Food intolerance information for healthcare professionals

Many patients who think they have a food intolerance problem will consult their family doctor, GP or other healthcare professional as a first step. The breadth of possibly related symptoms and the range of foods involved can mean that food intolerance can be underestimated by some GPs and healthcare professionals. Elimination and challenge food testing without proper help however can be dangerous, especially in the case of over-zealous parents which could lead their children to eat nutritionally inadequate or dangerous diets.

Somatisation disorder is used to explain patients who frequently attend healthcare clinics displaying a wide range of medically unexplained symptoms. The term is generally used to characterise an illness that is psychosomatic, caused by psychological distress manifesting itself through the body as opposed to the mind. There is no doubt that psychological mechanisms frequently produce bodily symptoms and that some frequently attending patients present illnesses that are generally psychosomatic. However, Allergy UK highlights that there is evidence to suggest that some of the symptoms of somatisation disorder may be the symptoms of allergic-type responses (intolerances) that are beyond the current understanding of immunology.

Food intolerance testing is a quick, painless and needle-free test that can be carried out on over 100 food substances within one hour. It can help your patients identify which food types should be eliminated from their diet, and where appropriate after a period of time reintroduced, to see whether that reduces the symptoms they have.