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Food intolerances are incredibly common in Australia, with up to 1 in every 4 people suffering from them. Most people experience digestive symptoms, however they can also affect many other areas, or even the body as a whole. The most common symptoms are
Also, if you feel flat or unwell all the time, or if you have a number of symptoms with no obvious cause that won't go away, you may have food intolerances.
The most common causes of food intolerances are
The body uses various digestive enzymes to break down different types of foods. A lack of specific digestive enzymes (for example, lactase to digest the lactose in dairy products) means your body can’t break that food down properly.
Your body may overreact to naturally occurring chemicals like amines (found in aged cheese and red wine) or salicylates (found in certain fruits and spices).
Antibiotics not only kill off many of the good gut bacteria, but can also damage the lining of the intestines and can trigger sensitivities.
Gut hypersensitivity can make your digestive system very reactive to normal digestive processes, such as the fermentation of certain carbohydrates.
Additives such as artificial sweeteners, preservatives, or sulphites (often in wine and dried fruit) can irritate the gut.
Conditions such as celiac disease or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can also damage the lining of the intestines.
There are 3 steps to treating food intolerances.
Just because you have digestive problems doesn’t automatically mean you have food intolerances. There can be a variety of other causes, including lack of certain nutrients, incorrect control of the digestion by the nervous system, immune imbalances, excess adrenaline, lack of stomach acid, etc. In fact, most digestive problems are due to several factors. So the first step is to identify what is causing your symptoms.
If they are definitely due to food intolerances and the symptoms are severe, it is important to identify the foods that you react to and take them out of your diet. This will help to reduce the inflammation in your digestive system, and allow it to settle down and repair more easily. Identifying the foods you react to can be done through a food diary or by a blood test (which can be arranged through our clinic).
On the other hand, if your symptoms are not severe or they are due to other causes as well, the problems can normally be addressed without having to identify and eliminate particular foods.
2. Addressing other factors
As mentioned earlier, it is common to have a combination of causes for food intolerance symptoms. It is obviously important to also address all of these causes.
3. Healing and strengthening the digestion
This involves reducing the inflammation in the guts, repairing the lining of the intestines, increasing the production of digestive enzymes, etc. (Naturopathy is very good for this.)
If you have any digestive or food intolerance symptoms, we are currently offering a limited number of free Comprehensive Assessments. (Terms and conditions: the Assessment is a completely free service, with no obligations whatsoever.)
The Assessment helps us identify:
If you would like to book in for an Assessment, please give us a call on 3376 6911, or you can book online using the link at the top of the page.
Be well, and have a great life!
Valued at $120, your Assessment will help to uncover:
All this will be fully explained to you, and you can ask as many questions as you like. That way we can be sure to give you all of the right information, understanding and advice you need. Terms and conditions: This is a free, no obligation offer.