Why test for food sensitivities? 

Those struggling with autoimmune diseases experience “flare-ups” that create frustrating symptoms & further issues. In functional medicine, we must look at the ROOT cause of these “flare-ups” rather than using a BandAid approach. We should be looking at autoimmune diseases with a very specific lense. There is not a “size-fits-all” protocol we can recommend for any complex disorder. 

Food sensitivities are among the most common reasons for these “flare-ups” to occur. Especially living in the US, we see many people dealing with food sensitivities due to over processing, & the use of pesticides & herbicides. Sensitivities are becoming more & more common, so we MUST address this to get to the bottom of unwanted symptoms. 

We always recommend to run a complete test for food sensitivity due to the severity of damage that food can do to our bodies, especially for someone dealing with autoimmune disease. 

Key Concepts About Dietary Protein Immune Reactivity: 

Dietary proteins change their antigenicity if they are cooked or raw. 

Dietary proteins can change their antigenicity when they are combined with other foods during cooking. 

Dietary proteins can cross-react with other food proteins. 

Dietary proteins can cross-react with body tissue proteins. 

Dietary proteins can induce immune reactivity by either specific cross-reactivity or by direct immune pathways activation. 

— Dr. Datis Kharrazian 

Most tests DO NOT test for these specific immune reactivity. They often only test for raw, uncooked food sensitivities & they certainly do not test for cross-reactivity with other foods. These are KEY to understanding sensitivities at their core & why you may still be experiencing symptoms. 

What are the most common cross-reactive food sensitivities? 

Unfortunately, our conventional American agriculture is affecting the health of many people. Gluten & dairy are among the most commonly found food sensitivities in our daily life. It is absolutely imperative that those who are struggling with Hashimoto’s avoid both of these food groups! Gluten especially is highly inflammatory & cross reacts with other foods when eaten together. It is very often that we see symptoms due to consuming both of these food groups. 

We recommend Cyrex Array 10 Food Sensitivity Panel Test to better understand the root of the issues with autoimmune disease.  

In the NEW Chronic Disease & Autoimmune COURSE, Dr. Conners discusses the need for research when dealing with these disorders. Visit Courses.ConnersClinic.com to view & purchase our new courses!