Food Allergy Testing – Is Hair or Blood Testing Better?
Have you decided you want to be tested for a food sensitivity, intolerance or allergy but aren’t sure how the tests work? We’re aware of the confusion surrounding tests, which is why we’ve put together this guide to bioresonance hair testing and blood testing.
Should I choose a hair or blood test for allergies?
Choosing between a hair test or blood test is determined by whether you are wanting to test for food sensitivities, intolerances or allergies.
Although commonly mistaken as being the same, your body will react differently depending on whether you have a sensitivity, intolerance or allergy.
Allergies are caused by the body’s immune response to items, food intolerances are a gastrointestinal response where you cannot digest enzymes properly, and food sensitivities are caused by a delayed immune response and are less severe than allergies.
Food Sensitivity Test
Bioresonance hair testing is a holistic form of therapy used for food sensitivity testing. It is categorised as a complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) – a diverse group of therapies, practices and products which fall outside of conventional medicine or healthcare.
This type of testing analyses the bioresonance of a small hair sample using MARS III (Multiple Analytical Resonance Systems) machines. Bioresonance testing does not test for allergies since that requires a blood sample, but food sensitivities can be tested using this method.
You can order a food sensitivity test which uses this bioresonance testing against 500 common triggers. With your at-home sensitivity test, all you need to do is send off 3-5 strands of hair to our labs and you’ll receive your results within 7 days of us receiving the sample.
Please note this sensitivity test does not constitute a medical diagnosis, but can help people to identify potential triggers and alter their diet accordingly using an elimination diet.
Allergy Blood Test
Blood testing can be used in identifying triggers for both allergy testing and food intolerance tests. Our blood tests analyse the blood for certain immunoglobins in response to various allergens and food items.
What is Immunoglobin?
Immunoglobin, also known as ‘antibodies’ are large y-shaped proteins used by the immune system to neutralise threats. Think of them as your tiny personal bodyguards. They fend off pathogens like viruses and harmful bacteria and even fungi.
There are 5 types of human immunoglobins [1];
- IgM
- IgG
- IgA
- IgE
- IgD
IgE Allergy Testing
Immunoglobin E (IgE) protects the body against parasites and is also what causes allergic reactions in those who suffer from allergies. This is because, occasionally, even our immune system gets things wrong, and it sees an allergen as an ‘invader’ out to harm you. Your body then sends out a batch of IgE’s to deal with the ‘threat’, which generates unwanted symptoms.
IgE blood testing is one of the medically validated diagnostic methods of diagnosing an allergy [2]. With our allergy blood testing, we analyse the sample you send in against 35 various allergens and check for IgE in response to those allergens, to determine if an allergy is present.
Simply send off your small blood spot sample, and you’ll receive results within 7 days of us receiving your completed test.
IgG Food Intolerance Testing
A food intolerance can be identified by the IgG antibodies produced in response to a particular food item. This happens in a similar manner to the allergic reaction, but more slowly and to a less drastic degree – as the symptoms are much less severe. Studies indicate that IgG testing can be an effective diagnostic method for food intolerances [3].
You can order an intolerance test which tests for raised IgG4 antibodies against 63 common triggers. From this, you can begin to remove the suspected food items which are causing symptoms using an elimination diet.
What if I don’t know if I’m allergic or intolerant?
Blood tests such as our Allergy & Intolerance Test Plus tests for both allergies and intolerances. Because these two are different responses from the body, different immunoglobin types are used in response to them.
In these tests, we analyse the blood sample against various food items for both an IgG and IgE response, to determine if food intolerances or allergies are present, respectively.
Which Food Intolerance / Sensitivity / Allergy Test to Get
So which test should you get? Well, it depends on what you’re looking for. If you are specifically looking to learn about any allergies that you may have, then blood allergy testing is your only option, since allergies can’t be tested for using a hair sample.
If you are looking for a holistic approach to optimising your health, then bioresonance hair testing may be exactly what you need as these tests can analyse a variety of different health markers such as food sensitivity, gut biome, nutritional deficiencies and metal toxicity.
For a more comprehensive testing experience, you could use a combined allergy and intolerance test which uses a blood sample to get a broader understanding of your body’s response to potential triggers.
If you’re still unsure of testing and want to learn more, check out our FAQs or speak to one of our helpful advisors who can offer advice and support on your health journey.
References
[1] Justiz, A.A. and Kamleshun Ramphul (2020). Immunoglobulin. [online] Nih.gov. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513460/ [Accessed 5 Mar. 2020].
[2] Waserman, S., Bégin, P. and Watson, W. (2018). IgE-mediated food allergy. Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology, [online] 14(S2). Available at: https://aacijournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13223-018-0284-3 [Accessed 5 Mar. 2020].
[3] Lin, S., Yang, X., Xing, Y., Wang, X. and Li, Y. (2019). The Clinical Application Value of Multiple Combination Food Intolerance Testing. Iranian journal of public health, [online] 48(6), pp.1068–1073. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31341848 [Accessed 5 Mar. 2020].
