Functional Testing
We do functional testing at Auckland Skin Clinic. Depending on your presenting symptoms we may order blood tests, hormone tests or IgG food allergy tests.
Testing is not necessary in every case. It is used as a tool to help detect the underlying cause of your condition or symptoms, to confirm deficiencies, assist treatment, and monitor progress. We only order and perform tests that are scientifically validated.
Food intolerance testing
The complex way food affects our everyday lives is an emerging area of understanding. The incidence of food intolerance is extremely wide and it is estimated that 45% of the population could be affected. Many people with food intolerances experience more than one symptom.
Food intolerances are far more prevalent than food allergies and can be responsible for a myriad of complaints such as digestive issues, headaches, brain fog, fatigue, immune system dysfunction and skin inflammation.
We’re now offering a new type of food intolerance test that is reliable, easy to perform and scientifically robust. We use Nutripath Integrative Pathology Services, with many specific IgG food panels available. It detects antibodies in the blood to 144 or 96 foods commonly eaten in Western, Asian and Mediterranean diets. We can order a Vegetarian panel or Asian food panel at your request. All tests also screen for the yeast overgrowth marker Candida albicans.
Download a sample test report
Sample report - 96 General Food Panel
Sample report - 144 Food Super Panel
This test may be particularly indicated for people that have come up with negative results on all of the conventional IgE allergy tests performed so far (RAST tests or skin prick allergy tests).
IgG-mediated allergies (food intolerances) differ from IgE-mediated allergies in that they are often harder to detect because the adverse effects are not immediate. Symptoms can occur up to three days after eating the offending food because IgG food antibodies remain for a much longer time than IgE antibodies.
IgE food allergy causes the release of histamine, producing an immediate hypersensitivity reaction. In contrast, IgG food sensitivity is triggered by the binding of compliment to IgG food antigen complexes, causing an inflammatory response. This is a delayed hypersensitivity reaction in which symptoms appear anywhere from hours to days after eating the offending food.
IgG food testing is a useful guide for structuring elimination diets for patients with many chronic conditions including skin disease. Although not life threatening, food intolerance should never be underestimated as its impact on sufferers can be significant, sometimes affecting their ability to live normal healthy lives.
In fact many food intolerance sufferers realise after elimination that they had been experiencing minor symptoms as a result of food intolerances for their entire lives.
The IgG Food MAP test is available only to existing patients at Auckland Skin Clinic or those with a booking.
