Development of Food Intolerance Testing
American immunologist, T. Randolph, first recognised the important difference between allergy and intolerance. Two British doctors, R. MacKarness and A. Hodson brought this knowledge in the UK in the mid 70’s. They both worked with Randolph in America. Martin Healy worked and trained with Hodson in the early 80’s.
The Elimination Diet
The elimination diet was developed by these original pioneers and is still regarded as the “gold standard”. However, the downside of the elimination diet is that you are working blind as the whole approach is based upon an “educated guess” as to which foods you should start eliminating. Given that a person could be intolerant to several different foods, the chances of a successful outcome are very low.
The Launch of the New IgG test in Ireland
The IgG food antibody test was developed in The UK in the mid 1990’s. Martin Healy was the first to launch this new IgG Food Intolerance test into the Irish market in 1999. The test was developed at the laboratories of Cambridge Nutritional Sciences UK.
Cambridge Nutritional Sciences (CNS)
CNS did all the original research and development and they continue to perfect the test. Their primary strength is in research and development. Some of the features of their test include:
The new test is state-of-the-art microarray test technology and is fully CE marked
The test is available in over 100 laboratories internationally. From Europe, Middle East, Asia, China, India, S. America to Canada etc.
Because of the advancement of this new microarray technology, foods are no longer tested in food groups. With many of the older tests, you end up avoiding a whole group of foods because the test is not able to identify the individual problem food within that group.
Rather than getting a +1, +2, +3 food test result, each food receives its individual IgG antibody score with the CNS test system.
CNS – Additional Tests
Cambridge developed a list of additional tests to support practitioners in the clinic. Many of these tests augment the information the practitioner has already gained from the food intolerance test report. For example:
The Coeliac Test
A useful test for clients with a family history of coeliac disease.
Candida Albicans Test
A useful test for clients showing and yeast intolerance or symptoms of yeast infection.
Vitamin D Test
A very useful test given our Irish climate and the vital role Vitamin D plays is supporting the immune system and bone integrity.
Thyroid Antibody Test
A very useful test given that many patients suffering with food intolerance also suffer with thyroid issues
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