Nutritional Therapies for Immune System, Inflammatory, Autoimmune, Digestive and all related disorders...
Food Allergies, Intolerances and Sensitivities...
The terms Food Allergy, Food Sensitivity and Food Intolerance are often used interchangeably to describe any adverse reaction to something in ones diet. Both patients and health professionals often use these terms synonymously with each other.
These terms describe very different reactions to foods in the diet, and having a detailed and in depth understanding of the differences in these terms will determine how successful a patient is in deciphering these reactions and resolving their digestive and inflammatory issues.
Reactions to foods in our diet can impact literally any condition in the body. All Digestive Tract issues can be related to these food reactions. (If we are going to react to something in our diets, the first logical place it will impact us is the digestive tract). Inflammatory reactions to foods in our diet can contribute to inflammatory reactions everywhere else in the body as well.Muscle and joint issues, gland dysfunction (Thyroid, Ovaries, Pancreas, Liver, Adrenals, etc), Skin, Lungs, Urinary Tract, Neurological Disorders and literally any other body system.
Dr. Woodworths approach to treating inflammatory and digestive disorders relies heavily on identifying these very specific and unique reactions in each patient. Allergies and Sensitivities are INFLAMMATORY reactions to foods in our diet. Food Intolerances are NON-INFLAMMATORY reactions to foods in our diet. If a patient has any inflammatory issues at all in the body related to their diet, they are having either food sensitivity and or food allergy issues with specific foods in their diets.
Food Allergies and Sensitivities (inflammatory reactions to foods) often lead to damage in tissues, organs and glands in the digestive tract leading to dysfunction in those parts of the digestive tract. This damage can lead to food intolerances.
For example, an allergy or sensitivity to a food can lead to gastritis in the stomach. This leads to heartburn, which leads to antacid medications. The lack of hydrochloric acid in the stomach can lead to maldigestion and malabsorption issues in the lower bowel. This can lead to fermentation issues in the lower bowel causing gas and bloating issues, and fluid production sometimes causing loose stool and diarrhea. (food intolerances)
Another example could be a chronic inflammatory muscle or joint issue leading to regular use of NSAID medications (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications). These medications are known to affect the integrity of the digestive tract lining, which can then lead to malabsorption and maldigestion issues and subsequent food intolerance issues.
A simple inflammatory food reaction in the colon can lead to a drop in pH in the colon, leading to an imbalanced gut flora issue like Candida (excess yeast in relation to bacteria in the lower bowel. Or an inflammatory food issues in the stomach or small intestine can alter the pH and chemistry in that part of the digestive tract, and lead to an excess of Bacteria in relation to yeast causing SIBO issues (Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth) Both of these gut flora imbalances can have an inflammatory food reaction as the primary problem leading to their diagnosis.
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The following links are to a series of blog articles explaining the differences in these terms, the differences between inflammatory and non inflammatory reactions to foods in a our diets, and how these reactions can lead to systemic inflammatory disorders in the body as well as chronic fatigue, anxiety, mood, sleep and other metabolic issues in the body.
Please read the following articles in the links below, in the order listed to gain a critical understanding of these different reactions to foods in our diets and how these reactions lead to tissue inflammation and break down, and subjective symptoms such as fatigue, mood, and sleep disorders.
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The Ideal Anti-Inflammatory Diet is....
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Food Allergy or Intolerance, What's the Difference...
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Food Allergies are a Protein Issue...
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Can Food Allergies Trigger Autoimmune Disease...
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Chronic Fatigue, Stress, Anxiety and Chronic Inflammatory Disorders...
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Heartburn, Reflux, Indigestion and Hidden Food Allergies...