health. They can be ANY food substance or chemical, including perceived “healthy” foods like blueberries, garlic, yogurt, walnuts, lentils, or spices. Sensitivities to commonly found chemicals like artificial colors, solanine, nitrates, MSG, histamines, or sulfites in many foods, medicines, & supplements, can also cause severe reactivity.
Sensitivities often include what may be favorite, repeatedly, consumed foods. Food & chemical hypersensitivities are time and dose dependent. This means a small amount may not trigger a reaction whereas a larger or more consistently consumed amount can trigger reactivity that can cause the body-wide symptoms, previously mentioned. Time dependent means that reactions may occur any time from an hour after consumption of the reactive food, up to 72 hours later. This is what makes it so difficult to identify troublesome foods and chemicals, to which people show “sensitivity”. Food & chemical sensitivity are different than true food allergies and intolerances. They involve different bodily mechanisms and therefore the treatment of them is also different. It involves more than just testing and avoiding.
Enter the Mediator Release Test “MRT®” and the accompanying LEAP Anti-Inflammatory Dietary Protocol. It is an evidence based, proven method of identifying specific dietary and chemical triggers. The protocol is effective for desensitizing & healing the immune system and gut. An individual relearns how to eat, to heal themselves without drugs, in a holistic, healthy manner, by changing their diet, and lifestyle habits.
As a Certified LEAP (Lifestyle, Eating And Performance) Therapist and Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, I have been trained to conduct the MRT test to identify food sensitivities and rebalance the body through the LEAP medical nutrition therapy protocol. The result is resolution of symptoms and ability to regain health and vitality. Quite often there are the added benefits of weight reduction AND potential to reduce or eliminate prescription medications.
For information, or to schedule a consultation, contact Donna Wolf RDN, CLT at 858-335-2140, or donna@healthydirectionsforyou.com